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Masaccio's Holy Trinity, in Santa Maria Novella, Florence

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Masaccio's Holy Trinity, in Santa Maria Novella, Florence

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This piece set the gold standard for linear perspective (how to create the illusion of 3D on a 2D surface), which became the craze during the early Renaissance.  In Florence, of course! The vanishing point is at the base of Christ's cross.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holy_Trinity_(Masaccio)#/media/File:Masaccio,_trinit%C3%A0.jpg

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The "Gates of Paradise" are a spectacular and eye-catching example of Early Renaissance art. Formerly located on il Duomo's Baptistra, and currently in Museo del Duomo, Ghiberti's"Gates of Paradise" catch the Florentine sun. The 10 scenes are from the Old Testament and are an example of devotional realism. The figures that surround the door are Saints. These doors are a compliment to il Duomo. The realistic depiction of religious art becomes typical in the Early Renaissance. This is an important piece of Renaissance art because it is just one example of art that is all over Florence, that is remarkable on its own, but seems relatively overshadowed (literally) being part of il Duomo. The gold also relates to the somewhat exclusive nature of the Catholic church and its location on the baptistery is significant. Baptistries were built so that people could be baptized in place separate from the church because people who were not baptized could not enter into the church. The scenes from the Old Testament are significant because it represents a time before Jesus, Christianity and baptism.

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Expulsion from the Garden of Eden- Gabrielle Neff

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Expulsion from the Garden of Eden- Gabrielle Neff

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"The Expulsion from the Garden of Eden" portrays a different view of the biblical account of Adam and Eve. The painting resides at the Church of Santa Maria del Carmine in Florence, Italy. Painted by Masaccio, this expression of the expulsion of Adam and Eve presents the two as nude and with great emotion. Focus on facial expression and realism invokes the idea of the two being more human. Their human form is more realistic and proportionate as they occupy the space given by Masaccio. This painting is powerful and makes the viewer feel the pairs anguish as they are removed from Eden.

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I'm not sure where I've come in contact with this photo before, but I've seen it displayed somewhere. This painting was done by Botticelli in 1483-1485. This painting depicts a shift from classical paintings. In the classical era, the artwork would be proportional. Here, Botticelli has placed Venus off-center, but has created leading lines to guide the audience toward Venus. Venus here is depicted as divine. The angels are looking toward her, she is glowing, and she is also being honored by the woman on the right in the painting. This challenges the audience to question divine beauty versus natural beauty.

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Trinity with the Virgin, Saint John the Evangelist, and Donors -- Jordan Cockrum

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Trinity with the Virgin, Saint John the Evangelist, and Donors -- Jordan Cockrum

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This is a fresco that was painted by Masaccio in Santa Maria Novella. This piece of Early Renaissance art is significant in its mastery of the artistic concept of perspective. New to this time period was the importance of making art look and feel real. Artists wanted their work to be something that can be present in the world today and not to be one-dimensional or flat. This piece shows two different uses of perspective. First, the donors that are kneeling are pictured to be doing so in a way that appears to be outside of the architectural pieces that act as a frame to the piece. This makes the piece look more realistic and adds to the perspective of the main piece, which has its focus at the bottom of the cross. This was eye-level for those that were looking at it, so everything from there is painted proportional to the perspective in the piece. In a bigger picture manner, the concept of perspective is so important to art as a discipline. As early as elementary school we learned the concept of perspective and had a project where we had to draw a realistic-looking hallway with one focal point. It's important and interesting that concepts such as this one were implemented during the Early Renaissance.

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Donatello's statue of David is one of the most famous pieces of art to come out of the early Renaissance. I believe it encapsulates the stylistic and thematic shifts of the Renaissance in many ways, making it an incredibly important piece to study and analyze. First, one can obviously observe the ultra-realistic positioning and proportions of David's figure. His stance is reminiscent of the Hellenistic art of the Classical period, which sought to capture more natural human expression and emotions. Additionally, like Fiero states, it is also significant that Donatello chose to portray David in the nude, as the human body had been thought to be vile and sinful throughout the medieval period. Artists of the Renaissance worked to reclaim the human body as something that is beautiful and worthy of capturing in different art forms.

