The Renaissance and Reformation

Renaissance & Reformation

Discovering the hidden time capsule, I found ten (10) items in it. As a cultural anthropologist, I tried to determine the nature of these items, and found out that these items were reminiscent of the cultures prevalent during the Renaissance period and the age of Baroque. The following items I found were examples of art, literary pieces and philosophical works of each period. These items are the following: (1) a sketch of Masaccio's fresco, "Expulsion from Paradise"; (2) a miniature of Gianlorenzo Bernini's sculpture, "Ecstasy of Saint Teresa"; (3) a copy of Monteverdi's madrigal compositions; (4) a painting of an opera ensemble; (5) a drawing plan of Filippo Brunelleschi's architectural masterpiece, "Duomo," which can be found in Florence; (6) a painting of the "Sta Maria della Salute" a dome conceptualized and built by Baldassare Longhena; (7) transcript of Galileo Galilei's scientific writings; (8) Marsilio Ficino's thoughts, reflected in his writings the philosophy of Plato; (9) manuscript of Dante Alighieri's early writings, which became the "Inferno"; and (10) pages from early publication of Giovanni Boccaccio's "Decameron."

Looking into each artifact from both the Renaissance and Baroque periods, it can be said that these artifacts possess qualities that reflect the kind of culture and ideology that prevailed in these periods. Analyses of these artifacts are discussed in accordance to the period in which they were created and influenced: the first discussion and analysis would be on the cultural artifacts that were created and popularized during the Renaissance period, followed by the analysis of artifacts that prevailed during the age of Baroque.

Masaccio's "Expulsion from Paradise" is actually a fresco painted in the Brancacci Chapel in Florence, Italy. This fresco is reflective of the Renaissance movement because of the techniques that Masaccio used in depicting Adam and Eve's act of leaving paradise. In the said fresco, the well-known Renaissance painter utilized the techniques of scientific perspective (such as foreshortening and creating the illusion of three dimensionality) and natural lightning, making the painting more realistic visually. In a similar manner as Masaccio's fresco contribution to the Renaissance culture, Filippo Brunelleschi's "Duomo" or Gothic Cathedral in Florence is another visual art of the period, this time, in the realm of architecture. "Duomo" is considered as an architectural wonder during this period because aside from its artistic octagonal vaults, circular windows and cupola, it is also functional, holding two octagonal vaults or eight ribs of the vault. Through the Duomo, Renaissance became known for its subsistence to both form and substance when it comes to architectural endeavors, such as Brunelleschi's architectural wonder.

Music in the Renaissance period is dominated by the concept of madrigal, popularized by Monteverdi. The madrigal became a popular form of musical expression because it deviated from the usual rendition of music promoted and encouraged by the Church; in the case of the madrigal, musical form remained religious in nature (it is a short pastoral poem), but is conceived as a vocal chamber music, intended for (ideally) four voices played with instruments. The Italian composer Claudio Monteverdi was known for his musical drama, "Orfeo," reflecting his long experience in the composition of madrigals, experimenting in music, and has successfully made the musical transition from the Renaissance to Baroque forms.

The most important manifestation of the humanist tradition in the Renaissance period are the literary pieces and philosophies that proliferated and reflected the period's humanistic ideology. In terms of Renaissance philosophy, Galileo Galilei is an example of a humanist who strongly defended the gradual flourishing and subsistence to the scientific revolution happening in his society during the Renaissance period. Galileo was a strong advocate for the usage of science in discovering truth and new knowledge, using the principles of mathematics and philosophy in strengthening the study of astronomy and physics in the society. Through Galileo, the nature of free scientific inquiry prevailed, challenging, though not condemning, philosophical and theological issues that cannot empirically answer truth and reality in life. Dante Alighieri's "Inferno," meanwhile, is a literary piece that represented his inquiry into the spiritual and humanistic foundations of human existence during his time. In a period wherein theological foundations and philosophies are being questioned, Dante's "Inferno" confronted the moral and spiritual issues being questioned by Dante and his society during this challenging period of Renaissance.

Following the prevalence of the Renaissance period, the age of Baroque gained prevalence and popularity in the Western society. Among the artistic endeavors that prevailed in the age of Baroque, the "Ecstasy of Saint Teresa" by Gianlorenzo Bernini in the Cornaro Chapel at Rome is an appropriate depiction of the Baroque culture. This sculpture was known for its attention to intricate detail, dramatic depiction of the subjects and sense of movement, qualities that demonstrated the independence of style, form and substance of Baroque art from the previous cultures that prevailed (such as the Renaissance period).

In the realm of architecture, the Sta Maria della Salute by Baldassare Longhena, a church located at the Grand Canal in Venice, Italy. Like the "Duomo," this architectural design is renowned for its snail-shaped volutes of the structure, placed with a religious figure on top of the dome. Like the sculpture of Bernini, Longhena's architectural art through the Sta Maria della Salute showed the attention of the artist to intricate details, a characteristic of Baroque art.

Baroque music is credited for its development of the opera, in addition to the cantata and oratorio. The creation of the opera stemmed from the fact that during this period, wherein focus was on the interplay of vocals/voices and instruments. Instrumental music developed as a result of the creation of the opera, paving the way for different genres of simple instrumental music to emerge, such as the cantata and oratorio.