Art history in the High Renaissance

Art History - High Renaissance

The contextual knowledge of the era of High Renaissance and Mannerism is important as its integral to any study of work emerging from the period. The Renaissance movement took place in Europe from the early 14th to late 16th century, which witnessed a revival of interest in the values and artistic styles of classical antiquity especially in Italy. Early in the movement, the concept of Renaissance or revival emerged as a consequence of contemporary efforts in the period to imitate the poetic and painting styles of the ancient Greeks and Romans. But as the movement progressed the word Renaissance came to represent a distinctive cultural and intellectual movement characterized by the growth of secular values and the rise of scientific and geographical exploration of the natural world. While Early Renaissance artists sought to create art forms consistent with the appearance of the natural world and with their perception of human experience, the emphasis was on theoretical art or the laws of proportion and pictorial considerations of measurable space and the effects of light and color (Web Museum, Paris).

The culmination of the artistic revolution of the Early Renaissance led to what is now known as the High Renaissance to signify the period of explosion of creative genius, producing as it did the work of great artists such as Leonardo da Vinci, Raphael, and Michelangelo. High Renaissance Art touched unparalleled heights of creative expression because it brought the artist's personal expression into well-established techniques and style, increasing thereby the dramatic force and physical presence of a work of art. Thus, an essential characteristic of High Renaissance Art is seen as its unified balance between technical skill and the artist's intuition or personal expression (Web Museum, Paris).

By about the 1520s, High Renaissance art became so exaggerated that the style was termed as Mannerism. The Mannerism period is considered to be a period of technical accomplishment but of formulaic, theatrical and overly stylized work, characterized by complex composition, with muscular and elongated figures in complex poses. The works of Parmigianino are seen as belonging to the Mannerist style, which interestingly is seen as having taken as its ideals the works of Raphael and Michelangelo. (Artcyclopedia).

Leonardo da Vinci's The Madonna of the Rocks exists in two, nearly identical versions; one, entirely credited to Leonardo, in the Louvre, Paris and the second, considered a collaboration because of its distinctly sixteenth century characteristics of larger figures, in London's National Gallery. Both versions depict a supposed meeting of the Christ Child and the infant saint John. The painting shows the infant Baptist, sheltering under Mary's cloak, venerating the Christ Child in a cool, watery wilderness. The figures, grouped in a pyramid, are glimpsed in a dimly lit grotto setting of rocks and water, a setting that inspired the work's name. The Madonna of the Rocks displays all the hallmarks of Leonardo's style of twisting movement (contrapposto); emphatic modeling in light and shade (chiaroscuro); and method of organizing figures into a pyramid shape so that interest is focused on the principal subject (Web Gallery of Art; Island of Freedom Web site).

Madonna of the Rocks is also representative of Leonardo's creative genius like ability for creative expression as reflected in the unmistakable feeling of interior wisdom that the faces of the Madonna's face in the Paris version or in the angel's face in the London one, communicate. Yet, he shows such enlightenment in a dark cavern setting, thereby lending the emotion even more depth. Leonardo, himself, recorded a moment, when standing before the mouth of a cave, "Suddenly two things arose in me...fear of the menacing darkness...and desire to see if there was any marvelous thing within" (Web Gallery of Art). The work, while bearing the stamp of the individual artist's own creative ability for subtlety that evokes even higher emotion, nevertheless is a period High Renaissance piece as evident in the use of technique in proportion, space, light and shade.

Raphael's The Alba Madonna is known for representing the ability of a more mature Raphael. Combining old and new influences with his very own individual perception and ability, The Alba Madonna is conceived in the tradition of Raphael's unique style of sweetness of expression, poetic sense of light and space, harmoniously symmetrical sense of composition, grace, innocence, and yet a richness in psychology that comes through in the clever use of the slight tilt of the head, the twist of body, and expressive, searching eyes.

The various influences that played an important role in the development of Raphael's artistic ability are evident. The round format is indicative of Florence, yet the picture within is different from Raphael's own Florentine Madonnas. The Virgin Mother's pose resembles a work of classic sculpture, with the robes of ancient Rome, and the landscape itself is seen as an idealized view of the Roman campagna. There is grandeur to The Alba Madonna, lending it a seriousness, the need for which could be interpreted as emanating from the focus on a slender reed cross that defines the work's intended meaning. Church doctrine holds that from birth Christ had an understanding of his fate. In The Alba Madonna, the Christ Child is shown accepting the cross of his future sacrifice (National Gallery of Art).

The artist's point-of-view can be seen in the tension that arises from the seriousness of the subject being addressed and in the poses of the figures, increased multifold by the contrast of the serene countryside and the simplicity and sweetness of facial expressions. The work is classified as High Renaissance Art given the characteristics of technique, symmetry and individual artistic expression.

Madonna with a Long Neck by Parmigianino is a work from the Mannerism period, as evident in the artist's exaggerated stylization of the Madonna's neck, long delicate fingers and the long leg of the angel in the foreground. The effect achieved is theatrical and formulaic indicating a move away from the natural themes in previous Renaissance periods. The abstract forms and unusual proportions lend the work an interesting, even elegant effect. It has been interpreted that the artist approached this work with a view to demonstrate that unorthodoxy could result in creating startling effects that can still communicate (The Artchive).