Art Through History:

The Prevalence of Renaissance Art in Modern Society

Ana Rufa Corneli V. Padua

HISTO 11 - Rizal and Emergence of the Philippine Nation

Mr. Nick Estonilo

October 11, 2022

 “Every work of art is a time machine. It crystallizes a moment in history and preserves it for
a waiting future”1

Art has taken many forms and shapes throughout the years, ranging from the
traditional paintings and sculptures, all the way to the modern digital illustrations and
contemporary art. Among all the periods of art, there is one that can arguably be considered
as the blueprint of most modern artworks, regardless of shape or form—Renaissance. Several
centuries have passed since the Renaissance had ended, yet traces of it and its effects
continue to prevail in the landscape of modern art. As such, this paper aims to tackle the
following: (1) the historical cause and origins of Renaissance, (2) the movements and
ideologies introduced by it, (3) its contributions and consequences, and (4) how it has
ultimately influenced modern forms of art.

Renaissance is a period of time and movement described as the rebirth of European

culture, art, politics, and economy between the 14th and 17th centuries.2 It started
approximately 720 years ago in Florence, Italy and spread throughout Europe by the 16th
century.3 The period was divided into three: Early Renaissance, High Renaissance, and Late
Renaissance. During the Early Renaissance, “rational inquiry” was believed to be the key to
success, meaning that focus of the artworks were usually on the correct proportions for
architecture and the human body.4 This phase of Renaissance had Donatello, Filippo
Brunelleschi, and Masaccio as their principals. On the other hand, the phase of the High
Renaissance sought unity in the representation or composition of their works, increasing the
dramatic force and physical presence of an artwork.5 Artists in this phase included Leonardo
da Vinci, Donato Bramante, Michelangelo, Raphael, and Titian.6 Lastly, the Late Renaissance
introduced Mannerism—an aesthetic movement that valued highly refined grace and
elegance.7 Jacopo Carucci Pontorma, Parmigianino, and Rosso Fiorentino, Giorgio Vasari,
and Giovanni da Bologna are some of the known artists in this stage.8

1
James Fox, “Enter the Modern Renaissance,” Sothebys.com, March 20, 2021,
https://www.sothebys.com/en/articles/modern-renaissance-1.
2
The History.com Editors, “Renaissance,” History.com (A&E Television Networks, April 4, 2018),
https://www.history.com/topics/renaissance/renaissance.
3
artincontext, “Renaissance Facts - a Brief Overview of Renaissance History,” artincontext.org, October 6,
2021, https://artincontext.org/renaissance-facts/.
4
Nicolas Pioch, “La Renaissance: Italy,” WebMuseum: La Renaissance: Italy, October 14, 2022,
https://www.ibiblio.org/wm/paint/glo/renaissance/it.html.
5
Nicolas Pioch, “La Renaissance: Italy,”
6
Nicolas Pioch, “La Renaissance: Italy,”
7
Nicolas Pioch, “La Renaissance: Italy,”
8
Nicolas Pioch, “La Renaissance: Italy,”

2
 The word Renaissance means “rebirth” when translated from French. Undoubtedly,
the name stayed true to its roots as the period is described as “the period that transformed
society from darkness to light.”9 Before the Renaissance started, Europe was under the Dark
Ages, an era of war, ignorance, famine, and the Black Death pandemic.10 The Black Death
served as one of the first steps towards the Renaissance, as this was a time when people
began to question and challenge their own religious beliefs.11 With a plague spreading across
the globe, no one could identify the reasons for it, moreso how to stop it. This resulted in a
large death rate and a shift in the population and wealth of Europe, most of which went to
city-states in Italy where Renaissance began.12 Apart from this, author Elias Beck also
discussed six causes of the Renaissance, the first one being increased interaction between
cultures. European society was hesitant about changes during the Middle Ages, yet they were
unable to avoid this due to the increased interactions—usually through exchange of goods,
people, beliefs, ideas, and values— between Europe, Asia, and Africa.13 Following this is the
rediscovery of Greek and Roman texts, where famous Italian Renaissance scholar and
humanist Francesco Petrarch is known for. Petrarch’s rediscovery of Cicero’s letters is
considered to be the spark of the Italian Renaissance and promoted a worldview based on
logic and reason.14 Next are the different artistic and technological innovations, where the
invention of the first printing press is rooted. German blacksmith, goldsmith and printer
Johannes Gutenberg made the first printing press in the mid-1400s through the development
of a hand mold that allowed for precise movable type. As a result of this invention, people no
longer had to rely on the Church to interpret the Bible for them, and instead learned to
interpret the sacred book themselves.15 Second to the last is the emergence of humanism,
which refers to an ideology that emphasized the idea that man was central in his own
universe.15 Finally, the last cause according to Beck is the impacts of conflict and death as a
reference to the Black Death and the wars during the Middle Ages.16 Regardless of the causes
aforementioned, there are people who claim that the Renaissance does not exist at all due to
the overlapping events with the Middle Ages. Moreover, some modern historians believe that

