The Redefinition of Human Form in Art

Italian Renaissance: The Redefinition of Human Form in Art
Whenever people think about early Italian art, they visualize Leonardo Da Vinci. Yet, this great artist only played a fraction of the part in shaping Italian art and architecture during the Renaissance period.

In the fields of art, literature, and philosophy, the Italian Renaissance represented a “rebirth” of classical ideals (Artyfactory 1). It was a time of creative progress in Western art that spanned from the resurgence of realism in the work of Giotto at the end of the 13th century to the expressive forms of Mannerism in the creation of Michelangelo at the beginning of the 16th century (Adams 6-10). For this exhibition, I decided to focus on the early works of Italian artists that existed in the four renaissance period proto, early, high, and Venetian Renaissance.

These artists and their artworks incorporate various human form elements in their works. The Renaissance period was a time of reinvention in terms of ideas and ways of thinking; one of its key goals was the redefinition of the human form in artistic depictions.
The artists I have decided to explore were masters of their craft and perfected the inclusion of the human form in their art. Despite these artists emerging in the different renaissance eras, their works exhibit characteristics of perfect drawing, humanism, and naturalism. The notable differences in their art form can be seen in their painting techniques, with some using fresco and tempera for huge and small paintings, while others revolutionized oil painting in their works.

The artists I will compare and examine their use of human form include Duccio di Buonninsegna and Giotto di Bondone of the proto era, Masaccio of the early renaissance era, Leonardo Da Vinci and Raphael Sanzio of the high renaissance era, and Giovanni Bellini of the Venetian era.
The first two works I will compare are Duccio di Buonninsegna’s ‘Maestà‘ (the Virgin in Her Majesty) (Figure 1) and Giotto di Bondone’s ‘The Betrayal of Christ (Figure 2), which both display classical values of humanism. Maesta by Duccio was created for the Siena cathedral, and it depicts the Holy Virgin and Child seated on a throne surrounded by angels and saints (Britannica 1).

Below and above is a narrative predella depicting Christ’s infancy and seven episodes from the Virgin’s life. This artwork employs the design principle of emphasis and subordination by putting the Virgin and the Child image in the middle and descaling other elements found in the painting. This immediately draws the reader’s attention to the most critical part of the Maesta altarpiece, the enthroned Virgin and the Child. Furthermore, as the figures shift their attention to the Christ child or, in a few situations where they are diverted from one another, the other seeks to liberate itself via the increased naturalism of the figures (Britannica 1). Moreover, the whole piece has an exceptionally high level of artistry, and the fine coloring and fluid draughtsmanship contribute to creating strikingly lovely effects.