Essay on Illusionistic Ceiling Painting of the Seventeenth Century

Art in the early Renaissance began with artists such as Giotto, who was credited with beginning a new style of art that Masaccio had taken up and integrated into his art later in the Renaissance. This specific style, being the use of massive figures, relation of background/landscapes to figures, and visual representation of perspective, was utilized by Masaccio in his frescoes in the Brancacci chapel. Masaccio’s Tribute Money is showing a biblical tale ,as the renaissance was not entirely anti religion, but with subjects that are being made to look realistic through a use of perspective (vanishing point, horizon line, etc,) and it is said that Masaccio's work was said to be “ living, natural, and real”. Artists such as Uccello took this style and adapted it to also make his art more realistic by using figures to show the laws of perspective, while others like Pollaiuolo

Imagine pondering into a reconstruction of reality through only the visual sense. Without tasting, smelling, touching, or hearing, it may be hard to find oneself in an alternate universe through a piece of art work, which was the artist’s intended purpose. The eyes serve a much higher purpose than to view an object, the absorptions of electromagnetic waves allows for one to endeavor on a journey and enter a world of no limitation. During the 15th century, specifically the Early Renaissance, Flemish altarpieces swept Europe with their strong attention to details. Works of altarpieces were able to encompass significant details that the audience may typically only pay a cursory glance. The size of altarpieces was its most obvious feat but

From the 14th century to the 17th century the Renaissance took place and was consider the cultural bridge that connect the middle ages to modern history. During this time many spectacular things took place. Artwork was created that looked as though it were from the heavens. Sculptures were generated that looked as an angel had sculpted the masterpiece. The architecture that took place looked as though it were created from the 19th century. Many architects, artist, and sculptures were present during the Renaissance, but there was one person that stood out the most. He all of the abilities that three men combined did not have and his name was Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni. Michelangelo has many painting that our still around today,

The art of this era falls under the category of “psychedelic art.” Psychedelic can be defined as “of or noting a mental state characterized by a profound sense of intensified sensory perception, sometimes accompanied by severe perceptual distortion and hallucinations and by extreme feelings of either euphoria or despair,”8 and was usually influenced by the use of drugs. This kind of art was characterized by bright colors and unusual contrasts. Op art and pop art fall under this category of psychedelic art. “Op art, short for Optical art, is a style of abstraction that relies on geometric shapes, lines, and color juxtapositions to create optical illusions for the viewer.”9 Often looking at Op art makes one feel dizzy or disillusioned, which is the goal of the artist. Pop art was popular for commercial use, often seen in advertisements or on

Florence is home to many wonderful painters and artists during the renaissance. The one who did the ceiling of the cathedral that is shown is Giorgio Vasari. he was a renaissance painter, architect, and author. This artifact shows how extravagant they had gotten with their art, using perspective, shading and the influences of humanism to paint. This shows the true art of this time period.

Giotto “a forerunner of Italian Renaissance painting" also made his presence in this century. The most famous works of Giotto were completed in Padua and Florence.

Renaissance art created standards and principles that every painting and artist had to utilize in order to even be considered good, let alone great. Characteristics such as the phenomenon of natural light, one-point and linear perspective, and highly idealized religious or mythological figures changed into the Baroque techniques of manipulating light to create emphasis, dramatizing the illustrated allegory, and unidealized realism. Additionally, “… the Baroque trend dominated and gave its name to the age… [but it was the presence of both styles] that give the Italian seventeenth century its richness and diversity.” (4) Italy, and Rome especially, is home to what can

One wonders what an optical illusion is, “an optical illusion is a visually perceived image that differs from reality.” (Eifrig, 2014, n.p.). There are so many different types of optical illusions in which play with the brains of people. Optical illusions are normal because the majority of humans experience them. Humans’ vision tries its best to figure out what is happening to the picture, which then creates an image contradicting reality. Sometimes illusions can be entertaining because it fools the brain and one tries to figure out the image shown. Illusions cannot only be in a form of art but sometimes it happens whenever reading something without putting much effort.

