Monday, March 31, 2014

Who Is The Archetypal Renaissance Man?

By Darren Hartley


Two of the most influential works in fresco in Western art history are Michelangelo paintings. They are renowned regardless of the low opinion of painting Michelangelo has. These works are the Genesis scenes found on the Sistine chapel ceiling and the Last Judgment painting on the Sistine Chapel altar wall. The Sistine chapel is found in Rome.

Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simon was an Italian Renaissance painter, sculptor, architect, poet and engineer. He is not only known for his Michelangelo paintings but also for two sculptures made before he turned thirty. These are the Pieta and the David.

Michelangelo also revolutionized classical architecture. He accomplished this by using plaster as the main ingredient when he designed the dome for St. Peter's Basilica. Like the Sistine chapel, this basilica can also be found in Rome.

Michelangelo is considered to be the best documented 16th century artist. The basis of this fact is the volume of his surviving correspondences, reminiscences and sketches. These sketches are considered to be the earliest Michelangelo paintings.

The title of the archetypal Renaissance man is referred for the individual whose continuous curiosity runs parallel with his inventive skills. Only two artists have been under consideration for this honor, Michelangelo and his fellow Italian and rival, Leonardo da Vinci. Michelangelo earned his berth for the title from his versatility in the disciplines of the highest order. This versatility Michelangelo was able to attain despite the low number of forays he made beyond the arts.

Among the most famous, most reproduced and most parodied portrait and religious paintings of all time are the Mona Lisa and The Last Supper, two Da Vinci paintings and the Creation of Adam, one of many Michelangelo paintings. They occupy that unique position in the art world.

Primarily known for his Da Vinci Paintings, Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci was not only a painter but also an Italian polymath, being a scientist, mathematician, engineer, inventor, anatomist, sculptor, architect, botanist, musician and writer, in various stages of his life.

Other than his iconic Vitruvian Man drawing, only 15 Da Vinci paintings were able to survive the passing of the centuries. This phenomenon, though largely due to Leonardo's persistent and more often than not disastrous experimentation with new techniques, is also attributable to his chronic procrastination of his own accomplishments.

Despite their low number, these surviving Da Vinci paintings are contributions to later artist generations. These contributions are aided by Leonardo's notebooks that house drawings, scientific diagrams and personal thoughts on the art of painting. Again, this set of contributions is only rivalled by the set from his chief contemporary rival, Michelangelo.

An education in the studio of Verrocchio, a renowned Florentine painter, produced the earlier Da Vinci paintings.




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