RENAISSANCE PERIOD ART
The national gallery is regarded as a home to world-class painting collections by Italian artists dating from the 15th and 16th centuries, which is arguably the most progressive era in the history of Western art. Established in 1824, the national gallery is located in Westminster, London, and accommodates approximately over 3000 paintings. The gallery contains renaissance artworks that range from the Virgin of Rocks by Leonardo Da Vinci to Entombment by Michelo Buonarroti. Moreover, the artworks contain a unique style that dates from the 1400s based on literature and philosophy, science, and music.
Art: Entombment
One of the renaissance artworks is the Entombment done by Michelangelo that dates from 1500 t0 1501(Nagel, (1994). The art is considered as an unfinished piece of artwork that had been prepared on a medium of Tempera on the panel. The artwork measures 1.62 meters in length, while the width measurement stands at 1.5 meters. The main features of the painting include the body of Jesus Christ in the tomb. Joseph of Arimathea carries the body of Christ and offers his tomb for His burial to be conducted. The contribution of Michelangelo towards the shaping of the Western art culture revolves around nurturing other artists such as Raphael.
Also, a majority of the items around the globe, such as sculptures, buildings, and paintings were inspired by Michelangelo. The key message exhibited by Michelangelo’s artworks is the aspect of being humble. Respect is shown when Mary Magdalene bows to the body of Jesus despite being deceased. Additionally, respect and humility are exhibited by other characters in the painting when they choose to carry the body of Jesus to the tomb. The important aspect of the culture portrayed by the artistic work is to illustrate that humility is a fundamental aspect of a person’s life. Two historical elements illustrated in the artwork include the tomb, where Jesus was buried, and the lobs dawned by the characters.
Art: Virgin of Rocks
Virgin of the Rocks is constantly referred to as Madonna of the Rocks and was developed by the Leonardo da Vinci between 1495 and 1505 (Keith et al., 2011). The paint first originated from a piece of art done on a wooden panel, and it was developed by use of a medium of oil on a panel and had a measurement of 1.89 m in length and 1.2 m in width. The painting illustrates a group of four people. They include the Virgin Mary, the Christ child, John the Baptist and an angel organized into a trilateral arrangement within the image and against a rock background, and a detached scenery of highlands and water.
Through the artwork, Leonardo contributed to the advancement of the ancient culture. It portrays the mythical tale of a meeting in the desert between John the Baptist and Jesus while heading home from Egypt. The key message of the painting is to illustrate the link between Jesus and human beings. The set that comprises of rocks illustrates sinful earth with people leading an immoral life. The use of light in the painting signifies Jesus was choosing the path prepared by John. The cultural importance of the art is to show the importance of purity to relate to Jesus. Mary and John the Baptist represent the earth while Jesus and the Angel represent eternity. The key historical features are the cave and the lob dawned by Mary.
Conclusion
Art has numerous ways of conveying messages as well as being a fundamental tool in preserving cultural heritage. Artists during the ancient times did not just focus on the painting as a hobby and career but were also attributed to significant inventions as a result of the work.
References
Keith, L., Roy, A., Morrison, R., & Schade, P. (2011). Leonardo da Vinci’s” Virgin of the Rocks”: Treatment, Technique and Display. National Gallery Technical Bulletin, 32, 32-56.
Nagel, A. (1994). Michelangelo’s London’Entombment’and the church of S. Agostino in Rome. The Burlington Magazine, 136(1092), 164-167.