Renaissance Art Periods: Quattrocento and Cinquecento Characteristics

The Early Renaissance (Quattrocento)

The fifteenth century in Florence marked the beginning of a process of artistic renewal, posing a break with the formal principles of Gothicism.

Architecture

New experiences in perspective and proportion surged in Florence.

• Filippo Brunelleschi: Stressed solutions that brought new beauty and harmony, announcing mathematical formulas for perspective.

High Renaissance Architects (Cinquecento)

In the Cinquecento, key figures included Donato Bramante and Michelangelo Buonarroti.

Sculpture

Sculptors worked primarily in marble and bronze. The subject matter emphasized the importance of the human body, seeking serenity and balance in attitudes, with an interest in composition and spatial unity. There was a strong concern for perspective and depth.

• Key Work: The David of Donatello.

Painting: Quattrocento (15th Century)

The Quattrocento focused on the search for perspective and three-dimensional appearance, emphasizing the human figure, the nude, and individuality.

Key Quattrocento Painters

• Fra Angelico: Combined Gothic decorative elegance with Renaissance realism. Successfully used color and the expression of devotion in faces to convey emotion. Work: Annunciation.
• Masaccio: Demonstrated great ability in anatomy and movement coordination. Work: The Trinity.
• Piero della Francesca: Stressed the stillness of his figures and the refinement of volumes and contours.
• Sandro Botticelli: Believed beauty was not merely the perfect representation of reality, but an allegorical idea of exalted spiritual beauty. Key Works: The Birth of Venus or Allegory of Spring.

Painting: Cinquecento (High Renaissance)

The Cinquecento elevated art to the highest degree of perfection, characterized by simple and natural composition, pyramidal forms, and an interest in the ideal of beauty.

Key Cinquecento Masters

• Leonardo da Vinci: Moved away from Neoplatonism, perceiving reality through the senses. A great observer of nature, he applied sfumato to place figures in a space where the background is atmospheric and changing. Work: The Mona Lisa (Gioconda).
• Raphael Sanzio: Known for great portraiture and classic beauty. Work: The Last Supper.
• Michelangelo Buonarroti: Famous for the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel.

Mannerist Painting

Mannerism featured dynamic and unstable attitudes, an interest in upward movement, arbitrary light, and complex compositions. Subjects included portraits, mythological, and religious themes.

• Key Artist: El Greco (Domenikos Theotokopoulos).