Art is and has always been a reflection of the society in which it is created. As society changes, so will its art. Sometimes the change is dramatic, as was the change between Medieval Times and the Renaissance, and other times it is more subtle. However it is certain that no two artists no matter how adoring of each other will ever want to replicate one another to the point of erasing their own identity. Indeed art is a struggle to leave your own unique footprint in the sands of history. For this discussion the topic to be elaborated upon is the points of variety in four distinct periods of art, and indeed points of similarity. The discussion will take into account the changing political, social, economic and other societal dimensions of the period and location in which the change took place. To aid the discussion, five pieces representative of the core values of each period have been chosen to illustrate the central claims.
Renaissance singularly thrust artistic exploration by mankind into the direction of modernity. For one thing the increasing affluence of the average European household, through the means of expanding global trade, and the resulting emphasis on the value of the human being, meant that mankind could break the shackles of the guilt which had arisen after the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. Individuality and glorification of man became a core artistic concern. Stoic Empiricism from medieval times was forsaken for a more Platonic idealism, which emphasized “abstract speculation and devotional mysticism” (Kissick 170) as virtues equivalent to keen observation. What followed is a parallel “liberation of the figure” (Kissick 174). Previously religious dogma insisted upon flat representation of figures, strictly for spiritual, didactic purposes. With Giotto di Bondone, we began to see the use of fabric folds, contoured faces, and subtle, facial expressions for the first time in art. These techniques aimed to create more realistic images in strict...