INTRODUCTION:

The Renaissance is a key point of understanding and research for any art historian. This website is comprised of the investigations by several young art historians, driven by their personal interests and how they tie into the Renaissance. The following website contain a series of academic essays with a shared focus on the Italian Renaissance. As students studying the Arts of the European Renaissance, each author has pursued research about Renaissance art history and culture. In an attempt to understand the artworks produced in greater depth, European culture and religion played a predominant role in class discussions. As a class, we analysed contextual trends to determine the causes behind their popularity. Certain art forms and icons appeared countless times and experienced a decline in depictions within the course of Renaissance developments. The majority of art works tied directly to religion, since the patrons were most often churches, religious leaders, or wealthy families. In this class, the goal was to find connections between societal, religious, and artistic progressions and relate them to society today.

The essays covering materials, subjects, patrons, and artists of the Renaissance chronicled on this website are only a glimpse of the many subjects covered throughout the class. The Renaissance was pure progress in the arts. The essays below discuss an overall approach to the Renaissance, the progression of Humanism and individualism, as well as the visual journey of Byzantine abstraction to naturalism. Renaissance artists constantly searched for perfection. The tools, techniques, and materials of the artists changed throughout this period, often focusing on the artists' ability for greater detail and rediscovering classical techniques.

THEMATIC GUIDE:

This is our guide as to how best to navigate your way through our many varied interests and research topics.

I. The Purpose(s) of the Renaissance. First, for papers written on topics that encompass the entire course of the Renaissance and its purpose see:



Paula N Stevenson	How Humanism and Individualism Shaped the Renaissance in the Renaissance. This paper discusses the development of the Renaissance. Click here for abstract
Jennifer Joh	Italian Renaissance Art: From Abstraction to Naturalism. This paper addresses the way the art styles in the Renaissance evolved and strove for perfection. Click here for abstract

II. On Materials. A number of our pieces consider how material and technique affected art and altered its message or purpose.



Aidan D Terry	A History of Stained Glass from Medieval to Modern Times. This essay discusses the process of creating stained glass by examining examples from medieval France and Renaissance Germany to the Gothic Revival in the US. Click here for abstract
Robert St Paul	The Colloquial Application of Color and Meaning. This paper explores the symbolic use of color in the creation of visual meaning. Click here for abstract
Blane R Hirsh	The Material Basis for Artistic Choices. This essay considers the role of materiality in the Renaissance quest for increased naturalism. Click here for abstract

III. On Subjects. There are two pieces that consider the subjects of works, although in very different lights.



Marissa L Smith	Mary's Compositional Rise and Fall. This essay considers the evolution of Mary's presence in art in the Renaissance which starts very strong but diminishes over the course of time. Click here for abstract
Erin M Cotton	Pride vs. Shame in Regards to the Female Nude. This paper considers the use of nudes in the Renaissance and how the contexts within which they were used affected how they were viewed and received. Click here for abstract

IV. On Artists. Three works consider specific artists and their works.



Megan Rowe	Master-Apprentice Relationships. This paper considers the affects of this type of relationship as a key to producing some of the most well-known artists and works of the Renaissance. Click here for abstract
Madison Goodwin	Leonardo da Vinci and Filippo Brunelleschi: Renaissance Innovators. This work considers the specific contributions made by these two artists over a range of subjects, from science to art. Click here for abstract
Nate Siegel	On Representations of da Vinci in Popular Film. This essay considers modern interpretations and presentations of Leonardo da Vinci. Click here for abstract

V. On Patrons. Two works consider the important role played by patrons in the Renaissance.



Ciara G McAlinden	Art and the Medici: A Political and Tactical Tool for Advancement in Renaissance Florence. This essay considers the Medici family, an iconic aspect of the Florentine Renaissance and a prime example of how patronage was used not only to advance the impact of artists but the impact of the patrons themselves. Click here for abstract
Sarah Moore	Patrons of Religious Renaissance Art and their Influence. This paper addresses specific patrons who focused on religious pieces and the impact this had on society. Click here for abstract

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