Renaissance artists list of names. Italian painting of the Renaissance

For Europeans, the period of the dark Middle Ages ended, followed by the Renaissance. It allowed to revive the almost disappeared heritage of Antiquity and create great works of art. An important role in the development of mankind was played by the scientists of the Renaissance.

Paradigm

The crisis and the destruction of Byzantium led to the appearance in Europe of thousands of Christian emigrants who brought books with them. In these manuscripts were collected knowledge of the ancient period, half-forgotten in the west of the continent. They became the basis of humanism, which put man, his ideas and the desire for freedom at the forefront. Over time, in cities where the role of bankers, artisans, merchants and artisans increased, secular centers of science and education began to emerge, which not only were not under the rule of the Catholic Church, but often fought against its dictates.

Painting by Giotto (Renaissance)

Artists in the Middle Ages created works of predominantly religious content. In particular, for a long time The main genre of painting was iconography. The first who decided to bring ordinary people to his canvases, as well as to abandon the canonical manner of writing inherent in the Byzantine school, was Giotto di Bondone, who is considered the pioneer of the Proto-Renaissance. On the frescoes of the church of San Francesco, located in the city of Assisi, he used the play of chiaroscuro and moved away from the generally accepted compositional structure. However, Giotto's main masterpiece was the painting of the Arena Chapel in Padua. Interestingly, immediately after this order, the artist was called to decorate the city hall. In working on one of the paintings, in order to achieve the greatest reliability in the image of the "heavenly sign", Giotto consulted with the astronomer Pietro d'Abano. Thus, thanks to this artist, painting ceased to depict people, objects and natural phenomena according to certain canons and became more realistic.

Leonardo da Vinci

Many figures of the Renaissance had a versatile talent. However, none of them can be compared in its versatility with Leonardo da Vinci. He distinguished himself as an outstanding painter, architect, sculptor, anatomist, naturalist and engineer.

In 1466, Leonardo da Vinci went to study in Florence, where, in addition to painting, he studied chemistry and drawing, and also acquired skills in working with metal, leather and plaster.

Already the first picturesque canvases of the artist singled him out among his comrades in the shop. During his long, at that time, 68-year life, Leonardo da Vinci created such masterpieces as Mona Lisa, John the Baptist, Lady with an Ermine, The Last Supper"and so on.

Like other prominent figures of the Renaissance, the artist was interested in science and engineering. In particular, it is known that the wheeled pistol lock invented by him was used until the 19th century. In addition, Leonardo da Vinci created drawings of a parachute, an aircraft, a searchlight, a spotting scope with two lenses, etc.

Michelangelo

When the question of what the Renaissance figures gave to the world is discussed, the list of their achievements necessarily contains the works of this outstanding architect, artist and sculptor.

Among the most famous creations of Michelangelo Buonarroti are the frescoes of the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, the statue of David, the sculpture of Bacchus, the marble statue of the Madonna of Bruges, the painting "The Torment of St. Anthony" and many other masterpieces of world art.

Rafael Santi

The artist was born in 1483 and lived only 37 years. However, the great legacy of Rafael Santi puts him in the first lines of any symbolic rating " Prominent figures the Renaissance."

Among the artist's masterpieces are "The Coronation of Mary" for the Oddi altar, "Portrait of Pietro Bembo", "Lady with a Unicorn", numerous frescoes commissioned for Stanza della Senyatura, etc.

The pinnacle of Raphael's work is the "Sistine Madonna", created for the altar of the temple of the monastery of St. Sixtus in Piacenza. This picture makes an unforgettable impression on anyone who sees it, since Mary depicted in it in an incomprehensible way combines the earthly and heavenly essences of the Mother of God.

Albrecht Dürer

Famous figures of the Renaissance were not only Italians. Among them is the German painter and engraver Albrecht Dürer, who was born in Nuremberg in 1471. His most significant works are the "Landauer Altarpiece", a self-portrait (1500), the painting "Feast of the Rose Wreaths", three "Master Engravings". The latter are considered masterpieces graphic art all times and peoples.

