Imagination, Values, and Emotions - Essay Example

Historical art periods Middle ages and Renaissance Renaissance in its wide meaning represents the change of relations towards the world, art, humanity. Having originated in Italy, the traditions of Renaissance, moved to other countries. Italian Renaissance is divided into Early Renaissance, High Renaissance and Late Renaissance. In the Middle Ages, the period, which preceded Renaissance period, the mortal life was just a reflection of the supreme world, these worlds were opposite to each other, the integrity was an ideal for the society of the Middle Ages. In literature and art the fantasy very often dominated over the reality and the concrete world was simply ignored. The culture was concentrated in feudal castles, churches, monasteries. “In the Middle Ages both sides of human consciousness – that which was turned within as that which was turned without – lay dreaming or half awake beneath a common veil. The veil was woven of faith, illusion, and childish prepossession, through which the world and history were seen clad in strange hues” (Burckhardt). At the end of XI century the poetry of troubadours was formed in Provence. Provence is considered to be one of the most developed regions of Europe with the most aristocratic society, which allowed themselves to realize their love to luxury, ambition. The understanding of love as passion already characterized the individualistic elements of society. Aesthetics of Italian Renaissance was based on the principles of beauty by Thomas Aquinas. The divine wisdom was spread on everything. The painters started looking for the divine beauty not in the heavens, but on the Earth. They tried to understand the divine through mundane basing on the philosophy of Plato. The Academy of Plato was opened in Florence for those who were fond of Greek philosophy. Now a man created in God’s likeness was in the center of the world. This was the main topic of the literature, painting and sculpture. Mathematics became the basis of the right reflection. The most important achievement was the turning to rational world perception. The art of Renaissance turns to the rational scientific view (Hattaway, 2000). The epoch of Renaissance is characterized by the national cultures development. Epos played a very important role in this process. Epos had patriotic content, but reflected human and feudal values. There were two kinds of epos: historical that was based on the real events and fantastic that was close to fairytale. The fairytale’s motives were very strong in heroic epos. Special attention was paid to etiquette and depiction of objects. In XII century in the Western society people started to realize that the new culture is established in the cities, which were developing fast during this epoch. New culture of cities was opposite to the one , which dominated in the society during the period of the Middle Ages. Rococo and Baroque The first half of XVIII in France is considered to be the one of the most interesting and bright periods in the history of French culture and art. During this time the Rococo style appears and develops. This style is first of all characterized by the synthetical character. Rococo creates the ideal examples of synthetical art creations where different kinds of art were joined together. “The term rococo comes from the French rocaille, "rock-work," and hallmarks of the full-fledged style are architectural decoration based on arabesques, shells, elaborate curves, and asymmetry; iridescent pastel colors; and, in painting, light-hearted rather than weighty subject matter” (Rococo Style). Rococo is sometimes considered by investigators as the stage of development of the previous style, Baroque. Undoubtedly, these two styles have much in common and rococo style would not appear without Baroque. First of all baroque creates and uses new forms of synthesis of architecture with painting, sculpture and decorative art providing the building with decorative design which turns the building into the one specific complex. For Rococo the idea of synthesis is very important in the process of creating one architectural construction. Baroque actively creates the new types of compositional connections between the building and the environment. Rococo adapts this from baroque creating parks and gardens which have their own meaning and represents additions to the complex of building. However, in terms of idea Baroque and Rococo are opposite. For Baroque the world is one space element that includes organic nature and men, for Rococo the surrounding is perceived not so globally and more finely. A man of Rococo creates the world himself, he creates his surrounding making it comfortable. Baroque is characterized by the extreme forms of expression, strong feelings, emotions. The feelings of Rococo style are finer, not so deep. References Burckhardt, Jacob. "The Civilization of the Renaissance in Italy". Retrieved August 31, 2008 from http://europeanhistory.boisestate.edu/hy309/ Hattaway, Michael, (2000). ed. A Companion to English Renaissance Literature and Culture. 747 pp. “Rococo Style,". (2000). Microsoft Encarta. Online Encyclopedia Read More