The relation between science and art has been long lasting. The first scientific discipline that comes to mind is mathematics and specifically geometry. Before the scientific method of Bacon and the Renaissance we, mankind, had geometry earth measure. Geo + Metry and the Egyptians used it in the architecture of the Pyramids. Herodotus, the Ancient Greek historian wrote
"This king divided the land . . . so as to give each one a quadrangle of equal size and . . . on each imposing a tax. But everyone from whose part the river tore anything away . . . he sent overseers to measure out how much the land had become smaller, in order that the owner might pay on what was left . . . In this way, it appears to me, geometry originated, which passed
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Green line – From her hairline at the top of her forehead to the bottom of her upper foot.
Blue line – Her height, as measured from the middle of the feet to the top of her head at the back of the part in her hair.(Meisner, 2014)
The new knowledge of light, color and human anatomy prior to the 1700s along with the knowledge of the ancients helped Renaissance, Baroque, and Rococo achieve a higher degree of artistry in their works. The use of sfumato was one. Instead of stark linear definition of shapes, something is left to the imagination by the hazy blurring of lines. It is said that the Mona Lisa displays this in the ds Vinci's’ use of sfumato for the corners of the eyes and mouth of Mona Lisa to elevate the mystery of her expression.(Phaidon, 2015).
Artists of the age became anatomists by necessity to reach a level of intuitive familiarity with the characteristics of the human body to ensure accurate renderings. The Florentine sculptor Baccio Bandinelli (1493-1560) wrote to a duke when seeking employment, “I will show you that I know how to dissect the brain, and also living men, as I have dissected dead ones to learn my art” (Bambach, 2002)
Baroque
To start the analysis, line is what is going to be observed first. The lines are shown to be softer and less crisp along the clothing and faces, but becomes much sharper with things that need more definition such as the tiles on the floor beside the woman and child and the wood planks that the, what seems to be store clerk, is standing on. The faces of the people in this scene also contain contour lines, seeing how contour lines are the lines
“Visibility,” which is clear in form and line based upon, as artist Barbara Jones-Hogu stated, “The feeling for movement, growth, changes, and human
Another major idea during the Renaissance was discovering new techniques that allowed artists to portray more accurate and realistic works instead of fanciful and abstract supernaturals. Perspective was the biggest discovery of the time period, but many aspects went into such work. Proportion and foreshortening were two crucial skills needed to achieve perspective. Proportion is the correspondence of a singular part to the entire whole, and foreshortening is the shortening of lines used to create depth. Sfumato, the blending of varying tones, was also utilized in artwork to create depth. In the famous painting “Mona Lisa”, artist Leonardo Da Vinci used sfumato to project a three dimensional illusion to the viewer. Other techniques such as chiaroscuro, the contrasting of light and dark, were
What do the red lines along the edge represent? What do the blue lines along the edge represent?
The lines within the composition draws the viewer into several directions. The ruffles draw the eyes upward to the Daniel’s finger as it points to the right. Daniel’s finger directs the viewer horizontally as it does the king. The table with its array of dishes is another example of a horizontal line. The king’s hands are holding a fork and knife. The fork is also pointing right where as the knife is pointing left diagonally towards the king. The courtesan, leaning against the king’s right shoulder, is another example of a diagonal line. The painting also has a vertical feel to it. This is evident in the composition of Daniel standing, the candle and the arm holding the cigar. Like every line, every color used draw attention to the object.
From her auburn curls cascading from beneath her tilted hat, to her arm positioning, the trees, clouds, down to the tiniest blades of grass, they all slant one way or the other. The artist has utilized the diagonal line is multiple ways; the slight angles that Reynolds incorporated into each area provides a sense of movement in what could have been a dry and stagnant scene. Along with movement, there lies an illusion of depth: paired with shading, the use of line gives the perception of more area being included than there actually is. These lines also direct the viewer’s eye toward the sitter. Objects located around the edges of the composition lean towards the center, pulling the viewer’s glance directly to the
Manet did not use vertical lines in this painting; instead, he used bending line. The bending line indicates hard working, tired, and weariness. The man’s walking stick appears to be very vertical but is actually at a slight diagonal. His life does not at all look like a proud one but more of a laboring, hard and tired life. The bending line gives away the feeling and emotion of the piece.
The similarities, and differences, between Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn’s Anatomy of Dr. Tulp (1632) and Thomas Eakins’ The Agnew Clinic (1889) are both uncanny and unprecedented. Painted in 1630’s Amsterdam during the Dutch Baroque period, Rembrandt sought to preserve the rare occasion in which a real human body was used as an academic tool in order to prove anatomy theories. On the contrary, Eakins piece was painted in 19th century America during the realist movement to memorialize a retiring professor. However, it is their similarities that make them comparable; they were both commissioned by academic institutions, they both depict a surgery in progress, they both celebrate the careers of notable
In Square at La Trinité there are very prominent vertical lines. The two figures in the right corner of the painting are vertical figures and are what the viewer is initially drawn to when first looking at the image. Another really distinct vertical line is the tree on the left hand side of the painting. That tree stands out in particular because of its dark color compared to the right side of the painting. The buildings in the background are made up of both horizontal and vertical lines. The roof and windows in particular are examples of horizontal lines. The
The right leg is in front of the left leg , and the body has perfect posture , the head is looking straight ahead as if the person is heading towards something or sees something interesting. Joshua C. Taylor says “ The figure in Unique Forms of Continuity in Space, strides forth , a symbol of vitality and strength, yet its impetuous steps rest lightly on the ground as if the opposing air gives the figure wings.”
Another technique that was developed was perspective. Perspective was formed with the creation of the vanishing point to make paintings more realistic. Masaccio was one of the great painters of his time because of his skill of recreating lifelike figures and movement, along with portraying a sense of three-dimensionality. One of Masaccio’s greatest paintings is the Holy Trinity which was painted in 1427. This painting has a great use of perspective and chiaroscuro to show realism. Chiaroscuro was another technique that was formed to show light and dark intensities to give the impression of depth and texture as well as a source of light. With the use of different shades of colour, sfumato was a new technique that emerged during this time that produces soft, imperceptible transitions between colours and tones to show blending and oneness. These techniques established a basis of modern art. These techniques are still used till this day and have shaped the way art is currently produced.
As indicated by the shape in the foreground, the lines that signify the contour of the rocks and freestanding structure merge. The lines lead the eye vertically as it meets the center. When looking at the painting as a whole, the viewer can see how the artist uses straight
A man and woman are walking over the bridge while a dog is walking toward them, and another man is gazing out in the water. In this painting I have three orthogonal lines starting with the first one on the top corner of the building on the left side. This line then follows across the roofline, down through the man walking’s neck, through the woman’s skirt. This line then finishes on the cement and ending on the shadow of the dog. Orthogonal line two starts at the end of the bridge railing on the bottom right side. The line then continues down the railing, crossing through the old man in green and through the woman and man walking near each other. This line will end on the building in the left corner and right above the buggy by finishing on the building. The third and final line starts along the sidewalk on the bottom left side, leading up the sidewalk and going through the man’s coat, head and hat, while ending on building in the middle of the painting. The vanishing point leads us to the man that’s walking’s head while he is looking away at the water. This vanishing point pulls the focus of the painting on the man and also the women next to him on the bridge.
This essay looks at the time in history beginning in the 1400’s to the mid-1700’s which we identify in art history as The Renaissance, Baroque, and Rococo periods. Focusing on the influence new scientific knowledge had in the art produced during this time with specific examples from each period and artists of the time.
One can interpret these lines as indicating the direction that a compass needle will point if placed at that position.