The Renaissance movement gave many trends, chief among them was Humanism. This philosophy greatly influenced the art of the period.
- Humanism is a philosophy of taking a rational view informed by science, inspired by art, and having compassion. Francesco Petrarca is regarded as the ‘Father of Humanism’. It emphasized creating a secular state for the growth of natural science.
Humanism in art is described as a period of early Renaissance when art was influenced by the prevalent humanist ideals of the time. It emphasized using realistic techniques in art and drew themes from Greek and Roman classical art, mythology, and literature (pre-Christian times).
Renaissance Humanism artists used concepts of aesthetic beauty and geometric proportions and pioneered revolutionary artistic methods from a one-point linear perspective, trompe l'oeil, and chiaroscuro to create illusionary space and new genres, including frontal portraiture, self-portraits, and landscape.
Early renaissance figures like Lorenzo Ghiberti, Filippo Brunelleschi, and Donatello sought to innovate their art and pushed the boundaries of linear perspective, color, and light. The human form was depicted as powerful, divine, and even erotic.
Italian Humanists (Six Tuscan Poets) (1544) by Giorgio Vasari
5 prominent features of Italian Humanism-
- Themes from antiquity- Humanist artists turned to ancient Greek and Roman themes for inspiration.
- Educated artists- The artists were not merely trained in the trade of art but were also educated in Greek, Latin, Mathematics, Science, and Anatomy.
- Innovation- Humanism encouraged creativity and innovation in the fields of sculpture, painting, architecture, literary arts, and city planning.
- Christianity- The artworks continued portraying Christian themes, though the humanist artists took inspiration from Classical Greek and Roman works. The paintings portrayed Biblical scenes.
- Human form- Human figure was shown in exalted and realist form. The keen focus was on muscles, curves, genitalia, hairs, expressions, etc.
Famous works from the Italian Humanism period are Sandro Botticelli’s The Birth of Venus (c.1485), Donatello’s David (c. 1430–1440), Raphael’s The School of Athens (c. 1510), Leonardo da Vinci’s Vitruvian Man (c. 1490), Michelangelo, Sistine Chapel ceiling (1508 and 1512), and Paolo Uccello’s The Battle of San Romano (1435-1440).