Titian

The great figures of the Renaissance in the field of painting have left us images of their most famous contemporaries. One of the leading portrait painters of this period European art was Titian, who came from known kind Vecellio. He immortalized on canvas Federico Gonzaga, Charles V, Clarissa Strozzi, Pietro Aretino, architect Giulio Romano and many others. In addition, his brushes belong to canvases on subjects from ancient mythology. How highly the artist was valued by contemporaries is evidenced by the fact that once the brush that fell from the hands of Titian was hurried to pick up the emperor Charles V. The monarch explained his act by saying that serving such a master is an honor for anyone.

Sandro Botticelli

The artist was born in 1445. Initially, he was going to become a jeweler, but then he got into the workshop of Andrea Verrocchio, from whom Leonardo da Vinci once studied. Along with works of religious themes, the artist created several paintings of secular content. The masterpieces of Botticelli include the paintings "The Birth of Venus", "Spring", "Pallas and the Centaur" and many others.

Dante Alighieri

The great figures of the Renaissance left their indelible mark on world literature. One of the most prominent poets of this period is Dante Alighieri, who was born in 1265 in Florence. At the age of 37 he was expelled from hometown because of their political views and wandered until the last years of his life.

As a child, Dante fell in love with his peer Beatrice Portinari. Growing up, the girl married another and died at the age of 24. Beatrice became the poet's muse, and it was to her that he dedicated his works, including the story " New life". In 1306, Dante begins to create his " Divine Comedy”, on which he has been working for almost 15 years. In it, he exposes the vices of Italian society, the crimes of popes and cardinals, and places his Beatrice in "paradise".

William Shakespeare

Although the ideas of the Renaissance reached the British Isles with some delay, outstanding works of art were also created there.

In particular, one of the most famous playwrights in the history of mankind, William Shakespeare, worked in England. For more than 500 years, his plays have not left the theater stage in all corners of the planet. He wrote the tragedy "Othello", "Romeo and Juliet", "Hamlet", "Macbeth", as well as the comedies "Twelfth Night", "Much Ado About Nothing" and many others. In addition, Shakespeare is known for his sonnets dedicated to the mysterious Swarthy Lady.

Leon Battista Alberti

The Renaissance also contributed to a change in the appearance of European cities. During this period, great architectural masterpieces were created, including the Roman Cathedral of St. Peter, the Laurentian stairs, Florence Cathedral, etc. Along with Michelangelo, the well-known scientist Leon Battista Alberti is among the famous architects of the Renaissance. He made a huge contribution to architecture, the theory of art and literature. The sphere of his interests also included the problems of pedagogy and ethics, mathematics and cartography. He created one of the first scientific papers on architecture, entitled "Ten Books on Architecture". This work had a huge impact on subsequent generations of his colleagues.

Now you know the most famous figures cultures of the Renaissance, thanks to which human civilization reached the new round of its development.

During the Renaissance, many changes and discoveries take place. New continents are explored, trade develops, important things are invented, such as paper, a marine compass, gunpowder and many others. Changes in painting were also of great importance. Renaissance paintings gained immense popularity.

The main styles and trends in the works of masters

The period was one of the most fruitful in the history of art. Masterpieces of a huge number of outstanding masters can be found today in various art centers. Innovators appeared in Florence in the first half of the fifteenth century. Their Renaissance paintings marked the beginning of a new era in art history.

At this time, science and art become very closely linked. Artists scientists sought to master the physical world. Painters tried to use more accurate ideas about the human body. Many artists strove for realism. The style begins with Leonardo da Vinci's The Last Supper, which he painted over the course of nearly four years.

One of the most famous works

It was painted in 1490 for the refectory of the monastery of Santa Maria delle Grazie in Milan. The canvas represents the last meal of Jesus with his disciples before he was captured and killed. Contemporaries watching the artist's work during this period noted how he could paint from morning to evening without even stopping to eat. And then he could abandon his painting for several days and not approach it at all.

The artist was very worried about the image of Christ himself and the traitor Judas. When the picture was finally completed, it was rightfully recognized as a masterpiece. "The Last Supper" is one of the most popular to this day. Renaissance reproductions have always been in high demand, but this masterpiece is marked by countless copies.

