Renaissance-Kevin,+Erin,+&Girija


 * Michelangelo's Pieta**



The many ideas and characteristics displayed in Michelangelo's creation of the Pieta, earned him much respect and honor during the Renaissance time period. As the Renaissance began, new concepts such as humanism and individualism started to influence, along with the constant theme of religion, ideas and artwork. The Pieta, Italian for pity, depicts the Virgin Mary holding her son Jesus after he is taken down from the cross following crucifixion. Sculpted from one slab of marble, Michelangelo's depiction of this scene revealed him as one of the most talented artists of that time, due to the way his sculpture portrayed new and important ideas. The new idea of individualism, or the importance in a person's uniqueness of talent and development of this talent, was displayed in the making of the sculpture; the idea of humanism, or the stress on understanding human nature, personality, character, and meaning, was portrayed in the sculpture itself. When Michelangelo's version was revealed, along with the fascination, came a little controversy. Using his talent and beliefs, Michelangelo sculpted the faces of the Virgin Mary and Jesus very differently than most artists of that time. The Virgin Mary's face is young and serene, only slightly bent over her dead son's body, compared to the shocked, brokenhearted, older version that was more popularly displayed. The face of Jesus was also young and serene showing no pain, as Michelangelo depicted his belief that God saves and rewards the saviors who are willing to sacrifice, and to illustrate the bond between God and his Son. The belief of humanism played a role as he sculpted the human body with perfection from the general shape and stature to the folds in clothing, the expressions and faces, and the details of the veins in the arms. These characteristics show the careful observation of human characteristics and the hard work to create a realistic interpretation. Michelangelo's work on the Pieta demonstrates the incorporation of individualism and humanism, as he tried and succeeded in creating something new with free thinking, the concept that started the Renaissance. **Citation:**


 * 1) "Michelangelo Buonarroti: Biography." __Web Gallery of Art.__ No date. 18, January 2010. < [|http://www.wga.hu/frames-e.html? /html/m/michelan/1sculptu/pieta/1pieta1.html]>


 * 1) ** Murray, Terrence. World History I. MICDS, St. Louis. 16, January 2010. **


 * 1) "Michelangelo." //World History: Ancient and Medieval Eras//. ABC-CLIO, 2010. Web. 18 Jan. 2010. <[|http://www.ancienthistory.abc-clio.com]>.


 * 1) ** "The Pieta by Michelangelo" __Statue.com__. 2010. 18, January 2010. < [] > **

**Image:**
 * 1) ** "Pieta by Michelangelo" __RomanViva.com__. No date. 19, January 2010. **


 * 1) No artist. "Pieta". No date. Online Image. Google Images. 19, January 2010. <[] >


 * The Birth of Venus**

The Birth of Venus was painted circa 1485 by Sandro Botticelli. Botticelli was born in 1444 in Florence, Italy, the center of the Italian Renaissance. The Birth of Venus was part of the humanist movement, depicting the Roman goddess of love and beauty, Venus. (Named Aphrodite in Greek mythology, meaning "foam born".) The humanist movement focused on education on the classics and subjects taught in ancient Greek and Rome, such as mythology. The painting depicts Venus being born out of the foam of the sea on top of a shell as a full-grown woman. The Zephyrs, or wind gods, are blowing her towards land while a nymph is waiting with a robe to cover her up. The painting is one of the most recognizable works of art in history, and is now located in the Uffizi Gallery in Florence.

"Birth of Venus by Sandro Botticelli" Botticelli | Birth of Venus. 2008. January 18, 2010. [] "Sandro Botticelli." //World History: The Modern Era//. ABC-CLIO, 2010. Web. 18 Jan. 2010. <[|http://www.worldhistory.abc-clio.com]>.
 * Sources:**


 * The Four Apostles**

The Four Apostles also called the four holy men is a piece of artwork made by Albrecht Durer. He painted this to donate to his hometown Nuremberg. It is an oil painting. It focuses on the fact that Christianity was very important during the Renaissance. The Four Apostles or Holy Men were all very important because: Peter was the first pope, Paul was one of the main disciples that spread Christianity, Mark wrote a gospel telling of Jesus, and John wrote a gospel about Jesus and he may have been the disciple whom Jesus loved when Jesus died on the cross. It represents four important Christian figures. The theme is Humanism. Humanism was a renaissance art theme and it shows that humans were important during the renaissance. John and Peter are on the left. John the evangelist is standing holding a form of the New Testament. Peter is holding a golden key which is the gate to heaven. The figures on the right in the painting and Mark and Paul. Mark, the evangelist is holding a scroll. Paul is holding a closed bible and he is leaning on a sword which symbolizes his death, he was beheaded. John, Peter, Mark, and Paul embody the four tempera: sanguine, phlegmatic, choleric, and melancholic. The temperaments represented four ages of life.



Albrecht Durer. "The Four Apostles" 1526. The Four Apostles.Google Images. 20, January 2010. 
 * Website Source**

Base, Free. <[|http://www.freebase.com/view/en/the_four_apostles.>]" 12 Sept. 2008. Web. 18 Jan. 2010. Kren, Emily, and Daniel Marx. <[|http://www.wga.hu/frames-e.html?/html/d/durer/1/10/5_4holy.html>]" Web. 18 Jan. 2010. Pioch, Nicholas. <[|http://www.ibiblio.org/wm/paint/auth/durer/>]" 19 June 2007. Web. 17 Jan. 2010. Quest, Think. <[|http://library.thinkquest.org/21960/t616.htm>]" Web. 18 Jan. 2010.
 * Sources**


 * __Group Paragraph__**

Artwork during the Renaissance reflected the new ideas and beliefs of that time. The Church had a great influence over art, and therefore religion played an important role in the creation of it, as seen in //The Birth of Venus, The Four Apostles, and Pieta.// Although religion was a deciding factor in the basis of the artwork, due to humanism and individualism, each artist had a different outlook on how to depict the faith. In //The Birth of Venus// by Sandro Botticelli, the artist shows the creation of the Roman goddess, Venus. The artist was inspired to paint this because of the growing trend of humanism, the study of ancient Greece and Rome. //The Four Apostles// painted by Albrecht Durer, displays four important figures in Christianity. He focuses on these four because of their roles, and used his own perspective of humanism and individualism to show what each one embodied. Michelangelo's //Pieta//, shows the powerful moment of Mary grieving for her son, who has been crucified. Despite the fact that this scene was represented often, Michelangelo created his own version using the study of human anatomy and characteristics, as well as his morals. Humanism, individualism and religion, show how the renaissance broke all previous molds because of the concept of free thinking, which fueled the world's "re-birth".

[|Christianity]