The era known as the Baroque period includes the seventeenth and most of the eighteenth centuries in Europe. The Baroque style was a style in which the art and artists of the time focused upon details and intricate designs. Their art often appeals to the mind by way of the heart. During this time the portraits began to portray modern life, and artists turned their backs on classical tradition. Much of the art shows great energy and feeling, and a dramatic use of light, scale, and balance (Preble 302). Buildings were more elaborate and ornately decorated. These works of art created history and altered the progress of Western Civilization. Architecture such as the palace of Versailles, and artists like

Many of us today have things in our culture that we appreciate without thinking about where they have come from. The things we enjoy so much could be from another culture, and even another place in time. This document will explore the influence of Italian Renaissance art on today's civilization, which has greatly changed the art of today.

Ahl tells how Masaccio was underappreciated in his time, but since his works were not as accessible as some of his contemporaries. It was the way in which Masaccio was able to influence generations of artists after him that art historians today consider him a master of art. Masaccio looked to antiquity and architecture to further develop his use of linear perspective which literally pulls the viewer of the Trinity into the work itself.

The high renaissance time period introduced the world to arguably its best artists. Leonardo Da Vinci, Michelangelo, Raphael, and Titian ruled the grand community of artists at the time. Da Vinci and Michelangelo further succeeded because of their versatility. The high renaissance was marked by rival city-states and a continued trend of lavish spenders. Religious and political leaders spent great quantity of money to have their chapels, or any setting appear better than their rivals. Michelangelo’s artwork dominates over any other in the Sistine chapel. The Sistine chapel is the ideal place of where new popes are elected. Michelangelo brought along his love for sculpting in his paintings. There are about three hundred figures on the Sistine Chapel’s ceiling, and no two appear the same. Michelangelo’s artwork has an enormous variety of expression. Arguably Michelangelo’s best painting; The Creation of Adam perfectly represents his ideas. God is shown flying through the sky; while Adam is bound to the earth. Beneath the Lord’s left arm appears to be Eve, waiting to be born. The viewer’s eye follows the entire arm motion perfectly, which ends up pointing at Christ’s child face. Michelangelo’s figures differ greatly from Leonardo Da Vinci’s formal poses and gestures. Michelangelo’s figures include

To understand the characteristics of Baroque style is to truly understand artistic measures of the sixteenth to eighteenth centuries. Baroque, a single word describing an entire period of art, can be broken down into more than one actual form of art. The new European age birthed this developing style of architecture, coming from ideas on religion and politics. Set apart in three different countries, visitors of St. Peter’s Basilica, Versailles, and Hampton Court Palace, engulf themselves in historic Baroque styles and beauty. The international style “was reinterpreted in different regions so that three distinct manifestations of the style emerged” (Matthews 392). The florid, classical, and restrained baroque design of the three different buildings gives us a historic lesson on the reasoning behind its purpose.

When the new upper class movement, Renaissance, occurred in Italy around the 14th century, a revival of the classical forms originally developed by the ancient Greeks and Romans, an intensified concern with secular life, and interest in humanism and assertion of the importance of the individual began. Thus, artists such as Mosaccio and Giotto depicted art that unlike the Middle Ages, showed emotions, feelings, and bright colors, thus demonstrating the deep concern for naturalism in the society. Other artists during the Italian Renaissance period such as Giovanni Bellini began to express their art through secular and religious themes and ideas that were exhibited through landscapes and portraits. As new styles of

"A picture can paint a thousand words." I found the one picture in my mind that does paint a thousand words and more. It was a couple of weeks ago when I saw this picture in the writing center; the writing center is part of State College. The beautiful colors caught my eye. I was so enchanted by the painting, I lost the group I was with. When I heard about the observation essay, where we have to write about a person or thing in the city that catches your eye. I knew right away that I wanted to write about the painting. I don’t know why, but I felt that the painting was describing the way I felt at that moment.