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After years of war and upheaval in Europe, between the 14th and 15th centuries, the population loss a great deal of faith in the church. The Avignon Papacy, Hundred Year’s War, and the Black Death eventually resulted in a new light on Humanism because despite these troubles, a new economic system came about which was capitalism. Thriving commerce, industry and finance contributed to the evolution of cities. Kings, dukes, and popes were the major patrons, but bankers and successful merchants joined and as a result art, architecture and sculptures flourished.
The artists were admired by the Classical period and used many of the works from that time as an inspiration. Humanism is the idea that humans are capable of great things. The revival of Classical learning inspired the philosophy of Renaissance Humanism. Nudity changed from being seen as a symbol of sin in the Early Renaissance like in Van Eck’s “Ghent Altarpiece” to being seen as the beauty that was created by God himself like in “Botticelli’s “Birth of Venus” in the High Renaissance.
In Pico’s “Oration of Man”, he stated, “According to your desires and judgement, you will have possess whatever place to live, whatever form and whatever functions you yourself choose.” The main idea of this quote is that humans are at the center of the world in all ways possible and can do as they please whether it be to advance themselves to their full potential or to live like the beasts in the wilderness.
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Pico studied mankind. Among all creations, humans are the only ones to possess at least one part of every other creature. This gave humans freedom and with freedom comes the opportunity to choose. Yet again, another factor that is lacking in other creations. Pico said that humans can raise themselves which would be to pursue higher ideals which include acts that require intelligence. He also stated that humans can lower themselves which would be to stay still and choose to not grow in any way. Pico believed that destiny was not a thing but instead a part of God’s plan to give humans the choice of free will. Pico always spoke highly on humans and this piece of work, and more specifically, the quote stated earlier is an example of humanism because he continuously reiterates the main fact that humans are capable of great things because they were given choice.
The “Ghent Altarpiece’ is a monumental painted altarpiece that was made by Hubert and Jan Van Eyck and these types of art were very popular in Flemish churches. Artists usually decorated both the inside and outside of these hinged, multipaneled paintings and it was popular to include the donor. Van Eyck, the artist, was the first Netherland painter to achieve international fame. This painting was completed in 1431. The altarpiece was one of the most characteristic art forms of the of the 15th century Flanders, the “Ghent Altarpiece” was one of the largest.” (Hasara, 15) In the “Ghent Altarpiece”, Eve is pictured as a naked woman with hair that is fairly unkept and she has a long, lean, skinny body with a very rounded stomach. She is not idealized and wasn’t what was necessarily seen as beautiful at this time. Nudity was a depiction of sin which stemmed from Adam and Even in the Garden of Eden. They were the only figures in the painting to be without clothes which clearly set them apart from all the other heavenly figures. Nudity was looked upon and the ugliness and raw imagery of Eve symbolized sin what they considered a visual representation of sin at this time.
As time grew from the Early Renaissance to the High Renaissance and humans started realizing their potential, a lot of things changed and were viewed differently. Back in the Early Renaissance the nude body was linked to sin but in the High Renaissance the nude body was seen as a celebration. In Botticelli’s “Birth of Venus”, Venus is pictured in a shell with her long limbs and flowy hair. The color of her skin compliments the shell. This exemplifies not only her physical beauty, but she’s seen as God’s creation. Venus limbs are elongated, and her hair tone matches perfectly with her skin which not only shows her purity but gives a sense that only God could be responsible for creating something so beautiful. It’s an example of humanism because now the body isn’t seen as a symbol of sin but now as a beautiful creation of God.
In the Early Renaissance nudity was looked down on. It was linked to bodily desires which were those associated with sin. As time progressed and humanism shed its light on the powers of the people, nudity has changed from being linked with sin to being linked with God’s creation and beauty. Artists used it to not only show the physical beauty of a person but of their soul as well.
In the Early Renaissance, nudity was linked to being sinful and it was related to physical desires. As time progressed, however, humanism came along, and it eventually made the people see nudity as the admiration of the human body because humans were given choice. In Van Eyck’s “Ghent Altarpiece”, Eve is not idealized and not necessarily seen as beautiful, only that related to sin. In the High Renaissance, Botticelli’s “Birth of Venus” showed that people had grown to see that they are capable of great things and they are the holders of their destiny. Like Pico said in the “Oration of Man”, “According to your desires and judgement, he gives all the power to the human. God gave humans the power to do and think as they please and with the transition from the Early Renaissance to the High Renaissance with humanism coming into play it showed just that.
The Philosophy and Idea Of Renaissance Humanism. (2024, Feb 17). Retrieved from https://studymoose.com/the-philosophy-and-idea-of-renaissance-humanism-essay
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