Answering Art Questions - Essay Example

The power shifts to the Germans led to the growth of the Byzantine Empire of the East. The East outdid the Romans of the West. The art produced in this era lacked religious connotations. An animal style that was characterized by animal ornamentations, Carolingian art was characterized by sophisticated design, and Romanesque art had leaf embellishments, vaults, and curves (Cavendish, 2006). Next was Gothic art which was more developed with detailed paintings and sculptures (Cavendish, 2006).

Da Vinci’s Mona Lisa epitomizes the Renaissance period while Chris Ofili’s No Woman, No Cry is of the new era. Mona Lisa Foundation (2012) argues that Mona Lisa covered Renaissance art characteristics such as sculptures and paintings while No Woman, No Cry is a tribute to Stephen Lawrence (Ofili, 1998).

What primarily distinguishes Renaissance art from Medieval art is Renaissance art encompassed sculptures, drawings, and paintings that demonstrated the worth of nature and people. Early Renaissance transited to High Renaissance through finer developments in the techniques of art (Sider, 2007). Da Vinci’s Mona Lisa is an unforgettable art while Michelangelo’s Creation of Adam seems to have taken a struggle. Italian Renaissance was rich in culture while Northern Renaissance focused on Protestant Reformation (Sider, 2007).

The Vitruvian Man plays the role of reflecting the principle that the human body is symmetrical to the universe (Da Vinci, 1492). The drawing is done symmetrically with the figure in a square. Montanes’ (1603) The Merciful Christ explains the nature of Christ. The drawing shows Christ on the cross.

Bernin’s (1623-34) St. Peter's Baldachin is characterized by detailed design and sophistication. Veneziano’s (1324) The Coronation of the Virgin is governed by medieval aspects such as painting styles. The cultural and political saw the differences in the works as the artists were moving with the times.

Iwan was used to mark the entry to a royal reception passage while Ijele is a mask used in funerals (Tottoli, 2014). Muqarnas was an Islamic ornament with scoops while Nowo was a guide to Bondo, a female organization (Tottoli, 2014). The artworks were used on occasion.

Islamic art applied the use of nonrepresentational, geometric, and linear ornamental elements as opposed to Indus art which used representational elements to explain their religion (Tottoli, 2014).

Renaissance art focused on re-birth in the classical worldview as seen in Mona Lisa while medieval art maintained the status quo and showed less technique in style as Veneziano’s (1324) The Coronation of the Virgin displays. The Renaissance criterion is relevant.