A recognized masterpiece, or the mysterious smile of a woman

Among the works created by Leonardo in the sixteenth century is a portrait called "Mona Lisa", or "La Gioconda". In the modern era, this is perhaps the most famous painting in the world. She became popular mainly because of the elusive smile on the face of the woman depicted on the canvas. What led to such a mystery? Skillful work of the master, the ability to shade the corners of the eyes and mouth so skillfully? The exact nature of this smile cannot be determined until now.

Out of competition and other details of this picture. It is worth paying attention to the hands and eyes of a woman: with what accuracy the artist reacted to the smallest details of the canvas when writing it. No less interesting is the dramatic landscape in the background of the picture, a world in which everything seems to be in a state of flux.

Another famous representative of painting

Not less than famous representative Renaissance - Sandro Botticelli. This is a great Italian painter. His Renaissance paintings are also hugely popular among a wide range spectators. "Adoration of the Magi", "Madonna and Child on the Throne", "Annunciation" - these works by Botticelli, dedicated to religious themes, have become the artist's great achievements.

Another one notable work master - "Madonna Magnificat". She became famous during the years of Sandro's life, as evidenced by numerous reproductions. Similar paintings in the form of a circle were quite in demand in Florence of the fifteenth century.

A new turn in the work of the painter

Beginning in 1490, Sandro changed his style. It becomes more ascetic, the combination of colors is now much more restrained, dark tones often prevail. The new approach of the creator to writing his works is perfectly noticeable in the "Coronation of Mary", "Lamentation of Christ" and other canvases depicting the Madonna and the Child.

The masterpieces painted by Sandro Botticelli at that time, for example, the portrait of Dante, are devoid of landscape and interior backgrounds. One of the artist's no less significant creations is "Mystical Christmas". The picture was painted under the influence of the troubles that took place at the end of 1500 in Italy. Many paintings by Renaissance artists not only gained popularity, they became an example for the next generation of painters.

An artist whose canvases are surrounded by an aura of admiration

Rafael Santi da Urbino was not only but also an architect. His Renaissance paintings are admired for their clarity of form, simplicity of composition, and visual achievement of the ideal of human greatness. Along with Michelangelo and Leonardo da Vinci, he is one of the traditional trinity of the greatest masters of this period.

He lived a relatively short life, only 37 years old. But during this time he created a huge number of his masterpieces. Some of his works are in the Vatican Palace in Rome. Not all viewers can see with their own eyes the paintings of Renaissance artists. Photos of these masterpieces are available to everyone (some of them are presented in this article).

The most famous works of Raphael

From 1504 to 1507, Raphael created a whole series of Madonnas. The paintings are distinguished by bewitching beauty, wisdom and at the same time a kind of enlightened sadness. His most famous painting was " Sistine Madonna". She is depicted soaring in the sky and smoothly descending to the people with the Baby in her arms. It was this movement that the artist was able to depict very skillfully.

This work has been highly acclaimed by many famous critics, and they all came to the same conclusion that it is indeed rare and unusual. All Renaissance paintings have a long history. But it has become most popular due to its endless wanderings since its inception. After going through numerous trials, she finally took her rightful place among the expositions of the Dresden Museum.

Renaissance paintings. Photos of famous paintings

And another famous Italian painter, sculptor, and also an architect who had a huge impact on the development of Western art is Michelangelo di Simoni. Despite the fact that he is known mainly as a sculptor, there are also beautiful works of his painting. And the most significant of them is the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel.

This work was carried out for four years. The space covers about five hundred square meters and contains more than three hundred figures. In the very center are nine episodes from the book of Genesis, divided into several groups. The creation of the earth, the creation of man and his fall. Among the most famous paintings on the ceiling - "Creation of Adam" and "Adam and Eve".

His most famous work is The Last Judgment. It was made on the altar wall of the Sistine Chapel. The fresco depicts the second coming of Jesus Christ. Here Michelangelo ignores the standard artistic conventions in the writing of Jesus. He depicted him with a massive muscular body structure, young and beardless.

The Meaning of Religion, or the Art of the Renaissance

Italian Renaissance paintings became the basis for the development of Western art. Many of the popular works of this generation of creators have a huge impact on artists that continues to this day. The great artists of that period focused on religious topics, often worked on the orders of wealthy patrons, including the Pope himself.