9
artincontext, “Renaissance Facts - a Brief Overview of Renaissance History,”
10
Elias Beck, “Causes of the Renaissance,” HISTORY CRUNCH - History Articles, Biographies, Infographics,
Resources and More (History Crunch, August 18, 2018),
https://www.historycrunch.com/causes-of-the-renaissance.html#/.
11
Elias Beck, “Causes of the Renaissance,”
12
Elias Beck, “Causes of the Renaissance,”
13
Elias Beck, “Causes of the Renaissance,”
14
Elias Beck, “Causes of the Renaissance,”
15
Elias Beck, “Causes of the Renaissance,”
16
Elias Beck, “Causes of the Renaissance,”

3
the cultural importance of the Medieval period has been undermined due to the Renaissance
era.17 One cannot blame the said historians, as they do pose a fair point regarding the
popularity of Renaissance. Spreading the movement was no hard task back then as the King
of France, Charles VIII invited several Italian artists to France after seeing their artworks.18
Additionally, the Renaissance also altered some aspects of religion and art such as the ability
and choice to procreate and not get frowned upon.19 There were also major developments in
astronomy, humanist philosophy, the printing press, painting and sculpture technique,
Shakespeare’s works, and the such.20

If there is one thing Renaissance is characterized by, it is “humanism”. The concept of

humanism is centered around an individual’s social potential and agency.21 It encompasses
areas such as grammar, rhetoric, poetry, philosophy, and history.22 When translated into art,
this usually meant images of the Virgin Mary and ecclesiastical rituals as humanists also
believed that God created humans with many potentials and abilities.23 European artists were
also inspired to create paintings and sculptures that focused more on the realities of everyday
life and real people, hence the revival of realism and naturalism during the period.24
Renaissance artists including the holy trinity of Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, and
Raphael typically chose to draw, paint, and sculpt extraordinarily realistic and
three-dimensional figures.25 There is a saying that da Vinci and Michelangelo worked with
cadaver bodies before working on their pieces. Although, there are different unverifiable
claims regarding whether the two dissected the bodies themselves, or observed someone else
do it given that doing the former was illegal. Famous works that were created during this
period include Statue of David (1501 – 1504) by Michelangelo, Mona Lisa (1503) by da
Vinci, and The School of Athens (1509 – 1511) by Raphael.26 One of the major contributions
Renaissance art contributed is linear perspective, which made use of mathematical principles
to realistically depict space and depth in art. Said concept served as a core feature for all

17
The History.com Editors, “Renaissance,”
18
artincontext, “Renaissance Facts - a Brief Overview of Renaissance History,”
19
artincontext, “Renaissance Facts - a Brief Overview of Renaissance History,”
20
Owen Jarus and Jessie Szalay, “The Renaissance: The 'Rebirth' of Science & Culture,” LiveScience (Purch,
January 11, 2022), https://www.livescience.com/55230-renaissance.html.
21
artincontext, “Renaissance Facts - a Brief Overview of Renaissance History,”
22
artincontext, “Renaissance Facts - a Brief Overview of Renaissance History,”
23
The Artist Editorial, “5 Characteristics of Renaissance Art That Changed the World,” Metacult, January 27,
2022, https://www.theartist.me/art/top-characteristics-of-renaissance-art/.
24
Elias Beck, “Causes of the Renaissance,”
25
artincontext, “Renaissance Facts - a Brief Overview of Renaissance History,”
26
The Artist Editorial, “5 Characteristics of Renaissance Art That Changed the World,”

