Art and Humanities From the Time Capsule

Art and Humanities

From the time capsule containing art from the Renaissance, it would seem the capsule must contain two representations of some of the very best of the art of the Renaissance. Renaissance art is still some of the most well-known and appreciated art in the world, and Renaissance art is characterized by a great attention to detail, especially in the human form. Think of Michelangelo's "David" and Mantegna's "Adoration of the Magi" and you see great detail in the faces and bodies of the subjects, as well as in the background and implements in the painting. This is quite common in Renaissance art -- the artists were interested in depicting their subjects as accurately as possible, and as ornately as possible, because much of Renaissance art was commissioned by wealthy patrons for use in churches and/or religious ceremonies. Most of the themes were religious, but portraits were also popular, because more of the wealthy could afford to have their portraits painted by prestigious painters. Most of their audience was the educated and the wealthy.

Two of the most legendary artists of the Renaissance were Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo, and the time capsule would have to include works by these masters not only because they are so renowned, but because their work is so representative of the Renaissance and its' progression toward growth, education, and change. As these historians note, "Leonardo has always been famous because of the fantastic range of his genius; he was not only one of the greatest artists in an age of great artists, but he was probably the best anatomist in the world ... " (Murray & Murray, 1963, p. 227). Da Vinci's chosen work would be his extremely famous painting "The Last Supper," because it not only illustrates his artistic talent and ability to make the figures in his paintings seem so real and lifelike, but because it also truly represents the events and cultural patters of the time it was painted, because of its religious theme, its attention to color, detail, and form. It represents the culture of the time, because the painting illustrates the great interest in religion. Many of the world's greatest artworks were created to adorn some of the beautiful and ornate cathedrals of Italy, and some of the greatest artists worked on these religious works, such as Michelangelo in the Sistine Chapel, Rembrandt's frescos, and of course da Vinci's "Last Supper."

Renaissance art was much more interested in reality than prior art, and there was great attention to light and color, too. There was balance, harmony, and restraint in the art of the Renaissance, and that is probably most evident in the work of Michelangelo. "The David" is one of the most beautiful sculptures in the world, and classic in every sense of the word, but his paintings on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel are also both classic and in harmonious balance. As such, "The David" would have to be the other Renaissance artwork included in the time capsule. It too is a religiously-based work, but it was created to stand on its own, and it still stands in a square in Florence, Italy. The Murrays continue, "This raw-boned youth, arrogant in his strength and superbly conscious of the inevitability of his victory over his unseen opponent, has always been a sort of ideal Florentine. He is certainly the ideal creation of Florentine art of the purest strain in the fifteenth century ... " (Murray & Murray, 1963, p. 273). This statue really reflects world events and cultural patterns of the time for many reasons. First, it was the first time a nude statue had been placed on public display. Society was becoming wealthier more educated, more interested in artistic and other pursuits, and more complex, and the art reflects many of those societal changes. Thus, the statue shows that culture was becoming more discerning, more artistic, and more open to change and artistic development. It also shows the great importance Italy (which was the center of the Renaissance and the center of change in the world during this time), was becoming a more open society, but also, the Catholic religion was spreading from its center in Rome around the world, and so, religious artwork was popular in Italy, but with exploration and discovery during this time, it would also spread around the world, and the beautiful artworks that represented it would become world renowned.

The Age of Baroque followed the Renaissance, and while the art was still deeply religious in nature and supported by the Catholic Church, the style was changing again. By the end of the Late Renaissance, art had settled into the "Mannerism" style, and Baroque was an attempt to get away from this type of art that was technically very correct and detailed, but was considered to be overly dramatic, followed a formula, and was overly stylized. Baroque was an attempt to become more traditional, emotional, and spiritual with the artworks. Two of the most influential and memorable artists of the Baroque period were Rembrandt, and Peter Paul Rubens, and it is their artworks that would certainly be found in the Age of Baroque time capsule.

Rembrandt was probably one of the most noted Baroque painters, and his works exhibited a naturalism and subtle lighting that was superb. Using the canvas to illustrate lighting and natural light became much more popular during the Baroque era, and Rembrandt was a master at this technique. Another art historian notes,

Closely related to the symbolic use of light to express inner illumination is the Baroque painter's ability to suggest consciousness and the life of the mind through a kind of personal radiance. This luminosity, which we might call the light of the soul, is seen in its richest and most poetic form in the portraits of Rembrandt (Martin, 1977, p. 16).

Perhaps the artist's most well-known works are his many self-portraits, which show him aging from a young artist to an old man. However, many of his best works were religious and were etchings or line drawings, rather than oil paintings. His "Adam and Eve" is entirely representative of the work of this time, and would be an excellent inclusion in the time capsule, because it illustrates there were many forms of art by the Baroque period, and not all were oil paintings or watercolors. Rembrandt's etchings were quite popular and commercially successful, and he made a decent living by selling them. "Adam and Eve," even though it is in black and white, still shows the great attention to detail of Baroque artists, and Rembrandt uses skillful shading to evoke the image of light playing over the couple. It is a beautiful drawing, and would certainly pique the interest of future cultural anthropologists. It represents the cultural patterns of the time because art still often represented religion, but it was becoming more commercial too, and Rembrandt painted popular topics that would appeal to the citizens, and not just religious leaders and rich patrons. In addition, it reflects how the world was becoming more sophisticated and demanding. They wanted better art, people were becoming even more educated, and their art was no longer one-dimensional, but three-dimensional and much more realistic.