Religion literally permeated everyday life people of this era, deeply embedded in the minds of artists. Almost all religious canvases are in museums and art repositories, but reproductions of Renaissance paintings related not only to this subject can be found in many institutions and even ordinary houses. People will endlessly admire the work famous masters of that period.

Renaissance (Renaissance). Italy. XV-XVI centuries. early capitalism. The country is ruled by wealthy bankers. They are interested in art and science.

The rich and powerful gather the talented and wise around them. Poets, philosophers, painters and sculptors have daily conversations with their patrons. For a moment it seemed that the people were ruled by sages, as Plato wanted.

They remembered the ancient Romans and Greeks. Which also built a society of free citizens. Where the main value is a person (not counting slaves, of course).

The Renaissance is not just copying the art of ancient civilizations. This is a mixture. Mythology and Christianity. Realism of nature and sincerity of images. Physical beauty and spiritual beauty.

It was just a flash. The period of the High Renaissance is about 30 years! From the 1490s to 1527 From the beginning of the flowering of Leonardo's creativity. Before the sack of Rome.

Mirage ideal world faded quickly. Italy was too fragile. She was soon enslaved by another dictator.

However, these 30 years have identified the main features European painting 500 years ahead! Up to .

Image realism. Anthropocentrism (when a person is main character and hero). Linear perspective. Oil paints. Portrait. Scenery…

Incredibly, in these 30 years, several brilliant masters worked at once. Which in other times are born one in 1000 years.

Leonardo, Michelangelo, Raphael and Titian are the titans of the Renaissance. But it is impossible not to mention their two predecessors. Giotto and Masaccio. Without which there would be no Renaissance.

1. Giotto (1267-1337)

Paolo Uccello. Giotto da Bondogni. Fragment of the painting “Five Masters of the Florentine Renaissance”. Beginning of the 16th century. .

XIV century. Proto-Renaissance. Its main character is Giotto. This is a master who single-handedly revolutionized art. 200 years before the High Renaissance. If not for him, the era that humanity is so proud of would hardly have come.

Before Giotto there were icons and frescoes. They were created according to the Byzantine canons. Faces instead of faces. flat figures. Proportional mismatch. Instead of a landscape - a golden background. As, for example, on this icon.


Guido da Siena. Adoration of the Magi. 1275-1280 Altenburg, Lindenau Museum, Germany.

And suddenly Giotto's frescoes appear. On them three-dimensional figures. Faces of noble people. Sad. Mournful. Surprised. Old and young. Different.

Frescoes by Giotto in the Scrovegni Church in Padua (1302-1305). Left: Lamentation of Christ. Middle: Kiss of Judas (detail). Right: Annunciation of St. Anne (Mary's mother), fragment.

The main creation of Giotto is a cycle of his frescoes in the Scrovegni Chapel in Padua. When this church opened to parishioners, crowds of people poured into it. Because they've never seen anything like it.

After all, Giotto did something unprecedented. He seemed to translate biblical stories into simple understandable language. And they have become much more accessible. ordinary people.


Giotto. Adoration of the Magi. 1303-1305 Fresco in the Scrovegni Chapel in Padua, Italy.

This is what will be characteristic of many masters of the Renaissance. Laconism of images. Live emotions of the characters. Realism.

Read more about the frescoes of the master in the article.

Giotto was admired. But his innovations were not further developed. The fashion for international gothic came to Italy.

Only after 100 years will a master appear, a worthy successor to Giotto.

2. Masaccio (1401-1428)


Masaccio. Self-portrait (fragment of the fresco “Saint Peter in the pulpit”). 1425-1427 The Brancacci Chapel in Santa Maria del Carmine, Florence, Italy.

Beginning of the 15th century. The so-called Early Renaissance. Another innovator enters the scene.

Masaccio was the first artist to use linear perspective. It was designed by his friend, the architect Brunelleschi. Now the depicted world has become similar to the real one. Toy architecture is in the past.

Masaccio. Saint Peter heals with his shadow. 1425-1427 The Brancacci Chapel in Santa Maria del Carmine, Florence, Italy.

He adopted the realism of Giotto. However, unlike his predecessor, he already knew anatomy well.

Instead of blocky characters, Giotto is beautifully built people. Just like the ancient Greeks.


