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The Italian Renaissance
The High Renaissance
Art History Textbooks Boundless Art History The Italian Renaissance The High Renaissance
Art History Textbooks Boundless Art History The Italian Renaissance
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Art History Textbooks
Art History
Concept Version 10
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The High Renaissance

The High Renaissance refers to a short period of exceptional artistic production in the Italian states.

Learning Objective

  • Describe the different periods and characteristic styles of 16th century Italian art


Key Points

    • Many art historians consider the High Renaissance to be largely dominated by three individuals: Michelangelo, Raphael, and Leonardo da Vinci.
    • Mannerism, which emerged in the latter years of the Italian High Renaissance, is notable for its intellectual sophistication and its artificial (as opposed to naturalistic) qualities, such as elongated proportions, stylized poses, and lack of clear perspective.
    • Some historians regard Mannerism as a degeneration of High Renaissance classicism, or even as an interlude between High Renaissance and Baroque—in which case the dates are usually from c. 1520 to 1600 and it is considered a positive style complete in and of itself.

Terms

  • Mannerism

    A style of art developed at the end of the High Renaissance, characterized by the deliberate distortion and exaggeration of perspective, especially the elongation of figures.

  • High Renaissance

    The period in art history denoting the apogee of the visual arts in the Italian Renaissance. The High Renaissance period is traditionally taken to have begun in the 1490s, with Leonardo's fresco of The Last Supper in Milan and the death of Lorenzo de' Medici in Florence, and to have ended in 1527, with the Sack of Rome by the troops of Charles V.


Full Text

High Renaissance Art

High Renaissance art was the dominant style in Italy during the 16th century. Mannerism also developed during this period. The High Renaissance period is traditionally taken to begin in the 1490s, with Leonardo's fresco of The Last Supper in Milan, and to end in 1527, with the Sack of Rome by the troops of Charles V. This term was first used in German ("Hochrenaissance") in the early 19th century. Over the last 20 years, use of the term has been frequently criticized by academic art historians for oversimplifying artistic developments, ignoring historical context, and focusing only on a few iconic works.

High Renaissance art is deemed as "High" because it is seen as the period in which the artistic aims and goals of the Renaissance reached their greatest application. High Renaissance art is characterized by references to classical art and delicate application of developments from the Early Renaissance (such as on-point perspective). Overall, works from the High Renaissance display restrained beauty where all of the parts are subordinate to the cohesive composition of the whole. 

Many consider 16th century High Renaissance art to be largely dominated by three individuals: Michelangelo, Raphael, and Leonardo da Vinci. Michelangelo excelled as a painter, architect, and sculptor and demonstrated a mastery of portraying the human figure. His frescoes rank among the greatest works of Renaissance art. Raphael was skilled in creating perspective and in the delicate use of color. Leonardo da Vinci painted two of the most well known works of Renaissance art: The Last Supper and the Mona Lisa. Leonardo da Vinci was a generation older than Michelangelo and Raphael, yet his work is stylistically consistent with the High Renaissance. 

The Last Supper, 1495–1498, Leonardo da Vinci

Mannerism

Mannerism is an artistic style that emerged from the later years of the 16th century and lasted as a popular aesthetic style in Italy until about 1580, when the Baroque began to replace it (although Northern Mannerism continued into the early 17th century throughout much of Europe). Michelangelo's later works, such as The Last Judgment on the altar wall of the Sistine Chapel, and the Laurentian Library, are considered to be Mannerist style by some art historians. 

Last Judgment, 1536-1541, Michelangelo

Some historians regard Mannerism as a degeneration of High Renaissance classicism, or even as an interlude between High Renaissance and Baroque—in which case the dates are usually from c. 1520 to 1600 and it is considered a positive style complete in and of itself. The definition of Mannerism, and the phases within it, continues to be the subject of debate among art historians. For example, some scholars have applied the label to certain early modern forms of literature (especially poetry) and music of the 16th and 17th centuries. The term is also used to refer to some Late Gothic painters working in northern Europe from about 1500 to 1530, especially the Antwerp Mannerists, a group unrelated to the Italian movement. Mannerist art is characterized by elongated forms, contorted poses, and irrational settings.

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