Differences between Medieval and Renaissance Art II Accessible Art History

Welcome back to the Accessible Art History YouTube channel. In this week's video, I will be comparing two different artistic time periods, Medieval and Renaissance. Oftentimes, people characterize Medieval art as being, quote, lesser than the Renaissance, simply because it was less naturalistic. But this video will aim to show you that one is not better than the other. It's all about different attitudes and motivation for artistic creation. Different doesn't equal better or worse, and it's important to keep the focus on human expression. So, to learn more about these fascinating eras, then keep on watching. Before I dive into the nitty-gritty details, I think it's important to present some background information on both time periods. Let's start with Medieval art. Historians often date this period from roughly 500 to 1450 CE. At the time, the rise in feudalism and of the church's power were the main drivers behind the creation of art. The most common mediums were painting and illuminated manuscripts, but we do see sculpture, especially within church spaces. I actually have a three-part series all on Medieval art on this channel. It's linked below. After the Medieval period, we have the Renaissance. This era is marked by a rise in appreciation for the classical past. In 1453, Constantinople fell to the Ottoman Turks. The city was the last vestige of the once-mighty Roman Empire. Scholars fled to the relative safety of the West, bringing their classical knowledge with them. This helped lead to the rise of art for art's sake, but the church was still a major patron. Paintings and sculpture were the most common mediums in this period. Alright, now that we've established some background information, let's take a look at the main differences between Medieval and Renaissance art. The first is the use of perspective. In paintings, perspective creates the illusion of three dimensions on a two-dimensional surface. Artists employed a vanishing point, or an invisible point on the painting where the lines converge, to create perspective. This added depth and weight to a piece, making it appear more naturalistic. Other techniques for creating perspective included the use of shadows and giving the body weight, usually by clearly marking the knees and elbow. In general, Medieval art didn't utilize perspective. Artists weren't as concerned about realism as they were about getting the story's message across to the viewer. However, this did change in the Renaissance. During this period, artists used perspective as a tool to add depth and interest to the scene. To highlight this concept, I've chosen two images featuring the Annunciation, or the moment when the angel Gabriel told Virgin Mary that she was to bear the son of God. They were painted about 150 years apart and show the difference quite well. You can find these two works at the Uffizi Gallery in Florence. The first was painted by Simone Martini in 1333. It's part of a larger altarpiece, but I'm going to focus on this panel. Martini did not include any background details, but instead the backdrop is made of a brilliant gold gilt. This means that there are no shadows or vanishing points, giving a more flat appearance to the work. In addition, there is little weight to the bodies. They could be floating because there's nothing to anchor them down. The other example can be found in the Uffizi Gallery. It was painted by Leonardo da Vinci in 1472. The artist included a vanishing point in the center of the work, right above the mountain. In addition, da Vinci made sure to emphasize the elbows and knees of the two figures, giving the body weight. Finally, you can clearly see angel Gabriel's shadow. These three details are all used to create perspective and three-dimensionality within this piece. For artists, utilizing a background can set the scene. Small details can shift the tone of the work and lead to new interpretations. In general, medieval artists chose golden, heavenly-inspired backgrounds, while Renaissance painters preferred natural settings. To showcase this, I've chosen a couple of different works. The first is a Madonna and Child painted by Duccio between 1290 and 1300. It's a fairly simple work, just the Virgin Mary holding Christ while they both look out at the viewer. There's a golden gilt background that would have been beautifully illuminated in the candlelight. This detail puts the two figures on a heavenly plane, separate from our own. It also prevents giving the viewer any sense of scale. They could be human-sized, they could be smaller, they could be larger. We don't know. In contrast, we have Raphael's small Clouper Madonna. He painted it in 1505. It's similar to Duccio's work in that we see a tender moment between the Virgin and Christ, but they are set in a natural park-like setting. Behind the short wall, we see a lush green landscape. On the right, there's a large hill with a contemporary castle on top. These details were used by Raphael to show the viewer that this scene was taking place in their time, not in some heavenly, mystical realm. The final difference I'm going to highlight in this video is the way that medieval and renaissance artists portrayed Christ. Of course, he was one of the most important, if not the most important, figures in life and art, but the way that Jesus was shown differed quite a lot over the centuries. First, we have this medieval statue. It is called the Orozcan Pieta and dates from between 1300 and 1325. Art historians classify it as an ondux builder or an item used to aid in devotion and contemplation. This piece is bloody, gory, and honestly a bit terrifying. Blood pours out of Christ's broken body. At this time, people wanted to focus on the suffering of Jesus during the Passion events. It showed his human side, meaning he could understand the pain that everyday people were going through. This made Jesus approachable to every worshiper. However, by the time the Renaissance came along, attitudes towards Christ's depictions had changed. He became a strong and powerful figure, who death could not conquer. This can best be seen in Michelangelo's famous sculpture, the Pieta, dating from 1498 to 1499. In this work, the Virgin Mary is cradling the dead body of her son. He was just taken down from the cross moments before. However, Jesus doesn't look dead. Instead, he looks like he could be sleeping. There is no evidence of his torture or manner in death. Instead, his skin is smooth and unblemished. Michelangelo created the scene this way to show that not even death was stronger than God. Medieval and Renaissance art, as different as they may be, are beautiful in their own way. They each had motivations behind creation, showing humanity's desire to capture their belief.