About The European Renaissance of Early 1400s

The renaissance in Europe from the early 14th century until the middle of 17th century marks the rebirth of culture and rise of the modern world. It had bridged the art period from the fifteenth century, through the middle ages right up to the Peak Renaissance in Italy. The broad cultural achievements brought forth during renaissance were as a result of renewed interests in the classical art of the ancient Rome and a great craving for artistic greatness, wisdom and enlightenment. Inspired by Humanism the work of art progressed by unfolding the mysteries of the Greco-Roman antiquities and the artistic treasure buried there in. The ideals of Art and Architecture that took rebirth especially in Italy and then spreading all over Western Europe ended the superiority of the Gothic Art

Art & Architecture of the Italian Renaissance

Art

The rebirth of the classical world drastically changed the art of painting. By the end of 1500, the Renaissance had already rejuvenated the ancient forms. The spiritual themes in the painting had altogether changed. The new forms and themes started to pour in from the ancient Roman Mythology. Devotional art of Christian orientation became classically humanized. Classical art having considerable musical fraction, real expressions, and normal postures were imitated. Sculptor Nicola Pisano and the human figure painting by Giotto especially evoked interest in the classical antiquity. The common problem faced by artists for representing dimensions of nature on a flat surface was solved when Masaccio developed a mathematically based ‘System of Perspective’ & illusion of space. Instead of traditional paintings on holy themes there was demand for pictures of secular subjects and thus flourished the art of portraiture. During this period of artistic renaissance Italy in particular had all along been hyperactive, whereas most of the works in the northern countries of Europe were produced during Early Renaissance between 1420 and 1550.

Architecture

With the rediscovery of the classical architecture in Italy, Rome's ancient structural elements like arches, vaults, and domes, the decorative patterns once again became the focus of attention. The architects began to design them afresh by borrowing the ideas from antique treasures and then adapting them to their new needs in a blended form. The churches, town halls, villas etc began to be built according to Roman motifs. Many houses built by stones in Florence started appearing in rugged simplicity. Numerous palaces and churches built by eminent architects like Antonio da Sangallo, Ralph, Vignola, Peruzzi and Michelangelo, gave the city of Rome architectural superiority of the highest order.

Work of Art of the Shakespearean Period

Not merely confined to the study of works by the ancient scholars, the Northern Renaissance engulfs a larger area including painting, sculpture, and architecture. Paintings became more secular, depicting the feelings of common people rather than restricting to religious topics. The later plays of William Shakespeare also started displaying similar themes. The effect of Renaissance and humanism on English literature was far and wide. In England its effects on Art and Architecture could be seen appearing through the works of writers especially in the works of the great playwright Shakespeare during Elizabethan era which marked the beginning of English Renaissance.
The influence of Greek classical myths; Homer’s Epics, the Odyssey, and various old tales about sorcery; the supernatural, witchcraft etc, is vividly seen in Shakespeare’s plays. Most of Shakespeare’s Plays like Hamlet, Othello, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Macbeth, The Tempest; The Winter’s Tale etc abound with the Art of magic and witchcraft. The elements of superstitions; the supernatural, the prophecies and predictions seem to play the key-dominating role in Shakespeare’s plays. In a play ‘Tempest’ by Shakespeare, the main character Prospero, besides having full range of human abilities embodies the mastery of magic, an art considered great in those days.
Take for example his play ‘Macbeth’ whose entire theme revolves around the prophecies of the three witches meeting Macbeth on the heath, while on his way home from the battlefield. Accompanied by his loyal friend Banquo, Macbeth meets the three witches upon the heath prophesying him in words:

“Hail Macbeth! Hail to thee that shalt be king hereafter.” Greatly perturbed by the prophecies of the witches Macbeth utters the famous soliloquy:

“Two truths are told as happy prologue to the swelling act of the imperial theme”. “This supernatural soliciting cannot be ill; cannot be good. If ill why hath it given me earnest of success commencing in a truth. I am thane of Cawdor. If good, why do I yield to that suggestion whose horrid image doth unfix my hair; and make my seated heart knock at the ribs against the use of nature. Present fears are less than horrible imaginings. My thought, whose murder, yet is but fantastical, shakes so my single state of man that function is smothered in surmise” and “ letting I dare not, wait upon I would “ shows the height of struggle and the tug of war going on within his conscience between the right and wrong. His wife, the lady Macbeth who is over ambitious and wants to see Macbeth king and herself a queen of Scotland sharply reacts to the evil prophesy of the wicked witches. She plans for the murder of Duncan, the king of Scotland and entices Macbeth, taunting him in these strong words:

“Your face, my thane is like a book, where men may read strange matters. To beguile the time, look like the time. Bear welcome in your eye, your tongue; look like an innocent flower, but be a serpent under it”.

The element of superstition is depicted in the historical soliloquy of Lady Macbeth:

“The raven himself is hoarse that croaks the fatal entrance of Duncan under my battlements. Come, you spirits 41 that tend on mortal thoughts. Unsex me here and fill me from crown to the toe-top full of direst cruelty. Make thick my blood that no compunctuous visitings of nature shake my fell purpose, nor keep peace between the effect and it.”

Besides, Shakespeare took subject matter for many plays from the classical sources. Nods for music return persistently throughout Shakespeare's plays. Music between the acts was traditionally played in the plays staged in public. Instrumental music, which was played from behind or even under the stage, was employed to heighten dramatic effects of supernatural beings. During the period of King Charles 11, when English monarchy was restored, Henry Purcell brought with him even richer flowering music for staging the plays of William Shakespeare.

References:

• Retrieved on April 9, 2006 from: http://www.huntfor.com/arthistory/renaissance/earlyrenaiss.htm
• http://www.infoplease.com/ce6/ent/A0841518.html
• http://www.dartmouth.edu/~writing/materials/student/humanities/arthistoryshtml
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Shakespeare

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