Masaccio. Baptism of neophytes. 1426-1427 Brancacci Chapel, Church of Santa Maria del Carmine in Florence, Italy.
Masaccio. Exile from Paradise. 1426-1427 Fresco in the Brancacci Chapel, Santa Maria del Carmine, Florence, Italy.

Masaccio did not live long life. He died, like his father, unexpectedly. At 27 years old.

However, he had many followers. Masters next generations went to the Brancacci Chapel to learn from his frescoes.

So the innovations of Masaccio were picked up by all the great titans of the High Renaissance.

3. Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519)


Leonardo da Vinci. Self-portrait. 1512 Royal Library in Turin, Italy.

Leonardo da Vinci is one of the titans of the Renaissance. Which colossally influenced the development of painting.

It was he who raised the status of the artist himself. Thanks to him, representatives of this profession are no longer just artisans. These are the creators and aristocrats of the spirit.

Leonardo made a breakthrough in the first place in portrait painting.

He believed that nothing should distract from the main image. The eye should not wander from one detail to another. So it appeared famous portraits. Concise. Harmonious.


Leonardo da Vinci. Lady with an ermine. 1489-1490 Chertoryski Museum, Krakow.

The main innovation of Leonardo is that he found a way to make images ... alive.

Before him, the characters in the portraits looked like mannequins. The lines were clear. All details are carefully drawn. A painted drawing could not possibly be alive.

But then Leonardo invented the sfumato method. He blurred the lines. Made the transition from light to shadow very soft. His characters seem to be covered in a barely perceptible haze. The characters came to life.

. 1503-1519 Louvre, Paris.

Since then, sfumato will enter the active vocabulary of all the great artists of the future.

It is often believed that Leonardo, of course, is a genius. But he couldn't complete anything. And he often didn't finish painting. And many of his projects remained on paper (by the way, in 24 volumes). In general, he was thrown into medicine, then into music. And even the art of serving at one time was fond of.

However, think for yourself. 19 paintings. And he is the greatest artist of all times and peoples. Some of them are not even close in size. At the same time, having written 6000 canvases in his life. Obviously, who has a higher efficiency.

About herself famous painting read the wizard in the article.

4. Michelangelo (1475-1564)

Daniele da Volterra. Michelangelo (detail). 1544 Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.

Michelangelo considered himself a sculptor. But he was universal master. Like his other Renaissance colleagues. Therefore, his pictorial heritage is no less grandiose.

He is recognizable primarily by physically developed characters. Because he portrayed the perfect man. In which physical beauty means spiritual beauty.

Therefore, all his characters are so muscular, hardy. Even women and old people.

Michelangelo. Fragments of the Last Judgment fresco in the Sistine Chapel, Vatican.

Often Michelangelo painted the character naked. And then I added clothes on top. To make the body as embossed as possible.

He painted the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel himself. Although this is a few hundred figures! He didn't even let anyone rub the paint. Yes, he was a loner. Possessing a steep and quarrelsome character. But most of all, he was dissatisfied with ... himself.


Michelangelo. Fragment of the fresco "Creation of Adam". 1511 Sistine Chapel, Vatican.

Michelangelo lived a long life. Surviving the decline of the Renaissance. For him it was a personal tragedy. His later works are full of sadness and sorrow.

In general, the creative path of Michelangelo is unique. His early works are the praise of the human hero. Free and courageous. In the best traditions ancient greece. Like his David.

IN last years life is tragic images. A deliberately rough-hewn stone. As if we have before us monuments to the victims of fascism of the 20th century. Look at his "Pieta".

Sculptures by Michelangelo at the Academy of Fine Arts in Florence. Left: David. 1504 Right: Pieta of Palestrina. 1555

How is this possible? One artist in one lifetime went through all the stages of art from the Renaissance to the 20th century. What will the next generations do? Well, go your own way. Knowing that the bar has been set very high.

5. Raphael (1483-1520)

. 1506 Uffizi Gallery, Florence, Italy.

Raphael has never been forgotten. His genius has always been recognized. And during life. And after death.

His characters are endowed with sensual, lyrical beauty. It is he who is rightfully considered the most beautiful female images ever created. Their outer beauty reflects the spiritual beauty of the heroines. Their meekness. Their sacrifice.

Raphael. . 1513 Old Masters Gallery, Dresden, Germany.

