Renaissance Art Appreciation IP3 Name Class Date Professor Renaissance Paintings Abstract The following essay will discuss two pieces of art from the Renaissance period. The first is Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa which is the most well known painting of all times. The other piece of art that will be discussed was also created by the Renaissance by the great Michelangelo. Both of the pieces of art provide an important record of art during this time period. Renaissance Art The Renaissance was the rebirth of society after the Middle Ages. Believed to have begun in 14th Century Italy, the Renaissance was a revival of classical learning and the arts. New techniques in art and science began a new cultural movement focused on gaining and spreading knowledge. Art and science was intertwined during this era with great artists, such as Leonardo da Vinci who applied polymath to his drawings, resulting in some of the most visually spectacular art created in human history. Two of the greatest artist during the Italian Renaissance was Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo. Da Vinci greatest masterpiece was the Mona Lisa while Michelangelo’s greatest works are the paintings on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel especially the Last Judgment. Mona Lisa The Mona Lisa was created by one of the greatest artist in the Italian Renaissance. Leonardo da Vinci painted the very famous Mona Lisa between the dates of 1503-1506 in Florence, Italy and currently hangs in the Louvre. The Mona Lisa is painted in oil on poplar wood and is two dimensional. This painting is owned by the French government and is the most well known painting in the world. It is believed the portrait is of the wife of a wealthy Florentine merchant who commissioned da Vinci to create the portrait but for some reason the merchant never received the portrait so it was carried to France when da Vinci went to work for King Francis I. The fascination with the painting is in part due to the mysterious smile of the Mona Lisa. Many have speculated what she was smiling about with some believing the smile is for her husband’s while others believed the smile was for da Vinci. The painting was created in the realist school applying perception as taught by Master painter, Verocchio. The Mona Lisa is painted in this style. The Mona Lisa is painted from the frontal view point displaying three fourths of her body. The painting is created applying the scientific study of light and shadow and the chiaroscuro technique. This technique involves creating a more three dimensional figure by applying shadows and light to the painting. The painting is painted in oil using darker colors to shadow and lighter colors to highlight distinct features of the painting. Leonardo uses his characteristic sfumato which is the use of a smoky haziness, to soften outlines and create an atmospheric effect around the figure (Lichfield, 2006). The subject matter, a woman bel ...