Renaissance Man Essay Example

book "Michelangelo and the Reform of Art & Painting in Renaissance Florence, 1500-1550," his deep religious piety influenced his desire to sustain religious imagery that followed canonical models. He also had an impulse to reform that came from multiple directions.

Michelangelo had two goals - to recreate devotional images that will touch the viewers' heart and to consecrate modern arts by combining Renaissance techniques with ancient styles. He renewed past artifacts by unraveling their edges and creating new forms, such as an altarpiece format inspired by past ideas and used as the basis for the "gallery picture" in his Quadro painted panel. He made devotional images secular, but still uniquely shaped in a way that offers new ways of devotion. (Source: The Art Bulletin, Online Edition)

Raphael, one of the prominent figures in the Renaissance movement alongside Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, and Titian, made a significant impact on Western art history. The Art Bulletin's Online Edition notes that he introduced a unique genre that embodies conflicting values and represents an individual artistic culture. During his stint from 1504 to 1508 in Florence, Raphael crafted altarpieces for Citta di Castello and Perugia while producing remarkable portraits and devotional paintings of the Holy Family. Nevertheless, it was his masterpiece fresco - the Stanze of the papal apartments in Vatican Palace (1508) - together with smaller oil paintings and notable altarpieces that serve as his enduring legacy. Raphael's contribution cemented his stature as one of history's most ingenious artists.

Leonardo Da Vinci (1452-1519) was a remarkable individual of the Renaissance period, exhibiting exceptional abilities in painting, sculpture, engineering, science and invention. He transformed the use of drawing as a scientific tool.

His artistic talent conveyed knowledge more effectively than words. Da Vinci's innovative use of Chiascuro highlighted differences between light and shadow, while his unique method sfumato blended hues and tones to create breathtaking landscapes.

The portrait of Mona Lisa is a renowned example of the effect, which is widely regarded as one of the most famous portraits in Western art and a masterpiece that combines evocative portraiture with mastery of Sfumato technique. During the Renaissance period, portraiture gained dominance in art due to rising individualism, resulting in nobles, princes, popes, and other individuals getting themselves painted for posterity. Leonardo Da Vinci's scientific observations aided in enhancing expressiveness in his paintings while adhering more closely to reality.

Both Kellard's Online Edition and the BBC online report highlighted Leonardo da Vinci's remarkable abilities in blending drawing, color, perspective, and lighting with technical knowledge. Additionally, "The Last Supper," created between 1495 to 1497 at the Monastery of Santa Maria delle Grazie in Milan, exemplified the pinnacle of expression during the high renaissance period. This masterpiece established a benchmark for others to emulate and showcased da Vinci's exceptional talents.

Leonardo da Vinci was a skilled artist who depicted a range of human emotions in his artwork, including anger, fear, pity, aggression, and depression. He is considered the ultimate representative of the Renaissance period due to his exceptional achievements in both art and science. While other Renaissance artists like Michelangelo and Raphael also made significant contributions during this time, Leonardo's expertise across all areas of these disciplines made him an icon of the intellectual ideals and values of this era.

Sources: http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/historic_figures/da_vinci_leonardo.shtmlhttp://arthistory.about.com/cs/arthistory10one/a/high_ren_2.htm