KEY STAGES OF RENAISSANCE

                        

“Every era of Renaissance has come out of new freedoms for people”.

                                                                                                                                    ~ Pearl S. Buck

The Renaissance was a unique and culturally rich period in history, marked by a great flourish of philosophy, literature and art. The Renaissance Era emerged in the late 14th century and reached its zenith in the late 15th and early 16th century. Although the timeline of the Renaissance period varied across different countries of the world, however  the Renaissance Era can be categorized into Four major periods where most of the changes took place in history.

> TRECENTO OR PRE- RENAISSANCE PERIOD ( 1300-1400)

‘Trecento’ is an Italian word which was used for the Italian culture during the 14th century. This period is also known as the Pre- Renaissance period which witnessed the emergence of high creativity, Pre- Renaissance paintings, sculpture and architecture. This period served as a bridge between the Medieval times and the Early Renaissance period. This period saw the scholars and artist reawakening to the classical learnings and values of Greek and Roman culture, after long period of stagnation that had followed the fall of the Roman Empire in the sixth century. This was also a time when the artist and poets began to take pleasure in the natural world around them. The Florentine painter Giotto di Bondone was the most famous artist of this period and his ground breaking work made massive advances in the realistic representation of the human body in the art. It was during this period that great Italian poet Dante Alighieri wrote his epic poem the “Divine Comedy”  and also Italian Scholar Francesco Petrarch became the father of Italian Humanist bringing in the idea of Humanism for the first time in history. This was a period when changes started taking place in various fields of study , art and literature and also new socio-cultural values and beliefs begin to flourish during this period. In short, Trecento or the Pre- Renaissance Period can be called as a stepping stone in the growth of the Renaissance period in history.

Scrovegni Chapel Frescoes( 1303-10) by Giotto

> QUATTROCENTO OR EARLY RENAISSANCE PERIOD (1400-1500)

‘Quattrocento’ is an Italian word which was used for the cultural and artistic events that took place during the 15th century. This period is also known as the Early Renaissance period which witnessed the breakaway from the Gothic period and its ideas and an evolution of radically new artistic techniques, departing from the flat planned and two- dimensional icon artworks that were popular prior. This was a period when new subject matters  evolved  beyond the traditional religious stories that dominated art earlier. This included the battle scenes, portraits and depiction of ordinary life and art no longer remained a way to solely elevate the devotional, but it became a way to document the people and events of contemporary times, along with the historical. Early Renaissance artist were highly influenced by the philosophy of humanism which created more focus on the earthly life and common man. The artists produced work that expressed historical and often religious narratives in bold new ways for a community that fostered art and nurtured artist like never before. This period also marked the rise of “Medici family”(who were wool merchants and bankers  and had a great influence over the Italian Renaissance through their patronage of the arts and humanism) and they ruled the city of Florence  throughout the Renaissance. 

 The other significant changes that took place during the Early Renaissance period across the world include the invention of ‘Printing Press’ by Johannes Gutenberg in 1450 , the establishment of ‘Ottoman Empire’ in the city of Constantinople – signaling an end to the Byzantine Empire in 1453, ‘the Discovery of America’ by Explorer Christopher Columbus in 1492 and Henry VII became the king of England in 1485. 

Gates of Paradise(1425-52) by Lorenzo Ghiberti

> CINQUECENTO OR HIGH RENAISSANCE PERIOD ( 1495-1527)

‘Cinquecento’ is an Italian word which was used for the Cultural and artistic events that took place during the late 15th century and early 16th century. This period is also known as the High Renaissance Period which was mainly  centered in Rome that denoted the artistic pinnacle of the Renaissance where a cultural movement towards humanism arose, compelling artists to return to the Classical Roman and Greek philosophies concerning universal man and his place in the world. The High Renaissance artist utilized and perfected a bevy of techniques borrowed from the Early Renaissance artists. This included the use of linear perspectives to create extreme depth and accurate and correct depiction of human anatomy. The High Renaissance Art is considered to be dominated by three major artist – Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci and Raphael. Michelangelo excelled as a painter, architect, sculptor and demonstrated a mastery of portraying the human figure. His ‘ Frescoes’ rank among the greatest works of Renaissance art. Leonardo da Vinci painted two most well known works of Renaissance art – ‘The Last supper’ ( 1495-1498) and ‘ The Mona Lisa’ (1503-1506). Raphael was skilled in creating perspective and in the delicate use of color and painted his masterpiece ‘ The school of Athens’ in 1511. This period was marked by the rise of artists and was mostly dominated by the masterpieces of painters and sculptors which are praised and celebrated till this date. 

Some of the other significant changes that took place during the High Renaissance period include the arrival of Vasco da Gama in India after sailing around the Southern tip of Africa from Portugal in 1498, Portugal explorer Ferdinand Magellan began his voyage around the world in 1519, Henry VIII became the king of England in 1509 and also this period saw the beginning of the Protestant Reformation led by Martin Luther. 

> MANNERISM OR LATE RENAISSANCE PERIOD (1527-1600 )

‘Mannerism’ is a style in European art that emerged in the mid 16th century and lasted till the early 17th century. This period is also known as the Late Renaissance Period where the artists took the principles established during the Renaissance to new extremes, culminating in an aesthetic that put a stylized twist on classicism. The High Renaissance period was known for its emphasis on proportion, balance and ideal beauty whereas Mannerism exaggerates such qualities, often resulting in compositions that are unnaturally elegant. This style is also notable for its intellectual sophistication as well as artificial qualities. Mannerist artist rejected the ideal proportions of Renaissance in favor of irrational settings, artificial colors, unclear subjects matters and elongated forms. There was an attempt on the part of the mannerist artists to surpass the achievements and styles of the High Renaissance artist and to give a new touch to the artistic styles and principles. This style of mannerism is visible in the works of artists such as Baldassarre Peruzzi, an Italian architect and painter, whose work ‘ Palazzo Massimo alle colonne’ clearly shows the indications of mannerism where the architecture has greater emphasis on the decorative qualities rather than on the expression of structural relationships. Michelangelo’s huge fresco ‘ The Last Judgement’ ( 1536-1541) shows strong mannerist tendencies in its agitated composition and formless indeterminate spaces. Therefore, it can be said that Mannerism or the Late Renaissance period becomes a time when the ideas and principles of the Renaissance was taken into a greater level by breaking away from classicism and producing works with greater self- awareness  and elegance.

The other important changes that took place during the Late Renaissance period includes the foundation of the ‘ Globe Theatre’ by William Shakespeare in 1599, discovery of the moons of Jupiter by Galileo Galilei in 1610, Elizabeth I became the Queen of England in 1558 and Rome was sacked by the troops of Holy Roman Emperor Charles V in 1527.

The Last Judgement( 1536-41) by Michelangelo

CONCLUSION

The Renaissance in history is considered to be a Rich period and cultural movement that witnessed tremendous changes in every aspect of life and the four major stages of the Renaissance period demonstrates how the whole Era was shaped and how the Renaissance movement gradually grew with time by discovering new ideas, philosophies and beliefs in Art and literature which helped many Renaissance artists to flourish and their works to be treated as masterpieces throughout history. 

-Devika R Nair