How Did Adoration Of The Shepherds Change Throughout The Renaissance Period

Adoration of the Shepherds by the Italian artist, Andrea Mantegna was created around 1450-1451. Mantegna was one of the first Renaissance artists of Northern Italy. The Renaissance period began immediately after the ending of the Middle Ages and occupied the thirteenth, fourteenth, fifteenth, sixteenth, and seventeenth centuries. During this time period, people were interested in bringing back the ideals of ancient Rome and Greece through their art, philosophy, and desire to gain knowledge. This period took great pride in realism of their art - whether human, animal, or landscape; they gave the object great attention and in turn, amazing detail

Literature began looking back at the works from the Roman and Greek era. Because religion and the church was crumbling and humanism and self-thought was rising, literature began to take a new direction. Instead of writing what the church approved, people began writing about whatever their minds thought up. We can thank the Renaissance period and all its transformations for writers such as William Shakespeare, whom brought us playwrights and poetry that we still love today. Art was also changed during this time. Realism was on the rise, which caused artists to try and make their paintings as realistic and lifelike as possible. The showing of different emotions, nudity, and detail was put into every aspect of the artwork. Color usage became brighter and more pronounced. Artists began using perspective and proportion, which aided them in the realism of their art. Science and knowledge in the area were greatly increased. Cadaver dissections began being performed, which lead to advanced knowledge of the human anatomy. During this time, it was discovered that the Earth revolved around the sun, not the opposite. Mathematics was studied and furthered to help in architectural buildings. The scientific method was also furthered during this period by performing controlled experiments, forming hypotheses, and interpreting data. The microscope and telescope were invented during the Renaissance as well. War-related advancements also came. This alone was a huge leap from knights with horses. Instead of close quarters combat, they now had muskets with bullets that could be used from a further distance. Canons were invented which also allowed