The Rediscovery Of Renaissance Art In The Middle Ages

An Era of Borrowed Advancement After the fall of the Roman Empire, barbarians ransacked its former lands, feudalism made poverty commonplace, and the Black Death killed one-third of the European population. These dark, grim ages in Europe were known as the Middle Ages. Following centuries of arduous years, many upper-class scholars and artists in wealthy Northern Italy were inspired to revive the intellectual superiority of the Classical world. “Seeing a light at the end of the tunnel” of the Middle Ages, they unknowingly began a cultural movement now known as the Renaissance. The Renaissance, literally translating to “rebirth”, was the rediscovery of Classical art and knowledge among Italy’s upper-class-men, later spreading to northern Europe. Although the Renaissance inspired some notable, unparalleled, ideas, the movement is exaggeratedly portrayed as a movement that gave way to entirely new knowledge, art, and ideas. However, the Renaissance did not dethrone the status-quo with ideas of originality as often portrayed, rather it was merely a rediscovery, imitation, and continuation of Greco-Roman art and knowledge. The Renaissance did not birth an original, defining, style, because Renaissance art was borrowed from Classical styles. For example, the statue

Although some of his work reflects new techniques like “schiacciato” or “flattening out” shapes in his sculptures, his style is undoubtedly influenced by Greek and Roman art. In fact, Donatello traveled with a group of Renaissance artists to Rome, where they “immersed themselves in the study of ancient architecture and sculpture” and when they got home, “put their knowledge into practice” (Renaissance). This information indicates that like most Renaissance artists, despite slight deviation from his heavy Classical influence, the imitation of ancient style ultimately defined most of his