Artists and society in the Renaissance and the nineteenth Century

rttagtyperenaissance owing to the fact that at that time,
tags" name="PlaceName" downloadurl="geniuses were universal in nature and some of them
Introductionincluded Da Vinci. In fact, the late nineteenth century
Artists in the late nineteenth century challengedartist felt so tortured that they opted to abandon
status quo while those ones in the Renaissancetheir respective countries of origin and instead opted
period either lived by it or made mild attempts atto go to other parts of the world. Usually, they
speaking out. This major difference was as a resultsettled on countries that contravened western ideals
of the social, economic, political and cultural changesaltogether. Usually, such artists were trying to protest
that societies underwent during these different artagainst the concept of capitalism. Gauguin — a
periods. However, because of the nature of art,nineteenth century artist decided to go to Tahiti. It
there were still certain commonalities between thesecan therefore be said that this rejection of western
erasideals further contributes to the notion that
Similarities between artists and society in thenineteenth century artists challenged status quo.
nineteenth Century and in the Reformation periodDuring the reformation, artists rarely displayed their
During both eras, most artists were male. In bothwork for their public as art was not considered a
periods of history, female emancipation was acommercial issue. On the other hand, public viewings
concept that society had not yet embraced. Whilewere often quite common in the late nineteenth
the late nineteenth century may have beencentury. Artists at that time rejected the notion of
characterized by a number of advances made byart exhibitions being run by the government and the
women; these were largely in other fields and moreinstead opted to run their own show. Again, this
was yet to be done in the field of art. In fact, inshowed how artists in the nineteenth century were
both eras, women were often regarded as theindependent minded and also how they were not
subjects of art and not the creators of thoseafraid of challenging the status quo. (Kloss, 2007)
subjects. This is why it was often common to findThe styles used by artists in both eras differed
their depictions in both times. (Burke, 1999)sharply. During the reformation era, artist tended to
In both time frames, artists largely represented thedwell on the new mathematical perspectives that had
views held by society. In this regard, they werejust been discovered. This was the reason why most
affected by the advancements in science orof their work fell under the latter categories;
technology synonymous to their times. Additionally,-Landscapes
they embraced societal attitudes in their art forms. It-Portraits
should be noted that these attitudes were quiteAdditionally, at this time woodcuts became very
different in both eras but this does not change thecommon because technology had just emerged. In
fact that they were reflected by artists in their work.contrast, artist in the late nineteenth century tended
In close relation to the latter factor is the fact thatto embrace new dimensions of art. Examples of
artists and art in general held a special place in societytraditional but distinct styles include; Impressionism
within the nineteenth century and the renaissance.and Pointillism. Impressionism required that the artist
Art was an important indicator of theinvolved leave the confines of their art studios and
transformations that those societies were undergoinggo to the outdoors to capture the beauty of the
and most people sought art as a method of selfoutdoors. Usually, it was common to find urban
expression.scenes and rural landscapes being painted by such
Portraiture was an element common to both periodsartists. On the other hand, different genres of art
of history as one only has to examine examplesbegan emerging that defied traditional understanding
from different parts of the divide to find out aboutof art and these were brought on by the industrial
why this statement is true. It is common to findmovement. Some of them included;
representations of these portraits by citing common-Photography
examples from either side of history. (Lopez, 1970)-Cinema
Artists in both eras of history were instrumental inArtists in both eras were undergoing different phases
promoting images that built identity in society. Duringand such differences were depicted in their art
the late nineteenth century this was depicted in thepieces. During the late nineteenth century, it was the
development of the spirit of nationalism throughindustrial revolution while during the renaissance it was
demonstration of images that reflected those ideas.the advancement of mathematics and other sciences.
Also, in the reformation era, artists promoted theThis was largely the reason why artists within the
spirit of humanism. The reason behind this endearingrenaissance tended to adopt styles that reflected
element to their work is that renaissance artistsnewly discovered mathematical perspectives. In other
brought out the real human spirit. The latter traditionwords, the representation of three dimensional
was pioneered in that era and is one of the mostobjects became much more refined. On the other
sought after qualities in modern art. That concepthand, art in the later nineteenth century depicted
was carried forward into the late nineteenth century.some of the historical occurrences within that era.
Differences between the renaissance and theThe industrial revolution brought with it advancement
reformationof cities and creation of other kinds of infrastructure
Art was made and commercialized very differentlythat were reflective of that century. For instance,
during the nineteenth century as compared to theartists were drawn to newly developed cities and
reformation. In the reformation, most artists hadtended to show this in their pieces. For instance,
patrons in high places hence the reason why being anthere was a lot of work on the Napoleonic era in
artist was considered an affluent thing. In fact, theyParis and the renovations that occurred thereof.
