The Renaissance refers to a period of cultural and ideological development in Western and Central European countries from the 14th to the 16th century. During this period, the major countries in Europe became increasingly powerful, and religious thoughts and behaviors also changed. The original meaning of the Renaissance was the revival of art and literature under the influence of classical norms. After experiencing 1,000 years of rule by the feudal church, people began to break free from spiritual shackles. Classical culture, which had been imprisoned for many years, attracted people's attention again and became an important weapon in establishing capitalist culture, forming humanism that was opposed to religious theocratic culture. Its ideological foundation is a world view of caring for people, respecting people, and putting people first. This worldview was established in the 14th century through the rediscovery of ancient culture by a series of scientists, thinkers and writers. In many advanced countries in Europe, culture and art have reached a high degree of prosperity, and the Renaissance set off a peak in the development of European culture and art.
From the 14th century to the 16th century, it was the period of transition from feudal society to capitalist society in Europe. Italy was at the transportation hub of trade between Western Europe and the East. Handicrafts and trade were very developed, and the capitalist economy was the first to develop. It also became an art center at that time.
Sculptors during the Renaissance began to express people from the aspects of their worldly beauty and truth, creating sculptures that are full of three-dimensionality and firm belief in the world. Gothic figures illustrate man's desire for heavenly perfection, while the Renaissance shows the image of heaven in the perfection of being a human being. Therefore, Donatello made his life-size David appear naked, as only Adam and Eve, the crucified man, and the tortured Saint Sebastian could have been. . David is no longer the hero in the Old Testament story, but a handsome young man, wearing only a small Florentine hat, looking at the heads of his enemies with casual elegance. Here is the image of a new type of person, who is very confident, unfettered by convention, and likes to pose as a superior person. This is perhaps the most convincing image of a Renaissance man, who saw himself as the center of a world under his control and whose freedom of individuality was his highest goal. By the time of the High Renaissance, the realism of the 15th century was treated with an idealism that generalized the individual.
The five-meter-high "David" created by Michelangelo creates a profound impression on people, no longer relying on violent passion or arrogant indifference, but with the help of his image The masculine beauty is used to express the characters. Michelangelo also used nude figures to display figures with strong muscles. Through the game of tension and relaxation, he embodied the ideal of harmony between the spirit and body.
Mannerism in the late Renaissance became popular in the 1620s and lasted until the end of the 16th century. A group of artists who admired Michelangelo's elegant style while striving for novelty regarded themselves as pursuing style, and were later regarded as a style of Mannerism. Since the 17th century, the word has gradually taken on a derogatory meaning, with a pretentious and sarcastic connotation. Since 1920, Western art historians have re-evaluated Mannerism, believing it to be a unique genre between High Renaissance art and Baroque art. Its style evolution has its own social background and was formed in Western Europe. international impact.
The characteristic of Mannerism is that it goes against some basic principles of High Renaissance art and is also different from later Baroque art. Although it imitates Michelangelo and other masters, it only gets the form but loses the spirit. Generally speaking, Mannerist works focus on the expression of the human body, especially the naked body, but the postures are weird and the muscle expression is exaggerated and almost deformed. Similar to the situation in the late Gothic period, the human image has become a carrier of psychological expression. Corresponding to the S-shaped lines of the Gothic style, a group of images spiraling upward like a snake appeared at this time. This expression method became a style imitated by later Baroque sculptures.
Sculpture during the Renaissance inherited and developed the traditions of Greek and Roman sculpture art, bringing sculpture art to a high level of prosperity. Almost all of the famous sculptors during the Renaissance were concentrated in Florence. The first sculpture master to appear was Ghiberti, and the decorative reliefs on the two bronze doors of the Florence Baptistery are his masterpieces. Great sculptors of the same period include Donatello, Verrocchio, etc. The emergence of Michelangelo marked the peak of the development of sculpture art during the Renaissance. The sculpture art of the Renaissance had a great influence on later sculptors.