SS-123 -ART APPRECIATION Lesson 5: The Middle Ages, Renaissance Art, Mannerism

The Middle Ages, spanning the 5th to 15th centuries, was a period when Christian Church held central authority and influence over Western society. With the decline of the Roman Empire and preceding the Renaissance, the Church shaped daily life, politics and cultural expression. As the predominant institution, many of the era's major intellectual and artistic achievements stemmed from or were directly influenced by Christian scriptures and teachings. Monasteries preserved ancient knowledge by copying texts like the Bible, fostering developments in fields like math and philosophy. The Church's patronage of the arts yielded didactic achievements, illuminated manuscripts, liturgical music and visual works imbued with Christian symbolism and iconography. The products of this age were intrinsically tied to the study of Christian scriptures and the Church's overarching authority, leaving an enduring impact on Western civilization. The Middle Ages, spanning the 5th to 15th centuries, was a period when Christian Church held central authority and influence over Western society. The Middle Ages, spanning the 5th to 15th centuries, was a period when Christian Church held central authority and imbued with Christian symbolism and iconography. The Middle Ages, spanning the 5th to 15th centuries, was a period when Christian Church held central authority and influence over Western society. The Middle Ages, spanning the 5th to 15th centuries, was a period when Christian Church held central authority and imbued with Christian symbolism and iconography. Renaissance During the Renaissance, artists focused on individuals influenced by humanism and naturalisms. Emphasizing human body proportions, they added depth to paintings with perspective, often retaining religious themes. Some experts think the Renaissance actually started earlier in the 14th century and lasted until the 17th century. While some people see it as a clear break from the past, others argue that it was more like a continuation of the Middle Ages. The Renaissance had parts that overlapped with the Late Middle Ages, which were around 1350-1500, and it shared some similarities with both the Middle Ages and the Modern Age. As you can see in the PPT, there are some examples that I brought up. For example, this Mona Lisa in the PPT indicates the Last Supper and other detailed paintings. And fourth, the naturalistic form of its faces and figures enhanced by oil painting like Sfumato. This departure from naturalism was influenced by a desire to showcase individual artistic virtuosity and to evoke intellectual and emotional from viewers. So, when we say Mannerism, Mannerist art is known as for elongated proportions, exaggerated poses, twisted compositions, and unclear spatial relationships. Artists, though, created complex and implicated compositions, often depicting figures and unnatural or uncontorted poses. Like as you can see in our PPT, this is one of the examples of Mannerism or Renaissance paintings. And they used complex colors and unusual lighting to add drama and intensity to their works. You know, Mannerism was not a straightforward movement like duck and dive or zig and zag never went where you expected it to. Disruption, adventure, excitement about a movement that changed everything. Just on addition to Mannerism, during the High Renaissance, artists always tried to show the world, especially people, as accurately and as maturely as possible. They also studied and copied nature, carefully copying it. And also, among Mannerist artists, they always created something that was different on purpose. Instead, what they created was realism. Their intention was to create exaggerated and distorted human forms and shapes. They created elongated or twisted figures. Twisted, in a way, means disordered or complex. Mannerist artists moved away from the naturalism in a few reasons. Mannerist artists wanted to showcase their artistic skills and abilities by opening up their artworks and exaggerating them. They thought that exaggerating was a way to display their unique talents.