Mr. Dorrough’s Class Blog

Today we have looked at the characteristics of Classical, Medieval, and Renaissance art.

Characteristics of Classical Art (500 BCE to 500 CE)

Venus Bathing (unknown artist) 400 C.E.
Artists valued balance and harmony
Lifelike and idealize (more perfect than real life)
Figures were nude or draped in robes
Faces were calm without emotion
Little or no sense of perspective

Characteristics of Medieval Art (500 to 1300 CE)

Madonna and child by Giotto 1200 C. E.
Mostly religious
Important people are larger than others around them
No sense of movement
People were fully dressed
Faces were serious
Bright colors

Characteristics of Renaissance Art (1300s to early 1600s CE)

Madonna With Child and Two Angels

Both religious and non-religious subjects
Interest in nature
Figures were lifelike and three dimensional
Bodies were active showing movement
Real people doing everyday things
Representation of light
Paintings were symmetrical
Background showed perspective