The famous words “Beauty will save the world” Fyodor Dostoevsky said precisely about. It was his favorite picture.

However, sensory images are not the only forte Raphael. He thought very carefully about the composition of his paintings. He was an unsurpassed architect in painting. Moreover, he always found the simplest and most harmonious solution in the organization of space. It seems that it cannot be otherwise.


Raphael. Athens school. 1509-1511 Fresco in the rooms of the Apostolic Palace, Vatican.

Rafael lived only 37 years. He died suddenly. From a caught cold and medical error. But his legacy cannot be overestimated. Many artists idolized this master. Multiplying his sensual images in thousands of his canvases..

Titian was an unsurpassed colorist. He also experimented a lot with composition. In general, he was a bold and bright innovator.

For such a brilliance of talent, everyone loved him. Called "King of painters and painter of kings".

Speaking of Titian, I want to put after each sentence Exclamation point. After all, it was he who brought dynamics to painting. Pathos. Enthusiasm. Bright color. Shine of colors.

Titian. Ascension of Mary. 1515-1518 Church of Santa Maria Gloriosi dei Frari, Venice.

Towards the end of his life, he developed an unusual writing technique. The strokes are fast and thick. The paint was applied either with a brush or with fingers. From this - the images are even more alive, breathing. And the plots are even more dynamic and dramatic.


Titian. Tarquinius and Lucretia. 1571 Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge, England.

Doesn't this remind you of anything? Of course, it's a technique. And technique artists of the 19th century: Barbizon and. Titian, like Michelangelo, will go through 500 years of painting in one lifetime. That's why he's a genius.

ABOUT famous masterpiece read the wizard in the article.

Renaissance artists are artists of great knowledge. To leave such a legacy, one had to know a lot. In the field of history, astrology, physics and so on.

Therefore, each of their images makes us think. Why is it shown? What is the encrypted message here?

Therefore, they are almost never wrong. Because they thoroughly thought out their future work. Using all the baggage of their knowledge.

They were more than artists. They were philosophers. Explaining the world to us through painting.

That is why they will always be deeply interesting to us.

Italy is a country that has always been famous for its artists. The great masters who once lived in Italy glorified art throughout the world. We can say for sure that if it were not for the Italian artists, sculptors and architects, the world would look very different today. The most significant in Italian art, of course, counts as . Italy in the Renaissance or Renaissance reached an unprecedented rise and prosperity. Talented Artists, sculptors, inventors, real geniuses who appeared in those days are still known to every schoolchild. Their art, creativity, ideas, developments today are considered classics, the core on which they are built world art and culture.

One of the most famous geniuses Italian Renaissance of course is great Leonardo da Vinci(1452-1519). Da Vinci was so gifted that he achieved great success in many areas of activity, including fine arts oh and science. Another famous artist who is a recognized master is Sandro Botticelli(1445-1510). Botticelli's paintings are a real gift to humanity. Today its dense are in the most famous museums world and are truly priceless. No less famous than Leonardo da Vinci and Botticelli is Rafael Santi(1483-1520), who lived for 38 years, and during this time managed to create a whole layer of stunning painting, which became one of the brightest examples of the Early Renaissance. Another great genius of the Italian Renaissance is no doubt Michelangelo Buonarotti(1475-1564). In addition to painting, Michelangelo was engaged in sculpture, architecture and poetry, and achieved great results in these arts. The statue of Michelangelo called "David" is considered an unsurpassed masterpiece, an example of the highest achievement of the art of sculpture.

In addition to the artists mentioned above, the greatest artists Italy of the Renaissance, became such masters as Antonello da Messina, Giovanni Bellini, Giorgione, Titian, Paolo Veronese, Jacopo Tintoretto, Domenico Fetti, Bernardo Strozzi, Giovanni Battista Tiepolo, Francesco Guardi and others. All of them were a prime example delightful Venetian school painting. The Florentine school of Italian painting includes such artists as: Masaccio, Andrea del Verrocchio, Paolo Uccello, Andrea del Castagno, Benozzo Gozzoli, Sandro Botticelli, Fra Angelico, Filippo Lippi, Piero di Cosimo, Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, Fra Bartolommeo, Andrea del Sarto.

