Between the Most representative works of the Renaissance They sound to you La Gioconda By Da Vinci The Birth of Venus Of Botticelli, but are many more the wonders that were born of this stage so prolific artistically.
In this post we will review 20 of the most well known and admired paintings in the art world and which are exponents of Europe in the fourteenth, fifteenth and sixteenth centuries.
Top 20 works of the Renaissance
1- La Gioconda
Also known as 'The Mona Lisa', it is considered as one of the icons of pictorial art of all time and one of the most copied and reinterpreted in the history of painting.
It was Leonardo Da Vinci who did his portrait, in which he worked for more than 4 years. Although it does not have an exact date of its origin, it is believed that this work has been realized between the years 1503 and 1519.
In it, the particular and the universal are combined. Background shows the nature in movement and the figure of the woman integrating and forming part of it.
2- The Last Supper
Work realized between the years 1495 and 1497 by Leonardo Da Vinci. It is considered one of the best paintings in the world, being one of the most famous works of the Renaissance and Christian religious art. It represents one of the last days of the life of Jesus according to the stories of the Bible.
3- The Virgin of the Rocks
Also performed by Leonardo Da Vinci in 1482. There are two versions of the work, having been first painted entirely by Leonardo Da Vinci and the second directed by him, intervening with his own hands in some details very spaces.
The work depicts the Virgin, the baby Jesus, Saint John the Baptist and the figure of an angel.
4- The Holy Family or Tondo Doni
One of the first works made by Michelangelo between 1503 and 1504 in rememoration of the marriage of Agnolo Doni with Maddalena Strozzi. Work representing the Holy Family, this work being the only wooden panel made by Michelangelo.
5- Sistine Chapel
This work by Michelangelo between 1508 and 1512, consists of a set of paintings that were made to decorate the vault of this chapel, located in Rome.
It consists of more than 300 figures representing the time of man on earth before the arrival of Jesus Christ.
Among the scenes depicted are The Expulsion of the Garden of Eden, The Universal Deluge, The Creation of Adam, or The Last Judgment.
6- The Fire of the Borgo
Artwork by Rafael Sanzio in 1514 with the help of his assistant Giulio Romano. It is currently located in the Vatican Palace.
This work represents a miracle executed by Pope Leo IV, who in making the sign of the cross manages to extinguish the fire that had spread in the city.
7- Portrait of a Cardinal
It is one of the best known works of Raphael, which is also often called 'The Cardinal'.
It was made in 1510 during the papacy of Julius II, so it is supposed to represent the portrait of one of the cardinals of that time. But the identity of the same is unknown, despite the investigations that have been carried out to find out.
Rafael was very successful in the different works based on portraits, having been the inspiration of another great painter of the Renaissance, Tiziano Vecellio.
8- Madonna Sistine
Work realized by Rafael, between 1513 and 1514. It is in the central period of the development of his works.
There is a belief that it was done to decorate the tomb of Pope Julius II, since the angels at the bottom of the painting represent the funeral ceremony.
9- The Transfiguration
Another work of Raphael, made between 1517 and 1520, being his last painting. It is even said that when Rafael died the work was not completely finished and it was his student Giulio Romano who finished it.
10- The Birth of Venus
It is one of the top works of Sandro Botticelli in 1484. In her, Venus is represented by Simonetta Vespucci, who has been a muse and model of the artists of the Renaissance.
11- Santa María Magdalena
Work realized between the years 1530 and 1535 by Tiziano Vecellio, to order of the Duke Urbino. The image represents the adoration of the shepherds back then, in the Italian renaissance. This work is considered one of the most important made by this artist as it laid the foundations for magical impressionism.
12- The Assumption of the Virgin
Work done by Titian in 1518, which has made him one of the most classic painters in countries other than Rome. It was made for the Church of Santa Maria dei Frari in Venice, representing the elevation of the Virgin Mary.
13- Flora
Work representing the goddess of flowers and spring. It was made by Titian between 1515 and 1517.