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Catherine Viz; Piero della Francesca, "The Baptism of Christ," (c. 1450) 

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Catherine Viz; Piero della Francesca, "The Baptism of Christ," (c. 1450) 

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While this painting is indicative of the introduction of realism and perspective, it also displays how early Renaissance paintings and artists still had a long way to go to achieve the ultimate greatness and fame of the likeness of Michelangelo or Leonardo da Vinci. The beginning ideas of space and structure of a three dimensional space are present, especially in the landscape background of mountains. Additionally, there are attempts at higher realism, in the example of the pool have reflective elements of what is around it. However, the creation of the main subjects of the painting such as Jesus and St. John the Baptist, there remains a blaring two-dimensional quality that fails to make them appear real or truly present. With time, the paintings become a better assessment of the world around the artists; more lifelike and with a better understanding of balance, light, perspective, and expanding upon space and dimension.

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Paolo Uccello "Study of a Chalice" - Liz Ferry 

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Paolo Uccello "Study of a Chalice" - Liz Ferry 

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Paolo Uccello was not only a renowned painter but also a mathematician obsessed with perspective. This Study of a Chalice shows his attention and commitment to mathematical precision. By using geometry, Uccello was able to achieve incredibly lifelike proportions and perspective. Emphasis on discovering and achieving perspective began with the Renaissance, as it allowed art to move into a third dimension, even if it was drawn or painted on a two-dimensional surface. Uccello's work exhibits experimentation with how geometric shapes are present in everyday objects and how they can aid in the production of realistic and lifelike art that will jump off the page.

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Fra Angelico's, The Deposition of Christ (c. 1430-4): Nicole McCaffery 

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Fra Angelico's, The Deposition of Christ (c. 1430-4): Nicole McCaffery 

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~In this image, Christ's body is being taken down from the cross, which vanishes in the background and is not a focal point of the painting as compared to His body. Everything else seems to just recede into the distance. Christ is in the center under the middle arch, having many mourners surrounding Him. Fra Angelico focuses on the earthy tones in this painting while drawing on that idea of the nature aspect of it all, and making certain colors stick out more than others including red, which can be found in garments or even the blood dripping down the bottom of the cross. Another color that is constantly emphasized is green, which is found in the landscape along with gold, which is important for illumination as well as a symbolic color, meaning wealth but also embracing it as a holy and sacred element. Another interesting thing about this painting is the focus on the three arches and their pointed 'roofs,' which is interesting because there are three of them which is a symbolic number in itself but also the images of holy people looking up to God and praying to Him.

https://www.theartstory.org/artist-fra-angelico-artworks.htm

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Allie Johnston- The Montefeltro Altarpiece by Piero della Francesca

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Allie Johnston- The Montefeltro Altarpiece by Piero della Francesca

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In this image, the Madonna is holding the baby Jesus. The duke of Urbino is kneeling in front of them after a victorious battle. This is a good example of linear perspective. There is a realism with the individual faces. The shadows on the egg also show realism. It also shows the intersect between medieval and biblical/ancient ideals.

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Madonna and Child by Ansano di Andrea di Bartolo - Lori Henderson

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Madonna and Child by Ansano di Andrea di Bartolo - Lori Henderson

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The concept of painting the Virgin Mary and her son Jesus is common, especially during the medieval and Renaissance periods. It shows a personal connection not only between our Savior and the woman chosen to birth Him, but also the love between a mother and her son. The painting is realistic in the sense of body proportions and human-like qualities. For instance, the rosy cheeks give life to the two figures illustrated rather than stiff, lifeless people. Even though there are two angel-like figures behind the mother and son duo, it is appropriate for the divine quality and divine meaning behind the painting.

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Here, Fra Angelico depicts the Angelic Salutation of the Angel Gabriel unto Mary. He proclaims, "Hail, favored one, the Lord is with thee." By this, Mary was troubled as she was afraid of what this would mean––angels, spiritual beings, typically warned of death to come. The light, from the Holy Spirit depicted from the dove, symbolizes her kecharitomene, the state of being "full of grace." Christ was conceived by the Holy Spirit and Mary remained ever virgin. In Fra Angelico's painting, moreover, is an angel and presumably Adam and Eve walking out of the garden in shame after The Fall. This brings to mind the Ave Maris Stella, "Oh! by Gabriel's Ave/ Uttered long ago/ Eva's name reversing/ Stablish peace below." Through Mary, the handmaiden of the Lord, God became incarnate, redeeming the world.

[Bea Cuasay]

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The Last Supper by Leonardo da Vinci (Lily Mendez

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The Last Supper by Leonardo da Vinci (Lily Mendez

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Created by Leonardo da Vinci around 1495, "The Last Supper" is one of the most easily recognizable paintings to come out of the Renaissance period. The painting depicts the last supper Christ had with his apostles and employs elements typical of the Renaissance period. It employs the linear perspective and is able to create a 3D illusion of a banquet room. Although restoration attempts have been numerous little of the original painting is still intact.