Northern Renaissance Art

In a time of depressed antiquity, both the Renaissance and the Reformation were considered some of the most eye opening and crucial events regarding modern thought and religious confrontation. Ancient Greek and Roman art were reborn in many different ways that included the revival of different artistic techniques, the use and portrayal of nude structures such as Donatello’s “David”, and also the adoption of realism utilized in the North. Several art techniques such as sfumato, chiaroscuro, fresco, and linear perspective, not only had a resurgence in the artwork of many Italians and Europeans, but also shaped the way people thought about dimension and personal character. The forms of art that were expressed during that time period using those

Painters such as Albrecht Dürer & Pieter Bruegel used a more realistic approach in their artwork, as the Northern Renaissance embraced realism and placed great emphasis on emotional intensity of religious feeling. Artists painted reality precisely with atmospheric perspective and produced many works solely on landscape and daily life to present a more prudent tone. Known as the “Leonardo of the North,” Dürer was renowned extensively for his woodcuts, portraits, and engravings. He was also one of the first Renaissance artists to create a self portrait which was generally unheard of during the time period. During the time of the Ancient Greeks and Romans, elements in art such as nude sculpture with statues such as Praxiteles nude “Venus” piece was used as a template to formulate other works on during the Renaissance. The paintings that were created were aimed to be more realistic, however, the artists lacked the mediums to do it. in conjunction, artists tried to accomplish this with frescoes, but failed as attempting to incorporate details into frescoes is extremely difficult. In conclusion, several elements that carried through to the rebirth of Ancient Greek and Roman art were emulated and enhanced to create a more personal and emotional perspective on both sculpture and

Luther preached for salvation alone and not only by good works, just how it was taught in the roots of the early church. He only used the sacraments Eucharist and Baptism and his services were in the vernacular so people were able to understand the word of the Lord. After several problems arose such as selling indulgences and clergymen holding many office positions at once, Luther posted his Ninety-Five Theses on the door of the Wittenberg Church with a plethora of reforms to guide Christianity and the church back to its original, innocent roots of divine love for the word of the Lord. Luther made sure the church was to be made up of all believers and not just clergy. Luther also cut the middle-man of a priest and allowed for a direct connection with God through prayer which appealed to numerous people as it seemed more personal. In closing, both the Reformation and the Renaissance was a rebirth of new ideas, standards for society, and an overall change in the way people perceive themselves and others around