Art in Rome – The Renaissance Era of the Eternal City

Art in Rome – in the Rebirth era of the Eternal City

Today, we are going to be looking into one of the periods that made the eternal city stood out from the rest. A period followed by Middle Ages was known as Renaissance. A rebirth era where Europe saw a great revival of interest in the classical teachings and the values that ancient Greek and Rome brought.

What could be better than starting our journey by talking about the masterpieces of Art in Rome?

I would be taking you on a ride where I would talk about the three grandmasters of High Renaissance art that shaped the city’s art.

• Leonardo da Vinci
• Raphael
• Michelangelo

Sometimes, Art can be confusing and hard to interpret making us lose interest in learning about it.

That’s why I hope this easy guide would help you to ignite interest in studying about it and be curious to know more.

Later in the article, if you are planning for a trip to see the eternal city, we would explore the must-visit places in Rome. Places that touch and give you a warm hug of history they witnessed for hundreds of years.

• Saint Peter’s Basilica
• The Tempietto
• Palazzo Farnese

But first, let me start by walking you through a little bit of the history of Art in Rome. It will bring us a step closer to learn about the artists and the buildings. I know many questions are popping in your mind regarding some of the terms used earlier.

Let us begin with a question. What exactly is Renaissance?

Started during the fourteenth century, Renaissance was a period that paved way for the modern history.

It fostered the world from Middle Ages and put a foundation stone for the modern era. The focal point of the Renaissance took place in Florence (Italy) in the late medieval period by the Medici family. Later on, Rome adopted the style, and soon entire Europe had Renaissance influence in their artworks, lifestyle, politics, and social topics.

Leonardo da Vinci, Raphael, Michaelangelo, Titian, Galileo, Dante, Sandro Botticelli are the few names who outdone themselves in the field related to them. People still look up and study them for inspiration in their respective art fields.

Art in Rome during the Renaissance Era

In the 14th century, Italians wanted to get rid of the barbarous cultures of the Dark Ages. Their style was regarded as a nuisance and it became crucial to bring back the high artistic style set by the ancient Greeks and Roman people. That’s why they moved backward and retraced the old style and came up with their own.

Art and science went hand in hand during the Renaissance. It could be seen as the only time in history where they blended and complimented each other so well.

The pillar of art in Rome during the Renaissance was to bring naturalism and realism to their art. Artists crafted things that revolved around humans, nature, and life. The humanism movement helped to shift from religious to secular matter of art. It also saw an increase in Perspective Drawing. That showed shadows and light giving depth to the work.

They would also add emotions to make the work look realistic.

There were four stages through which art emerged:

• Proto-Renaissance – Transition period from Byzantine.
• Early Renaissance – Associated with the birthplace of the style in Florence. People started recognizing it. Portraiture and landscape made their way into art.
• High Renaissance – Started in Rome, which wrote their name as cultural capital in the history. The highest peak in the achievement of artistic style and renaissance art.
• Venetian Renaissance – located in Venice. It emerged with a focus on color, pattern, and atmosphere.

One thing that was extremely crucial to note. In Rome, Pope became the patron for the artists and revived the classic essence of architecture and art. They boosted the artists and because of them, we are blessed with Leonardo Da Vinci, Raphael, and Michaelangelo.

Now that we have basic knowledge about the movement and how the art emerged in the city of Rome, let’s explore the artists that are worth every penny in your pocket.

Leonardo Da Vinci (1452 – 1519)

‘Mona Lisa’ is the first thing that pops into people’s minds when they hear Leonardo da Vinci. An excellent piece of art that attracts millions of people in Louvre, Paris.

He was an architect, inventor, painter, and everything you could name related to the scientific field. He was ahead of the time and his vision was extraordinary that was combined with art and science. He was a pioneer of the invention and had intense observation with psychological insights.

For ten years, the museum has brought life to Leonardo’s renaissance genius inventions, artistic and architectural vision. They have interactive machines made with his manuscript’s codes, his human anatomy sketches, explained videos of his artworks like The Last Supper. Visiting this place will give you an insight into his highly intellectual mind.

Did you know?

Leonardo Da Vinci is described as the founder of the High Renaissance.

Leonardo da Vinci used the anatomy of the body with scientific principles embodied in them. The accuracy was mindboggling.

He liked painting on a dry-stone wall or a wet plaster. He had a soft corner for handmade oil paints. Later on, he moved on to tempura from egg whites while the surfaces were typically canvas or board. He liked to make a detailed underground painting with grey or brown paint and then applied the colorful layers. He loved to use soft and gentle lighting for his paintings.

Let us move on to the next big name of the art in Rome during the high renaissance.

Michelangelo (1475 – 1564)

A polymath genius in the art history of the Italian Renaissance. He had a reputation for having a bad temper.