tended to have connections to persons who(Nochlin, 1978) Additionally, infrastructure such as
mattered in society. For instance, they were oftenbridges and other urban structures were also a
acquainted with kings or princes who also happenedcommon sight. It can therefore be argued that the
to be their patrons. (Cronin, 1992) On the other hand,images depicted in art pieces from each era were
artists in the nineteenth century era were quitereflective of the economical background existent at
independent. This period in history saw a markedthat time. Another element that also reflected the
increase in commercialization of art where differentindustrial revolution was leisure activities synonymous
individuals could make their own paintings and thento the upper and the middle class. These new leisure
sell them independently. In certain instances, theseactivities had been propagated by the economic
independent efforts would succeed. However, inbenefits of the industrial revolution. At that time,
other scenarios, it would be common to find that apicnics in the parks had become a common
society is well aware of an artist but that artist mayoccurrence. Additionally, attendance of other social
still be struggling. This period saw the treatment ofactivities such as;
artists as marginalized members of society;· race tracks
something that was in stark contrasts to the wealthy· cafes
and important artists in the reformation.· races
Another issue that made nineteenth century quite· dance hallswere also common. Additionally, other
different for their counterparts in the reformation eraminor features that indicated exactly how
is the fact that in the latter period, artists tended totechnologically advanced the late nineteenth century
dwell on neo-Platonist ideas. Usually, the content ofwas from the renaissance as a result of the industrial
their art was still religious in nature. In other words,revolution. For instance, paintings in the renaissance
their paintings and other artistic works were not astended to contain indoor lighting thus implying that
rooted in common day occurrences as was the casemore and more people were now using light bulbs.
in the nineteenth century. During the late nineteenthThe concept of rejecting status quo was continually
century, there was a great emphasis on real life anddepicted in late nineteenth century art as compared
examples of pieces of art that reflected suchto art in the reformation period. This was mostly
sentiments included; art by Jean François Millet andbecause in the renaissance, the subject of their art
Gioto. These artists took on a political agenda bypieces centered on heroes, political figures and the
challenging the status quo. Their pieces were oftenlike. However, in the late nineteenth century, most
very controversial ones and this implies that throughartists wanted to defy these common ideals. Instead,
their paintings.they went for the lives of the urban poor and the
Late 19th Century artists managed to show therural poor too. In these paintings, they reflected the
stark realities of poverty in the rural areas. In fact,themes of class oppression and economic inequalities.
this showed that artists within this period wereThe late nineteenth century was characterized by
operating in a manner that opposed societal ideals.another movement known as realism. Its essentially
(Tinterow, 1987)sought to convey messages of an objective and
Some of the works that 19th Century artists carriedtruthful image of contemporary life. (Finocchio, 2004)
out were treated negatively by other individuals whoWhile some elements of realism were present in the
labeled them as political threats that hated authority.renaissance era, this movement thrived more in the
In these paintings, the latter artists were often tryingcurrent scenario than in the late nineteenth century.
to depict native people who were showing theSome of the artists who stuck in this movement had
dignity of work. Consequently, their critics claimedgrown weary of the extremism present in the
that instead of dwelling on the people who leadromantic era and they felt a need to change this a
society, these artists were focusing on the personslittle more. Consequently, artists in the late nineteenth
being led. They also claimed that they were trying tocentury tended to draw more inspiration from direct
despise authority by under-looking the role that theyobservations of day to day occurrences compared
had played in making society what it was currently.to their counterparts in the renaissance era. These
Some said that common paintings were an ironicartists were revolutionary in their own way because
depiction of life in society as people knew it. Thisthey were responsible for elevating ordinary working
was because industrialized nations were incapable ofclass citizens into art and literature. This changed their
freeing people from some of the unpleasant tasksstatus from being members of a mass group to
that the ordinary man under took. In fact, other 19thbecoming individuals in their own right. The following
C art critics felt that artists attempting this form ofwere some of the agenda that artists within this era
art were engaging in crude art forms. This wassought to address
because one had to borrow some idealist styles and· Economic change
use them to depict ordinary day to day activities.· Political repression
The technique seemed to confuse critics owing to· Addressing problems of the poor
the fact that it was responsible for violatingThis era was therefore more political in that artists
conventional rules. Additionally, it challenged whathad an inclination to develop ideological focus through
society had accepted as the norm because of theencompassing socialist interest. The renaissance era
following;on the other dwelt on religious and social topics alone.
-It Challenged gender roleConclusion
-Challenged class distinctionsArtists in the late nineteenth century related distinctly
-Challenged rules of art (Raffini, 1998)from their societies compared to their counterparts in
These artists were rebellious and changed the facethe renaissance. The major difference was seen in
of art as people understood it at that time sincethe way that the former artists addressed sensitive
they attempted at all costs to show the down sideissues such as class oppression. However, this era
of society’s rules or to show other ways inwas similar with regard to art and society because in
which things could be re-examined. In sharp contrastboth times, artists reflected the attitudes and
to this assertion was work done by artists within theknowledge of their time.
Renaissance periods. These painters were in tuneReferences
with societal rules and tended to produce pieces thatLopez, R. (1970): The three ages of the Italian
reflected those perceptions.Renaissance; Virginia University Press
It should be noted that the understanding of geniusRaffini, C. (1998): Political approaches in renaissance
changed sharply during this eras and that thePlatonism; Peter Lang Publishing
understandings were also carried forward into art.Cronin, V. (1992): The flowering of the renaissance;
This was largely because in the late nineteenthMc Milan Publishers
century, geniuses were treated as individuals whoBurke, P. (1999): the Italian Renaissance; Princeton
were deeply marginalized and tortured as was theUniversity press
case with Vab Gogh. The latter artist tended toKloss, W. (2007): Great Artists of the renaissance;
struggle with his own emotions and this idea becameSmithsonian institution, 12, 3, 49
common among other artists who changed theNochlin, L. (1978): realism; Penguin Publishers
perception of what a genius really was. SuchTinterow, G.
perceptions sharply contrasted those ones held in the