Introduction to Visual Analysis and Renaissance Art (Term Paper Sample)

Name: College: Date: Introduction to Visual Analysis and Renaissance Art One of the most notable forms of visual art that occurred between the two hundred years of 1400 to 1600 is the renaissance art. This is the period that witnessed an astonishing revival of sculpture, fine art painting and drawing. This type of art that originated from Italy is what we now call renaissance. Renaissance art reestablished the art of the western world according to the Greek art principals. Above all, the renaissance art was driven by the humanism notion which is philosophy that had been the base of most of the achievements like the democracy of the pagan Greece. One of the most notable works of the renaissance art period is the work of van Eycks. This is majorly as a result of the amount of detail that went to the making of it. This is the piece that particularly caught my attention due to the intricacies that van Eyck put into the mirror thus providing a reversal image of the scene which was convex. This mirror also seemed to divulge two onlookers and one of them must have been Eyck himself. From the research done, Richardson, Lymberopoulou & Woods, (2007) claim that this is actually a wedding painting that portrays a pregnant pride with a child. Other sources however claim that the women is not actually pregnant, rather she is holding up her dress which is full skirted being the fashion of that time. It is very clear that religion played a major part when it came to its influence on renaissance. Religion influenced both the art and thought. It influenced the art through the artists since most of their paintings reflected religious values like religious spirituality and faith rather than human individuality. It influenced thought through the humanists. Most of these artists had to change religions in order to learn the language of the others. They did this so that they could learn the bible from other religions' point of view Richardson, (Lymberopoulou & Woods, 2007, p.79). During the renaissance period, a lot of changes took place. Most of these changes is what characterized renaissance. Most of the rich families in Italy began to patronize many artists by the virtue of the fact that their businesses were flourishing. As a result of this financial support, there was a drastic change in behaviors well as the thinking of the artists. Some of the notable characteristics of this period included individualism, naturalism, focus on perspective, realism and sense of emotional expression. There was also the fact that there was rendering of light and shadow to create the depth illusion (Belozerskaya, 2005, p.26). During the early renaissance period, its artists believed ...