He had a huge psychological depth and emotional realism in his art-making his part in many controversies. Even though he had rebellious behavior, he astonished the patrons and today we know him as a great painter, architect, sculptor, and an artist that has been looked up to even to this date.

His artworks are spread throughout the eternal city. I have collected three must-visit places that one should definitely visit while in Rome.

Sistine Chapel

Visiting Sistine Chapel is the best way to start your journey to gain knowledge about art in Rome. The ceiling of the Sistine Chapel is decorated by Michelangelo’s painting while Pope Julius II was in command.

It is known as the highest point in the Italian Renaissance. In four years, Michelangelo finished an astounding scheme of 343 figures on 12,000 square

feet of the ceiling where Pope initially wanted to revolve the story around 12 apostles.

He had used special scaffolding for the painting. He used the fresco technique where you apply washes of paint to wet plaster. To create depth, he scraped off the wet medium before the painting. It defined Michelangelo’s style and characteristics.

Moses – S. Pietro in Vincoli

Pope Julius II commissioned Michelangelo to create a tomb for him. Michelangelo’s initial plan was to create two-story structures decorated with twenty sculptures. It was indeed grand. Later on, he had to pause the work to complete the painting at Sistine Chapel.

He completed the Moses after Pope’s death and eventually scaled down from the original plan. He brought the sculptures to life and it can be seen by comparing the sculptures from the early Renaissance. They are made up of single marble pieces.

The Pieta at St. Peter’s Basilica

Rome Pietà sculpture was the reason why Michelangelo gained the reputation. It was a decade earlier than the Sistine Chapel’s frescoes. The sculpture depicted Virgin Mary holding the crucified Jesus Christ. Something that fascinated Michelangelo’s entire life. It is a soft and tender piece of art. It was his first public commission in Rome catching the attention of people as a young artist. Giorgio Vasari called it out as a marble piece that was crafted to perfection.

This gorgeous piece even has his sign carved on the strap covering Virgin Mary’s chest. He was proud of his artwork. You can check out the hype on your tour to Vatican city.

Did you know?

Michelangelo refused to paint the Sistine Chapel. He liked to sculpt human forms and he thought it was an exhausting task. Luckily, because of Pope, we have the greatest high renaissance art in history.

Raphael (1483-1520)

Della Segnatura has the most famous painting of Raphael known as The School of Athens. It depicts Plato and Aristotle.

Did You know?

Raphael died at the age of just thirty, but he is living forever in people’s hearts. His High Renaissance artworks are the inspiration for all.

Architecture and art in Rome

Art in Rome is a very vast topic and I hope I have given you a rope to find about your interests in art. This post would be incomplete without talking about some of the famous places that you need to incorporate in your tour to the eternal city.

Rome is a hotspot for architecture lovers. The city has Corinthian, Doric, and Ionic structures spread throughout the city. We all have heard about Colosseum and Pantheon. Here, we will be talking about structures that are significant to art in Rome during the High Renaissance.

The most common elements that are easy to observe are the buildings have a square and symmetrical appearance.

Saint Peter’s Basilica

The domes that you see today were in fashion during Renaissance. It was a structural feature that was made visible from the outside. They have been used very rarely in Middle Ages.

The interior of Saint Peters outdoes the exterior as it is expensively designed with pure marble decorated with famous arts of the masters.

It is worth taking a tour to understand the complex structure even better. ‘

The Tempietto

This one is a hidden gem in the eternal city. Not many people know about the structure but it has a massive significance in Renaissance art. It has precise proportions; parts are in harmony and direct reference to many old architectural styles. It has multiple frescoes from Italian masters.

The designer took inspiration from the Temple of Vesta and Roman pantheon where it has a concrete dome resting perfectly on the evenly spaces niches and pilasters. The Tuscany ring of columns is designed outside of the structure. The upper tier is also punctured with windows and balustrades are placed cleverly above the columns. There is saying that Michelangelo might have drawn inspiration from this building for the dome of St. peter’s basilica.

The structure has simplicity and elegance. It might be a small structure but it serves a great purpose in learning about the art and architecture of Rome.

Palazzo Farnese

Situated in the middle of a small piazza, Palazzo Farnese works as an impressive statement to the Renaissance artists like Michelangelo, Vignola, and Della porta. When the original architect died, Michelangelo had to take the project into his hands. He embellished the façade with a central balcony. He builds a bridge to connect it with Villa Chigi.

There is an inscription on the façade indicating the people who were connected with the construction of the palazzo. The brick ornamentation from austere has different shades due to the baking temperature. The palazzo blends amazingly with the piazza surrounding it. The fountains increase their beauty located on each side.

Conclusion

We have reached the end of the article and I hope you had fun reading about the most influential artists and their work in the city of Rome.

If you are looking for your personal piece of Italian art, you can find inspiration in Paolo Modena Photography Collection.