Humanism in Italian Renaissance Art

Humanism in the Renaissance period was categorized by an increased interest in Classical artists ideals and also Greek writings, particularly those written by Plato.  A strong and simultaneous sense of idealism and realism existed in works produced by artists working in the Renaissance style.  Artists produced works which were at once illusionistic, realistic, Classic, and idealistic because these were the tenants of the Renaissance period.  Working in the Renaissance tradition meant that artists must consider harmony, balance and proportions of their work as well as subject matter and what the patron wanted.  The work created in this time period hearkened back to the Classical times where realism and individualism were extremely important to artists.  Additionally, artists were influenced by the patrons who were commissioning the works of art.

Plato’s dialogue Timaeus discussed the natural world and the way it is shaped.  Timaeus discusses the world in terms of geometry and it makes me think that this particular point is at least partially responsible for the linear perspective used in almost all Renaissance paintings.  

While it seems contradictory to call these works at once idealistic but also realistic and illusionistic, it simply is not.  Michelangelo’s Tomb of Giuliano de’ Medici with Allegorical Figures of Night and Day is an example of the balance between idealism and realism.  The figure of Giuliano sits, inset into the wall, adorned in his Renaissance interpretation of Classical armor.  Though he wears a breastplate, it bends with the natural curve of his body, giving the figure realistic weight.  Proportions on this figure are correct, except perhaps for the next which does seem a bit long and the position of the head seems a bit at odds with reality.  The skill with which this figure was carved, however, makes the impossible angle believable.  He is at ease, legs tucked slightly under himself, the folds of the cloth at once hide and embellish or accentuate his thighs.  The figures below Giuliano are Night (female) and Day (male).  This Night figure is strange:  she is muscled almost like a man with her breasts seemingly just placed upon her pectorals.  It is quite unsettling as it looks almost like a botched plastic surgery job.  Her feet, wrists, face, and tummy all have a feminine quality to them: they are small, but porpotionate, slim but strong, solemn and not too beautiful, soft without losing much in the idea of muscle underneath.  

Patrons had final say over all works produced by artists for that particular commission because they were the ones paying for the work.  This practice often led to artists working within a medium which they simply didn’t like.  Michelangelo, for example, was commisioned by the Pope Julius II to work on his tomb, a sculptural project, but was pulled from the project just two years later to work on painting the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel.  Of course Michelangelo was upset because he considered himself a sculptor before he considered himself a painter, though he was a master of both.