To list all the artists who worked during the Renaissance as well as during the late Renaissance, and after centuries, which became known to the whole world and glorified the art of painting, developed the basic principles and laws that underlie all types and genres of fine arts, it will probably take several volumes to write, but this list is enough to understand that The great Italian artists are the very art that we know, that we love and that we will appreciate forever!

Paintings by great Italian artists

Andrea Mantegna - Fresco in the Camera degli Sposi

Giorgione - Three Philosophers

Leonardo da Vinci - Mona Lisa

Nicolas Poussin - The Magnanimity of Scipio

Paolo Veronese - Battle of Lepanto

The first forerunners of Renaissance art appeared in Italy in the 14th century. Artists of this time, Pietro Cavallini (1259-1344), Simone Martini (1284-1344) and (primarily) Giotto (1267-1337) when creating paintings of traditional religious subjects, they began to use new artistic techniques: building a three-dimensional composition, using the landscape in the background, which allowed them to make the images more realistic, lively. This sharply distinguished their work from the previous iconographic tradition, replete with conventions in the image.
The term is used to refer to their work. Proto-Renaissance (1300s - "Trecento") .

Giotto di Bondone (c. 1267-1337) - italian artist and a Proto-Renaissance architect. One of the key figures in the history of Western art. Having overcome the Byzantine icon-painting tradition, he became the true founder of the Italian school of painting, developed a completely new approach to depicting space. Giotto's works were inspired by Leonardo da Vinci, Raphael, Michelangelo.


Early Renaissance (1400s - "Quattrocento").

At the beginning of the 15th century Filippo Brunelleschi (1377-1446), Florentine scholar and architect.
Brunelleschi wanted to make the perception of the terms and theaters reconstructed by him more visual and tried to create geometrically perspective pictures from his plans for a certain point of view. In these searches, direct perspective.

This allowed the artists to get perfect images of three-dimensional space on a flat canvas of the picture.

_________

Another important step towards the Renaissance was the emergence of non-religious, secular art. Portrait and landscape established themselves as independent genres. Even religious subjects acquired a different interpretation - Renaissance artists began to consider their characters as heroes with pronounced individual traits and human motivation for actions.

Most famous artists this period - Masaccio (1401-1428), Masolino (1383-1440), Benozzo Gozzoli (1420-1497), Piero Della Francesco (1420-1492), Andrea Mantegna (1431-1506), Giovanni Bellini (1430-1516), Antonello da Messina (1430-1479), Domenico Ghirlandaio (1449-1494), Sandro Botticelli (1447-1515).

Masaccio (1401-1428) - the famous Italian painter, the largest master of the Florentine school, the reformer of painting of the Quattrocento era.


Fresco. Miracle with the stater.

Painting. crucifixion.
Piero Della Francesco (1420-1492). The master's works are distinguished by majestic solemnity, nobility and harmony of images, generalization of forms, compositional balance, proportionality, accuracy of perspective constructions, soft gamma full of light.

Fresco. History of the Queen of Sheba. Church of San Francesco in Arezzo

Sandro Botticelli(1445-1510) - great Italian painter, representative of the Florentine school of painting.

Spring.

Birth of Venus.

High Renaissance ("Cinquecento").
The highest flowering of Renaissance art came for the first quarter of the 16th century.
Works Sansovino (1486-1570), Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519), Rafael Santi (1483-1520), Michelangelo Buonarotti (1475-1564), Giorgione (1476-1510), Titian (1477-1576), Antonio Correggio (1489-1534) constitute the golden fund of European art.

Leonardo di Ser Piero da Vinci (Florence) (1452-1519) - Italian artist (painter, sculptor, architect) and scientist (anatomist, naturalist), inventor, writer.

self-portrait
Lady with an ermine. 1490. Czartoryski Museum, Krakow
Mona Lisa (1503-1505/1506)
Leonardo da Vinci achieved great skill in the transfer of facial expressions of the face and body of a person, ways of transferring space, building a composition. At the same time, his works create a harmonious image of a person that meets humanistic ideals.
Madonna Litta. 1490-1491. Hermitage Museum.

