In the 15th century in Western Europe, where for several centuries medieval scholasticism, religious theocentrism reigned in culture, art and philosophy, i.e. aspiration to God, the denial of earthly life, which was considered only a prelude to heavenly life, there is an amazing phenomenon, later called the Renaissance, that is, the Renaissance. The economic prerequisites for this phenomenon were the formation and development of capitalist relations, but the Renaissance is, first of all, a reassessment of values and a new look at a person and the earthly world around him.
Man becomes the center, the measure of all things on earth. This led to a very significant feature of the culture and art of the Renaissance - the manifestation and development of individualism in a creative worldview and social life. The dominant trend in philosophical, aesthetic theories is humanism, which upholds the value of the human person. Moreover, the benefit of man is the goal of social and cultural development of society.
The basis of the new humanistic Renaissance thinking was the interest in ancient culture that revived in those days, which portrayed man as a universal bearer of deep personality traits, a bright personality. However, this interpretation of personality was not just accepted, it was rethought. The inner world of man and his physical structure became a unique expression of a universal, limitless essence, with its scale equal to the Universe, which contains the potential for self-development and self-improvement.
Revival in Italy
The aesthetics and culture of the Renaissance originated in Italy. This era is usually divided into four periods: Proto-Renaissance, which begins in the 13th century and is considered the time of the emergence of new thinking; from the 15th century, the period of the early Renaissance began; at the end of the XV - beginning of the XVI centuries there is a heyday, called "High Renaissance"; finally, the late Renaissance and the crisis of his ideas sets in at the end of the 16th century.
The Proto-Renaissance is also characterized by a very close relationship with the Middle Ages, Gothic, Romanesque traditions in architecture and painting. However, at this time the basic ideas of the future great time are emerging. The first harbinger of reform in the visual arts is the work of the famous Italian Giotto (Giotto di Bondone). His canvases are more realistic in the image, the figures of people and the background behind them are voluminous and attractive. At the same time, Italian literature was developing. Create their poetic masterpieces of Dante and Petrarch. The early Renaissance period includes the work of the great Italian artist Sandro Botticelli, whose canvases reflect a touching and deep admiration for earthly female beauty, they are imbued with deep humanism and humanity.
By the middle of the 15th century, the Renaissance in Italy and throughout Europe had fully established itself. In painting and literature, the dominant was the image of the earthly world, "full-blooded", deeply feeling and loving life in all its manifestations of a living earthly person. Life and objects of the real world were drawn in great detail. Art has become realistic, secular and life-affirming. The development of art and architecture was closely associated with the rapid development of scientific science and mechanics.
High Renaissance
The highest flowering of the Renaissance occurred at the end of the XV - beginning of the XVI centuries. This period is associated with the activities of such great creators as Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, Raphael, Giorgione, Titian and others. The High Renaissance is a peak, the flowering of the ideas of humanism, which were embodied in a surprising synthesis of form, color and content, reflected in its aesthetic effect, reflected in the canvases of artists. The creativity of the great masters is distinguished by deep psychological, realistic, subtle penetration into the spiritual and spiritual world of man. During this period, artists use new principles of painting, which later had a significant impact on European art.
The High Renaissance gave way to an era of crisis. The further development of capitalism led to disappointment caused by the inconsistency of the ideas of humanism with the surrounding reality. This period is associated with the emergence of utopias - works based on fantastic ideas about an ideal society. The first Utopian philosophers were the Englishman Thomas More and the Italian Tommaso Campanella. In painting, the period of the late Renaissance is associated with the advent of mannerism. Mannerist artists (Veronese, Tintoretto, etc.) deliberately embellished reality, violating the principles of harmony and balance.
The Renaissance has become the basis in the development and formation of European art. During this period, the basic principles of creative creation were formed, which manifested themselves in the further development of art and literature through years and centuries.