4
Renaissance artworks and continues to prevail even in modern architecture.27 Sfumato is
another technique that the Renaissance contributed, where the painter would soften lines and
blend paint to create blurred areas.28

Renaissance is regarded as the most important art movement to occur, considering the
strides in art and science made during the said period of time.29 It is also known to bridge the
gap between Medieval Ages and modern-day civilization. Beyond influencing each other
during their time, an article by The Artist also enumerates five characteristics of Renaissance
that influence modern and contemporary art: willingness to learn and explore, humanism,
discovery of linear perspective, rebirth or naturalism, and secularism.30 Most importantly, this
movement continues to influence modern society not only through art, but through the
various innovations created during the time that we continue to use until today. These
innovations include the thermometer, printers, banking systems, and the first digital
calculator among the lot.31

Several modern artists’ works are inspired by the Renaissance, including Vincent van
Gogh and Pablo Picasso. Montmartre by Van Gogh captures the “Florence-like crucible of the
new movement”, while Picasso’s portrait of Dora Maar is a 20th century take on an Italian
Renaissance genre.32 Other modern artists include Munch, Kandinsky, Klee, Magritte,
Dubuffet, and Warhol. The influence of Renaissance does not end there as it transcends even
the traditional mediums of art. At present, traces of Renaissance can be found even on album
covers and music videos of famous musicians such as Beyoncé and Ariana Grande.
Beyoncé’s recent album, Renaissance, was inspired by Lady Godiva, a painting by Adam van
Noort during the period.33 Grande, on the other hand, incorporated various imagery of
religion and posed in a powerful feminist recreation of Michelangelo’s early-16th century
painting The Creation of Adam.n Furthermore, Alexander McQueen’s 2013 Fall collection
served as an iconic moment in the fashion world, featuring ten Renaissance-inspired looks.34

27
artincontext, “Renaissance Facts - a Brief Overview of Renaissance History,”
28
Elias Beck, “Causes of the Renaissance,”
29
artincontext, “Renaissance Facts - a Brief Overview of Renaissance History,”
30
The Artist Editorial, “5 Characteristics of Renaissance Art That Changed the World,”
31
Laura Allan, “21 Ways the Renaissance Directly Shaped the Way We Live Now,” Ranker (Ranker, September
23, 2022), https://www.ranker.com/list/ways-the-renaissance-directly-shaped-the-way-we-live-now/laura-allan.
32
James Fox, “Enter the Modern Renaissance,”
33
James Fox, “Enter the Modern Renaissance,”
34
Erin Doak, “How the Renaissance Influences Pop Culture Today,” Artsper Magazine, July 20, 2022,
https://blog.artsper.com/en/a-closer-look/how-the-renaissance-influences-pop-culture-today/.

5
 Albeit its influences, there are differences in terms of how modern artists approach art
compared to Renaissance artists back then. During the 14th to 17th centuries, artists were
more likely to paint on a commission basis.35 Michelangelo did not choose to illustrate the
Bible, and was instead hired to do it. For a better visual comparison, a Renaissance artist is
akin to the concept of a modern illustrator who works with craft rather than intellect. While
artists in the present either take art school or learn on their own, artists back then were part of
the apprentice system where an individual who shows potential would move in with a master
at a certain age to learn from them.36 Another great difference between Renaissance and the
current society is the profession of the artists. At present, Artists are either painters OR
sculptors OR printmakers OR architects.37 Back then, artists of the Renaissance period
engaged in a wide variety of creative endeavors. A Renaissance Man was described as a
person who was successful in a wide range of skilled disciplines.38 As for the subject of
modern art, it is similar to Renaissance in the sense that it also uses realism and humanism,
though the former focuses on political and social issues they feel strongly about.39 In contrast,
the artist’s concerns and desires were less of a priority back then.40