Madonna Benois (Madonna with a flower). 1478-1480
Madonna with a Carnation. 1478

During his life, Leonardo da Vinci made thousands of notes and drawings on anatomy, but did not publish his work. Making an autopsy of the bodies of people and animals, he accurately conveyed the structure of the skeleton and internal organs including small details. According to professor of clinical anatomy Peter Abrams, scientific work da Vinci was 300 years ahead of her time and in many ways surpassed the famous Grey's Anatomy.

List of inventions, both real and attributed to him:

parachute, toolescovo castle,bicycle, tankh, llight portable bridges for the army, pprojector, toatapult, robot, dvohlenz telescope.


Later, these innovations were developed Rafael Santi (1483-1520) - a great painter, graphic artist and architect, a representative of the Umbrian school.
Self-portrait. 1483


Michelangelo di Lodovico di Leonardo di Buonarroti Simoni(1475-1564) - Italian sculptor, painter, architect, poet, thinker.

Paintings and sculptures by Michelangelo Buonarotti are full of heroic pathos and, at the same time, a tragic sense of the crisis of humanism. His paintings glorify the strength and power of man, the beauty of his body, while emphasizing his loneliness in the world.

The genius of Michelangelo left its mark not only on the art of the Renaissance, but also on the whole future world culture. His activities are mainly associated with two Italian cities - Florence and Rome.

However, the artist was able to realize his most grandiose plans precisely in painting, where he acted as a true innovator of color and form.
By order of Pope Julius II, he painted the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel (1508-1512), representing the biblical story from the creation of the world to the flood and including more than 300 figures. In 1534-1541, in the same Sistine Chapel for Pope Paul III, he performed the grandiose, dramatic fresco The Last Judgment.
Sistine Chapel 3D.

The work of Giorgione and Titian is distinguished by an interest in the landscape, the poeticization of the plot. Both artists achieved great skill in the art of portraiture, with which they conveyed character and richness. inner world their characters.

Giorgio Barbarelli da Castelfranco ( Giorgione) (1476 / 147-1510) - Italian artist, representative of the Venetian school of painting.


Sleeping Venus. 1510





Judith. 1504
Titian Vecellio (1488/1490-1576) - Italian painter, largest representative Venetian school of the High and Late Renaissance.

Titian painted pictures on biblical and mythological subjects, he became famous as a portrait painter. He was commissioned by kings and popes, cardinals, dukes and princes. Titian was not even thirty years old when he was recognized as the best painter in Venice.

Self-portrait. 1567

Venus Urbinskaya. 1538
Portrait of Tommaso Mosti. 1520

Late Renaissance.
After the sack of Rome by imperial troops in 1527, the Italian Renaissance entered a period of crisis. Already in the work of the late Raphael, a new artistic line is outlined, called mannerism.
This era is characterized by overstretched and broken lines, elongated or even deformed figures, often naked, tension and unnatural poses, unusual or bizarre effects associated with size, lighting or perspective, the use of a caustic chromatic scale, overloaded composition, etc. The first masters mannerism Parmigianino , Pontormo , Bronzino- lived and worked at the court of the dukes of the Medici house in Florence. Later, Mannerist fashion spread throughout Italy and beyond.

Girolamo Francesco Maria Mazzola (Parmigianino - "inhabitant of Parma") (1503-1540,) Italian artist and engraver, representative of mannerism.

Self-portrait. 1540

Portrait of a woman. 1530.

Pontormo (1494-1557) - Italian painter, representative of the Florentine school, one of the founders of mannerism.


Mannerism was replaced by art in the 1590s baroque (transitional figures - Tintoretto And El Greco ).

Jacopo Robusti, better known as Tintoretto (1518 or 1519-1594) - painter of the Venetian school of the late Renaissance.


The Last Supper. 1592-1594. Church of San Giorgio Maggiore, Venice.

El Greco ("Greek" Domenikos Theotokopoulos ) (1541—1614) - spanish artist. By origin - a Greek, a native of the island of Crete.
El Greco had no contemporary followers, and his genius was rediscovered almost 300 years after his death.
El Greco studied in the workshop of Titian, but, however, his painting technique differs significantly from that of his teacher. The works of El Greco are characterized by speed and expressiveness of execution, which bring them closer to modern painting.
Christ on the cross. OK. 1577. Private collection.
Trinity. 1579 Prado.

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