The renaissance

What does Renaissance mean? The French term Renaissance emerged between the 14th and 17th centuries and the term is used to describe an entire period of rebirth. Artists of this time looked back to the work done before them while incorporating a greater sense of light and color through new mediums. This incorporation created a sense of space, a major innovation for the time. This mathematically based concept of using a vanishing point, a horizon line and orthogonals (lines that go diagonally to the vanishing point) was and is a clever strategy that causes your eye to se in three-dimensions, you see length, width and depth. Renaissance is a rebirth of old techniques and strategies with improvements being applied.

Who hired these artists? Renaissance art was mostly done through commission. They were a paid to do a job by the church or a patron. The artists were told what they were to create. Their own ideas were often ignored. It was the artists skills the patrons wanted not their ideas. If a patron hired an artist he might instruct the artist to paint a portrait. If the church hired the artist he might be instructed were to paint a biblical scene that had been agreed to by the clergy.  


The Duke of Saxony was a patron of the arts. He hired an artist to paint this portrait of himself. Patrons hired artists and told them what they wanted. What the artist felt did not matter.

Artists become more than craftsman The Renaissance proved to be a time of great transformation for the artist. The artists began to gain respect in society as more than craftsman. Artists and their work was seen as a talent that their efforts were more than repetition and good fortune. Art was more than just a craft.

Guilds Renaissance society was dominated by guilds, which represented the important trades in the city. These trades included lawyers, doctors, fish mongers, ship builders, merchants, tailors, cobblers, blacksmiths, weavers, butchers, bakers and artists, to mention a few. Workshops were also abundant, where a master paid to take on an apprentice to teach practical skills in the field.

Guilds represented areas of commerce and record All guilds were connected to a patron saint and each looked out for their fellow members, ensuring that all had a job and a decent income. Apprentices worked directly under the master who was paid in some instances to teach the young learner the new skill or trade. Sometimes, apprentices pledged to work for room and board only for a determined amount of time in order to learn a trade. Typically, this occurred when the child turned twelve and usually boys. Very few woman were sent to a master to learn a trade. The art apprentice would initially do simple chores such as sweeping, running errands, prepare wooden surfaces to be painted or grind and mix paints. Remember that paints then were minerals or naturally occurring substances that needed to be mixed with fats or oils to create paint. Apprentices then became journeymen, as a journeyman you could travel and sell your trade or set up your own business away from the master.

Leonardo da vinci: a self portrait of himself the master Notice his use of line and values to create space.

Again, da vinci’s use of light and color to create space The use of color creates light, texture and depth

Giuseppe Arcimboldo having fun with food and art

Pieter Bruegel:notice that this is a scene from common life. Peasant wedding: a scene

Renaissance: the rebirth Artists looked back at what had been done by the masters before them and then continued to improve their skills and talents. They began to experiment with color, line and values to create works that were rich. Additionally, Renaissance artists began to move away from being told what they would create to expressing what they were feeling or sensing at an event as seen in slide 9 the peasant wedding. They began to experiment past attempting to copy what they were seeing to having fun such as the face of vegetables.

Do you think a renaissance is possible today?

You will need to now go to your assignment to answer questions based on this presentation.