Despite the dispute against the existence of Renaissance, it is undeniable that it has
greatly impacted our lives through our culture and fields of practice, especially in the arts.
The movement gave birth to the holy trinity of artists–Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, and
Raphael. Along with this came the most famous artwork of each–Mona Lisa, Statue of David,
and The School of Athens, respectively. Several causations to the start of the movement have
been claimed by various historians, most saying that the Dark Ages is when everything
began. One could argue that Renaissance is the blueprint for the majority of modern art
concepts, as the initial ideas are inspired by works in the aforementioned period. A field that
evidently uses the works of Renaissance is architecture. Through the use of mathematical
calculations and linear perspective introduced by the Renaissance, architects are able to come
up with various models and structures. Renaissance also made a great emphasis on focusing
on humans as the center of the subject and portraying everyday scenarios as realistic as
possible, evidently seen through humanism, realism, and naturalism. We may be unaware of
it, but there are several inventions during the Renaissance that we continue to use at present
35
Ashley Hurst, “The Artist: Today vs. the Renaissance,” TheVirtualInstructor Blog |, June 28, 2019,
https://thevirtualinstructor.com/blog/the-artist-today-vs-the-renaissance.
36
Ashley Hurst, “The Artist: Today vs. the Renaissance,”
37
Ashley Hurst, “The Artist: Today vs. the Renaissance,”
38
Ashley Hurst, “The Artist: Today vs. the Renaissance,”
39
Ashley Hurst, “The Artist: Today vs. the Renaissance,”
40
Ashley Hurst, “The Artist: Today vs. the Renaissance,”

6
as mentioned in the latter sections of this paper. Although, one thing is for sure—without a
doubt, Renaissance achieved its goal of “rebirth” and though its period had already ended, it
continues to give birth to intricately done artworks inspired by its values, ranging from traditional
paintings all the way to the more modern album covers and digital art..

7
 Bibliography

Allan, Laura. “21 Ways the Renaissance Directly Shaped the Way We Live Now.” Ranker.
Ranker, September 23, 2022.
https://www.ranker.com/list/ways-the-renaissance-directly-shaped-the-way-we-live-n
ow/laura-allan.

artincontext. “Renaissance Facts - a Brief Overview of Renaissance History.”

artincontext.org, October 6, 2021. https://artincontext.org/renaissance-facts/.

The Artist Editorial. “5 Characteristics of Renaissance Art That Changed the World.”
Metacult, January 27, 2022.
https://www.theartist.me/art/top-characteristics-of-renaissance-art/.

Beck, Elias. “Causes of the Renaissance.” HISTORY CRUNCH - History Articles,

Biographies, Infographics, Resources and More. History Crunch, August 18, 2018.
https://www.historycrunch.com/causes-of-the-renaissance.html#/.

Doak, Erin. “How the Renaissance Influences Pop Culture Today.” Artsper Magazine, July
20, 2022.
https://blog.artsper.com/en/a-closer-look/how-the-renaissance-influences-pop-cultu
re-today/.

Fox, James. “Enter the Modern Renaissance.” Sothebys.com, March 20, 2021.
https://www.sothebys.com/en/articles/modern-renaissance-1.

The History.com Editors. “Renaissance.” History.com. A&E Television Networks, April 4,

2018. https://www.history.com/topics/renaissance/renaissance.

Hurst, Ashley. “The Artist: Today vs. the Renaissance.” TheVirtualInstructor Blog |, June
28, 2019. https://thevirtualinstructor.com/blog/the-artist-today-vs-the-renaissance.

8
Jarus, Owen, and Jessie Szalay. “The Renaissance: The 'Rebirth' of Science & Culture.”
LiveScience. Purch, January 11, 2022.
https://www.livescience.com/55230-renaissance.html.

Pioch, Nicolas. “La Renaissance: Italy.” WebMuseum: La Renaissance: Italy, October 14,
2022. https://www.ibiblio.org/wm/paint/glo/renaissance/it.html.