Renaissance and Baroque

Scene from a Novella by Liberale da Verona (Italian, Verona ca. 1445-1527)

Wolf and Fox Hunt by Peter Paul Rubens (Flemish, Siegen 1577-1640)

The renaissance period of art began in the 1400s in Italy, where it was considered one of the most important in Europe’s history. The art work from this time period are inspired by the ideas and forms of ancient Greece and Rome. The effect of humanism on art, the emergence of the individual figure in place of stereotyped and symbolic figure. It emphasis on education of expanding knowledge, belief in individual potential. Some of the characteristic of the art work from this time period is the use of linear perspective, the appearance of things relative to one another as determined by their distance from the viewer. The individualism showed individual people instead of groups and realism, also the use of nudity and directional light. The use of shading give viewer the illusion of volume in the art work.

            The first picture is “Scene from a Novella” by Liberale de Verona, an Italian artist in renaissance period, the theme of the paint is the beloved appearing at the window, and it is found in a number of chivalric tales and novella. The king’s daughter standing from inside the window is over watching the chess game. This scene of paint is in outdoor, and used the linear perspective, and the people outside the window is bigger than the person that is inside the window since she is farer away. And the use of light and shading to create the depth and illusion of volume.

         The baroque art was a reflection of political and culture changes that is emerging across Europe, baroque art is not just about figures that needed to be realistic, but also their surroundings as well and their place in the overall painting. This paint is call “Wolf and Fox Hunt” by peter paul rubens from Flemish, siegen. This paint showed a group of people and dogs hunting wolf and fox, the style is very similar to renaissance art but it is more focus on the action of the story and gives viewer the exciting feeling of what is going on.