The Role of the Church in the Renaissance Essay example -- Art History

The deliverymanian Church was absolutely instrumental in the art of the Renaissance. It was the driving force force behind every inspiration without the Church, there would have been no art. The Church was the only institution powerful enough to be able to protrude the commissions of all of the artwork, and it was the only institution, in which people had enough faith and devotion to spend so much of their clock and money creating pieces thatalthough beautifulwere not necessities. The purpose of religion in art actually began during the Byzantine era. During this time, all artwork was religious in nature, and most of it was done in a consistently interchangeable elan so that recruits from the Bible could be easily recognized by everyone and so that people had a consistent view of religious matters. Art during this time was largely iconic, meant to inspire the awe of God in the viewer. Along with various versions of the crucifix, one of the most popular images of the Byz antine style was The Pantokrator, an image of Jesus Christ as shown from above. An example of one of these pieces was done in the twelfth century in the abbey church of Monreale in the city of Palermo. Jesus is a monumental figure that takes up much of the space across the apse of the Church. One of his hands forms a mudra as the other holds the scripture. His fully frontal and direct stance on with the glimmering gold background serves to strike awe and fear into the viewer. Clearly this piece was done with the intent to impress the value and mightiness of religion initial and attention to the detail and technique of the art second.This emphasis on religion continued deep into the Renaissance, as the Church was one of the few organizations that could fund much(prenominal) massive un... ...udgment in the afterlife.Giottos Arena Chapel, Duccios Maest, and Masaccios Trinity are only a few examples of the Churchs overarching influence on Renaissance art. Without the Church, t here would have been no art. It was the increasing popularity of the Church with new orders of monks in the 1200s that created a greater need for religious images, and with more production of art, the style began to change. Religion was such an integral part of Renaissance culture that it makes sense that it would be the focus of its creativity. Works CitedAdams, Laurie Schneider. Italian Renaissance Art, Boulder, CO Westview Press, 2001.Shearmann, John. Only tie Art and the Spectator in the Italian Renaisssance, Washington, D.C. Princeton University Press, 1992.Welch, Evelyn. Art and Society in Italy 1350-1500, Oxford Oxford University Press, 1997.