It is one of the outstanding Renaissance works that tries to represent the fecundity of nature and marriage.
14- Venus of Urbino
Also realized by Tiziano in 1538, is the first piece with which the artist represented Venus.
There is no reliable data on who the woman is represented, but being this work acquired by Duke Urbino's son, Giodovaldo della Rovere, is believed to be a portrait of his wife.
fifteen- The Annunciation
It is a painting made in 1426 by Fra Angelico, also known as Guido Di Prieto da Mugello. It represents the Annunciation of the Virgin Mary and the moment in which the archangel Gabriel announces that she is going to be the mother of the baby Jesus
16- The Transfiguration
Also known as The Transfiguration of Christ, realized by Giovanni Bellini in the year 1480. It represents Christ's revelation of His divine nature to three of His disciples.
17- The Peacock Altarpiece
It is a work also realized by Giovanni Bellini around the year 1475 that represents the coronation of the Virgin.
This artist was a famous Venetian Renaissance, considered a revolutionary of the Venetian painting and professor of Tiziano.
18- The Adoration of the Magi
Work realized by Giotto Di Bondone in 1301 that represents the first visit of the magi to the baby Jesus after his birth.
19- Dante and the Divine Comedy
Work created by Domenico Di Michelino in the year 1465 to commemorate the two hundred years of the birth of Dante; Italian poet recognized for writing the Divine Comedy Marking the transition of thought corresponding to the Middle Ages to Modern thought.
twenty- The Resurrection of Christ
This work of art was realized by Piero Della Francesca between the years 1463 and 1465. One of the main edges of the Renaissance.
The resurrection of Christ and the Polyptych of Mercy are considered two of his masterpieces.
About the Renaissance and its effects
The Renaissance was a cultural movement that began in Italy in the fourteenth century. It had an important influx of new ideas and practices leaving a deep and valuable cultural legacy.
The term Renaissance describes the resurgence of interest in the artistic achievements of the classical world.
The Renaissance boom began in Florence, financially and culturally supported by the ruling Medici family and the Vatican.
This cultural movement was determined to move away from the Middle Ages which was dominated by religion. He directed his attention to the situation of man in society.
In this way, the main themes of Renaissance art were individual expression and worldly experience.
Italian Renaissance art marked the beginning of a major cultural change in Europe.
The first artists of this movement, began to be interested in the nature and the human body portrayed in the classic antiquity. With their works they laid the foundations for the rise of the Renaissance and put an end to the transition from the Middle Ages to the Modern Age.
Thus, under the influence of the Renaissance the men of Western Europe came to think and feel, to look at life and the outside world, as did the men of ancient Greece and Rome.
The artistic Renaissance was essentially a return of art to nature. Prior to its emergence, art lacked freedom and naturalness. Since the artists were limited by the ecclesiastical restriction.
The models of medieval art were characterized by rigid, angular and lifeless forms. With this movement, Art acquired greater freedom and a spirit of life, contributing new conceptions of life and the world.
In the Christian West there was a profound intellectual and moral revolution. He revealed to men another state of existence, another world, their principles being a life worth living for itself; And that the desire to know can be satisfied without endangering the integrity and well-being of his soul.
In this way, the Renaissance boosted man's progress. He inspired humanity with a new spirit destined to do new things in all areas.
References
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- Britannica, T. E. (2010, Jun 16). Renaissance art. Retrieved from Britannica.
- Estep, W.R. (1986). Renaissance and Reformation. B. Eerdmans Publishing.
- Haskins, C.H. (1957). The Renaissance of the Twelfth Century. Harvard University Press.
- Joost-Gaugier, C. L. (2012). Italian Renaissance Art: Understanding its Meaning. John Wiley & Sons.
- Myers, P.V. (1905). THE RENAISSANCE. Retrieved from Shsu.
- Pater, W. (1980). The Renaissance: Studies in Art and Poetry: the 1893 Text. University of California Press.
- Thomas P. Campbell, M.M. (2002). Tapestry in the Renaissance: Art and Magnificence. Metropolitan Museum of Art.