Genesis by Buonarroti Michelangelo and Fountain by Marcel Duchamp are both considered one of the most important and valuable artworks in human history. However, one might take a look at these two works and say that they have nothing in common. Indeed, Genesis is a result of a four-year-effort of not only Michelangelo but his numerous assistants, with massive support of the Vatican. On the other hand, Fountain is no more than a piece of urinal, almost rejected from the salon. The reason they both are precious artworks to mankind despite this difference is that each of the works represent spirits of different times. It shows the sequence of how the meaning of art to mankind has changed over history, mostly reflecting the process of acquiring …show more content…
Artists’ personal expressions in their works were restricted. In this era, most of the remaining artworks were ordered by the Pope, royal family, or nobles. Genesis by Buonarroti Michelangelo and The last supper by Leonardo da Vinci are typical examples of the works ordered by the Vatican, in the purpose of intensifying the authority of the Catholic Church. Likewise, Coronation of Napoleon by Jacques Louis David shows the glory of the emperor’s accession. Even though the Renaissance is known as a period of humanism, respectively gaining some liberty in artistic format, the contents of the art were still limited to religion or legends. When it comes to the modern times, artists started considering art as self-expression. Freed from restriction of contents, art has gained its meaning of expressing human thoughts and feelings, which evoked various kinds of new trends flourish. Post-impressionists such as Vincent van Gogh expressed their personal feelings in art pieces. Cubists like Pablo Picasso found out brilliant ways to put multiple viewpoints on one canvas, in the purpose of searching for the nature of objects. German expressionists like Georg Grosz and Otto Dix considered art as a means of social