High Renaissance Art (1480-1527)

Leonardo da Vinci's Vitruvian Man

1490

Vitruvian Man was created by Leonardo da Vinci in 1490. Da Vinci was a fan of drawing the human form. This work is a depiction of man in the perfect proportion described by Roman architect Vitruvius in On Architecture. Venice’s Gallerie dell’Accademia houses the drawing (An Introduction to High Renaissance Art). The piece is not often on exhibit, as it is very fragile (“The Significance”).

Leonardo da Vinci's The Last Supper

1490

Leonardo da Vinci’s The Last Supper is a depiction of the event of the same title in The Bible. Actually, da Vinci intended to represent the moment following Christ’s announcement of his imminent betrayal by Judas. The painting has been restored seven times, as da Vinci was experimenting with tempura pigments and dry plaster. The painting resides at the Maria delle Grazie Church in Milan, Italy (“10 Facts”).

High Renaissance Art

Period: 1490 to 1520

Michelangelo's Pieta

1498

Carved out of block of Carrara marble, Michelangelo’s Pieta depicts the Virgin Mary holding a deceased Christ after crucifixion. It was a special piece; not just for the content, but because it was rare to include two figures in one sculpture at the time. It is the only signed artwork of Michelangelo’s. Fun fact: In 1972 the Virgin Mary lost an arm, her nose and an eye due to a raging madman toting a hammer. Pieta resides in New Saint Peter’s Basilica in Rome (Michelangelo’s Pieta).

Everyman

1500

Everyman is the epitome of the Morality Plays of the High Renaissance. The allegorical story follows Everyman on death's journey to get into heaven. Characters are personified, including Beauty and Strength who leave him in the end.Through an act of contrition, Everyman is able to strengthen Good Deeds and meet his God. The playwright is unknown/anonymous.

Michelangelo's David

1501

Michelangelo Buonarroti sculpted David at the young age of twenty-six. The white marble statue is almost seven feet tall and weighs 12,478 pounds. Most artists had portrayed David after the battle with Goliath. This was the first time an artist had chosen to depict David before, honoring his concentration, confidence and cleverness. Michelangelo, like da Vinci, appreciated the human form. This is evident in the artistry. David resides in the Galleria dell’Accademia. (Michelangelo’s David).

Josquin Des Prez's "Miserere mei Deus"

1503

Listen: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-2_2fj5Dd2I "The Miserere, by Josquin des Prez, is a motet setting of Psalm 51 (Psalm 50 in the Septuagint numbering) for five voices. He composed it while in the employ of Duke Ercole I d'Este in Ferrara, in 1503 or 1504. It was one of the most famous settings of that psalm of the entire Renaissance" (“Miserere (Josquin).”).

Da Vinci's Mona Lisa

1503

Possibly one of the most iconic of the High Renaissance oil paintings is Da Vinci's Mona Lisa. The facial features - her eyes that seem to follow you and the mouth that may or may not be smiling - have been discussed and debated for years. The Mona Lisa is housed in the Louvre in Paris (Tech). The portrait is of La Gioconda, the wife of Francesco del Giocondo (10 Facts).

Raphael's The Three Graces

1505

Sharing a space on the timeline and a background similar to the Mona Lisa, Raphael's (Raffaello Sanzio) three mythological ladies are now housed at the Musée Condé in France. Both the Mona Lisa and The Three Graces were painted using sfumato technique, "a Renaissance painting style associated with a misty or blurry smokiness" (Three Graces).

Solario's Salome with the head of John the Baptist

1506

Andrea Solario was influenced by Leonardo da Vinci and artists of the Netherlands. The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York houses the painting of the Biblical story of Salome, who danced for the head of John the Baptist. The painting is known for the juxtaposition of the lovely Salome to the gruesome severed head held by the executioner (Salome with the Head).

Georgione's The Tempest

1506

Giorgio da Castelfranco painted this pastoral landscape just a few years before his death by the plague. This painting is also the sfumato style employed by Da Vinci and Raphael. The Tempest did not depict any of the usual religious themes or figures of the High Renaissance, which has held it open to many interpretations over the years (“The Tempest [Giorgione]”).

Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel Ceiling

1508

The Sistine Chapel Ceiling, consisting of epic frescoes that tell the stories of the Old Testament, was commissioned by Pope Julius II (Sistine Chapel). "A fresco painting is a work of wall or ceiling art created by applying pigment onto intonaco, or a thin layer of plaster. Its title translates to 'fresh' in Italian, as a true fresco’s intonaco is wet when the paint is applied (What is Fresco Art).

Raphael's The School of Athens

1509

Another Vatican fresco painted by Raphael, The School of Athens combines art, philosophy and science in one wall. Famous "great thinkers" in the painting include Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, Pythagoras, and Euclid among others (The Story Behind). Hegel would approve.

Bramante's Tempietto

1510

Donato Bramante designed and directed the construction of this famous piece of architecture from the High Renaissance. Built in Montario, the temple rests where Saint Peter was crucified. "In addition to the accolades lauded on the building at the time of its construction, modern critics also see the tempietto as the prototype for the greater Basilica of Saint Pietro in the Vatican" (Tempietto).

Raphael's Sistine Madonna

1512

One of Raphael's most famous paintings is the Sistine Madonna, housed in Germany at the Gemaldegalerie Alte Meister. The model for the Madonna may have been a mistress of Raphael's. The painted curtains as a method of revelation may have been influenced by Medieval/Renaissance tomb sculptures (Sistine Madonna).

Michelangelo's Creation of Adam

1512

Also part of the Sistine Chapel, Michelangelo's Creation of Adam once again shows us how in tune the artist was to the human body. Both God and Adam (but especially Adam) appear as muscular, lounging figures. Michelangelo was primarily a sculptor, not a painter (Michelangelo’s Creation of Adam).

Michelangelo's Moses

1513

The following is a wonderful concise video about Michelangelo's Moses, which is center sculpture for the Tomb of Pope Julius II. It is interesting that the artist had to halt his work on the tomb to work on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel (Michelangelo, Moses ). https://youtu.be/5LBI-otSbJM] (http://www.timetoast.com)

Machiavelli’s The Prince

1513

Niccolo Machiavelli's The Prince was written as a political treatise of the age. "For Machiavelli, there is no moral basis on which to judge the difference between legitimate and illegitimate uses of power. Rather, authority and power are essentially coequal: whoever has power has the right to command; but goodness does not ensure power and the good person has no more authority by virtue of being good" (Nederman).

Titian's Assumption of the Virgin

1518

Tiziano Vecellio's oil Assumption of the Virgin can be found in the Basilica di Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari in Venice. The painting depicts the Virgin Mary's ascent to heaven. "Titian painted this image when the cult of the Virgin Mary was at its height, a phenomena that had been gathering pace for several centuries" (Jones).

Raphael's La Fornarina

1518

Raphael's La Fornarina, is housed in the Palazzo Barberini in Rome. Once again, the model for the portrait may have been a mistress of Raphael's. Fun fact: When the painting was recently restored, a wedding ring was uncovered on her left hand, sparking new theories about the subject of the painting. Was she Raphael's secret wife? (Italy’s Most Mysterious Paintings).

Titian's Bacchus and Ariadne

1520

Housed in the National Gallery in London, Titian's Bacchus and Ariadne tells the story of the God of Wine and his Ariadne's love story. The painting is categorized as a "bacchanal," depicting debauchery. Bacchus was the God of Agriculture and Wine, Rome's version of the Greek Dionysus. The painting is praised for the vibrant color compositions (Titian | Bacchus and Ariadne).