Perceptions Of Beauty In European Renaissance Art

The Renaissance Era marked the transition between Medieval and Early Modern art in Europe into a time period of cultural change and diversity that all began in Italy. This period covers the 200 years between 1400 and 1600. The meaning of the word renaissance means "rebirth". When we consider this important time period in art history, there are two major characteristics to keep in mind. This era began the reconstruction and reviving of preexisting forms of architecture and art from the Roman and Greeks and a significantly broadened shift to the relevance of the individual within the art created. The European Renaissance began in Central Italy and centered in the cities of Florence and Siena. The effects of the Renaissance were later brought to Rome. The Italian Renaissance faced a major impact in the sixteenth century when foreign invasions began due to the

The artist wanted to build a perfectly three-dimensional image with a life-like quality. Neil Haughton, the author of the article “Perceptions of beauty in Renaissance art” states that,

“An artist’s perception of what is ‘beautiful’ is determined by many factors, not least of which are the requirements of his patron. Basic aspects of the brain’s visual capacity have been shown to be innate, such as a newborn baby’s ability to recognize the structure of a face, but most are learned during the visual stimulation received during early development.”

The Renaissance was a pivotal point in human history, and helped shape the ideas we have in society today. The thinking of the individual during this period of time helped artists to build beautiful depictions of their patrons because they wanted to enhance their own reputation, and convey the experience they gained in their lifetime rather than paint something for the