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ART 130 The Renaissance Era Article Essay

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The Renaissance Era: Art 130 – Concordia Chicago

Art is a very powerful thing, because it can inspire people in various ways. Without art,

there would be individuals who would have less inspiration, than they have gained over the past

several decades. Now, when it comes to art and its power to inspire people, an example of this,

would be an individual using the own personal tragedy to make art about it. Thus, other people

witnessing this kind of powerful act, may inspire them to use their own tragic backstories to

share about their own life.

Now, when it comes to the power of art inspiring and helping people, this does not just

apply to the modern era. However, this also greatly applies to past ages of art as well. One

example of this, is from a time known as the Renaissance era. This was a decade, in which

people were beginning to discover themselves. In other words, many were finding their

aspirations through art, and they were using this knowledge to tell a story. Moreover, art during

the Renaissance era was also used to say things about thoughts on society as well. An example

of this, is from a well-known artist named Agnolo Brozino.

During the Renaissance era, Agnolo was a man who often worked on drawings, which

would depict ways of the human mind. Some of his drawings are more complex than others.

However, there is one he has accomplished, which is much simpler than his other works. At the

same time, though, the drawing is a demonstration that sometimes, a simple drawing can have

more to it than what may appear on the surface. The drawing that Agnolo is well known for, is

called “Smiling head of a Woman”, and it was completed in 1543. It depicts a picture of a

woman looking meek. Through this, Agnolo wanted to demonstrate that a simple painting can

have more depth than what the human eye and mind may see at first. More, through the work it

is important to analyze it through important explorations, such as a further background of

Agnolo, what the author hoped to accomplish with his work, whether preliminary sketches were

a normal part of the artists’ process, and whether it was common in the era for that chosen field.

Angulo was a man interested in drawings at a young age. However, it was not until he

was older, that his inspiration for diving into drawings even further, came to full fruition. This

occurred, when Angolo took apprenticeship under a well-known artist who lived during the

1500s. This was a man by the name of Raffaellino del Garbo. As “Agnolo Bronzino Biography”

states, “Agnolo started his art education at the age of 11 as a pupil of Raffaellino del Garbo, a

Florentine Renaissance painter. Garbo offered the young Bronzino only a rudimentary art

education at the age of 12” (p.1). Through this, we see why Agnolo became so influenced in

wanting to become an artist.

While some people grow up to be prodigies and naturally gifted, what is interesting about

this, is that Agnolo’s inspiration was sparked through apprenticeship. In other words, sometimes

people need help, in order for the potential of their gifts to be unlocked. Now, as for what

Agnolo was studying during this period, he was getting aid in learning how to draw. Moreover,

he was also being taught how to have form in the various art inspirations that were coming to

fruition. Furthermore, this was also a big part of what made Renaissance paintings stand out so

much during the 1500’s. As “Greatest Renaissance Drawings” states, “Renaissance drawing

supports included a range of reusable tablets, (eg. erasable wooden tablets with a layer of ground

bone mixed with saliva), parchment (vellum) made from goat/pig/calf skin soaked in lime, paper

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(often tinted), linen and canvas (p.1). What this means, is that the Renaissance era was not just

about how to draw, but also about how to use and apply given materials. Now, through the work

of “Head of a Smiling” woman, it is important to see what Agnolo hoped to accomplish. This

does not just apply to the drawing itself, but also the techniques that were used too.

“Head of a smiling Woman” shows a simple image of a fragile looking female. In it, her

head is down, and she is smiling. Now, many may argue that the purpose of the drawing, it to

show that there is much more to something drawn than what appears on the surface. While this

is true, there is also more to its meaning than that. Through the techniques that Agnolo uses in

his work, we see how he was conveying, that women can be very fragile creatures. More

importantly though, this is not just shown in the posture of the woman, but it is also

demonstrated in the lines and shapes that Agnolo used to portray the woman. In other words, the

way that the woman is drawn within the work, is a very convincing way of showing that female

cannot only be very fragile through their expressions, but they can also look fragile.

Now, what also stands out about this piece, is that it has a strong 3D effect as well. It is

not drawn in a way that would appear flat to the audience. Instead, the 3-D perspective helps to

bring out the expressions and shape of the meek looking woman. By doing this, it also helps the

drawing to have a more realistic look and feel to it. As “Greatest Renaissance Drawings” states,

“Drawings in both fine and broad line media were often heightened with white to accentuate the

areas of brightest illumination and to enhance the 3-D effect of the modelling” (p.1). “Head of a

smiling Woman” is a perfect example of this. Now, aside from the painting itself, there are also

other questions to answer in relation to Agnolo.

Something that many people may not know, is that preliminary sketches were often the

highlight of Agnolo’s work. What this means, is that he ensured that his works were perfection,

before going onto the final drafts. By doing this, Agnolo could make sure that what he was

producing, would be of the higher quality. This does not just refer to “Head of a smiling

“Woman, but other works of his. In fact, when Agnolo was under apprenticeship and learning

how to draw at a young age, one of the things he was taught to do, was to create an illusion of

how work on a flat surface. How this guided him, was through an artist being able to see what

their work would look like if it were finished. And if what that artists had witnessed was not to

his or her own liking, then they could build from there instead of wasting hours on their work.

This was often a common method conducted during the Renaissance era of the 1500’s. As

“Renaissance” states, “Brunelleschi devised a mathematical method for creating the illusion of

depth on a flat surface, called perspective, which became beneficial to painters and artists.” (p.1).

Now, many artists were also famous for their notebooks. However, Agnolo did not have

any of these. While he was known for his sketches and preliminary art, working as an apprentice

changed what could have been notebook sketches. Drawings were often conducted through

various painting and techniques. Thus, Agnolo was taught how to memorize the forms that he

wanted to improve upon, as he became closer and closer to becoming a professional artist.

While plenty of artists did have notebooks to keep their drawings, Agnolo refusing to do this, is a

good example of how he wanted to challenge himself in a different manner. Some people may

say that this was a good mindset, but in hindsight, it may have been a poor choice. However, it

in the end, this technique aided Agnolo is growing.

In closing, Agnolo was a very well-known artist of the 1500’s, who did a lot of great

works. “Head of a Smiling Woman” is a perfect example of subtle imagery that portrays a

strong message to its audience. At the same time, though, if it was not for Agnolo’s willingness

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Name Professor Class Due Date The Renaissance Era: Art 130 – Concordia Chicago Art is a very powerful thing, because it can inspire people in various ways. Without art, there would be individuals who would have less inspiration, than they have gained over the past several decades. Now, when it comes to art and its power to inspire people, an example of this, would be an individual using the own personal tragedy to make art about it. Thus, other people witnessing this kind of powerful act, may inspire them to use their own tragic backstories to share about their own life. Now, when it comes to the power of art inspiring and helping people, this does not just apply to the modern era. However, this also greatly applies to past ages of art as well. One example of this, is from a time known as the Renaissance era. This was a decade, in which people were beginning to discover themselves. In other words, many were finding their aspirations through art, and they were using this knowledge to tell a story. Moreover, art during the Renaissance era was also used to say things about thoughts on society as well. An example of this, is from a well-known artist named Agnolo Brozino. During the R ...
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Tags: The Renaissance Era Florentine Renaissance painters Agnolo Bronzino Renaissance Drawings Drawings of the Renaissance