What are the characteristics of Italian Renaissance paintings of the 16th century?

The Renaissance refers to an intellectual and cultural movement that arose in European countries from the 14th to the 16th centuries. The meaning of "Renaissance" is "regeneration" and "resurrection", which is the resurrection of classical forms of ancient Greece and Rome in the field of literature and art. However, it is not a simple reproduction of classical Greek and Roman culture, it combines the scientific spirit and creative talent of human beings, thus opening up the modern civilization of Europe.

At the same time, this movement also marked the beginning of bourgeois culture.

In Italy in the 14th century, the development of the social productive forces led to the emergence of the capitalist mode of production, which not only shook the social foundations of the Middle Ages, but also changed people's attitudes. Under the new economic conditions, another humanist ideological culture was formed that was opposed to the religious theocratic culture. Humanism advocates humanity against divinity, human rights against theocracy, freedom of individuality against personal dependence.

Florence was at the center of the movement. At that time, new bankers vied to sponsor the arts, acting as patrons of the arts, such as the Medici family. They encouraged philosophy that was separated from theology, affirmed that man is the creator and master of life, and demanded that literature and art express human thoughts and feelings.

People began to break free from spiritual bondage, and there was a strong demand for the liberation of thoughts, feelings, and human wisdom from the bondage of theology. The Renaissance was born in this historical context.

This is reflected in the fine arts, when the status of artists has generally improved and they are no longer considered craftsmen. They borrowed biblical themes or mythological themes, some of which directly dealt with real life, and created many beautiful pictures that glorified human nature, nature and life, in order to express a contemplative attitude and confidence in life. From the point of view of expression and techniques, Renaissance art applied new scientific knowledge to the field of art, especially in the fields of painting anatomy, perspective, chiaroscuro and composition, and there were also some treatises dedicated to painting.

The Florentine painter Giotto first sounded the horn of Renaissance art at the end of the 13th century, and he was also the founder of the Florentine school. This school inherited the tradition of Giotto's painting and developed realism to a new stage. Around 1420, another great painter after Giotto appeared on the Florentine scene, Masaccio.

His appearance marked the advent of early Renaissance painting. Since then, many artists have radiated their brilliance on the path paved by their predecessors, until the emergence of the "Three Masters" of Renaissance art (Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, and Raphael) at the end of the 15th century, and the development of Italian Renaissance art reached its peak.

From the 14th to the 16th centuries, Western Europe and Central Europe were a period in the development of cultural thought, and the willingness was in the classics.

Under the influence of internal norms, the revival of art and literature, the ideological basis of its change is to care for people, respect for people, people-oriented world view, the Renaissance as a great turning point in European history, its meaning is much broader, and the classical culture that has been imprisoned for many years has attracted people's attention. The emergence of the capitalist mode of production shook the social foundations of the Middle Ages, and on this basis formed an ideological system that could be opposed to religious theocratic culture - humanism. It advocates individuality against theocracy.

Advocate human rights against theocracy. It was on this basis that Renaissance art developed, and the Renaissance movement first took place in Italy, and then quickly spread to the Netherlands, Germany, France, Spain and other places.

The 16th century was a particularly prosperous period for the Italian Renaissance, which produced three great artists: Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo and Raphael.