Explore the Masterpieces of High Renaissance Art - Essay Sample

Introduction

High renaissance refers to the period of artworks that historians consider as the culmination or height of the renaissance era. Historians perceive the high renaissance period to begin from the 1940s with artworks such as Leonardo da Vinci's 'Last Supper' in 1495-1498, Raphael's 'School of Athens' in 1509-1511, and Michelangelo's 'Ceiling in the Sistine Chapel' 1508-1512 among others (Bondeson, & Bondeson, 2013). Historians, therefore, view these artists as painters of the High Renaissance. Leonardo da Vinci was only one generation older than Raphael and Michelangelo. However, his artwork remains the epitome of the High Renaissance due to its stylistic consistency. In this regard, this paper will present a discussion of the reasons behind Leonardo's work as being the epitome of the High Renaissance over Michelangelo and Raphael's artworks. It will also compare the artworks mentioned above based on their ideals.

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Why Leonardo's 'Last Supper' is the Epitome of the High Renaissance

According to Underhill (2019), Leonardo da Vinci was a man with far-reaching intellectual interest and was able to accomplish them both in arts and science. He was capable of observing and studying things before turning them into artwork. He was dedicated to the discovery of nature's reality, and his contributions to the High Renaissance (Hersey, & Hersey, 2017), particularly by his 'Last Supper' was legendary. Being the father of the classical renaissance, he contributed much in setting out a superstitious and curious world on the means of science, reason, tolerance, and learning. All these qualities were the basis of his artworks, particularly the 'Last Supper' of 1495-1498.

Da Vinci's Last Supper is an illustration of the scene from Jesus Christ's last days as in the Book of John 13:21 when Jesus told his 12 disciples, "Verily I say unto ye, one of you will betray me." Even though Da Vinci's 'Last Supper, may look like a direct piece from the Bible, it is an extraordinarily complex artwork. It is comprehensive due to its psychological complexity, mathematical symbolism, and his application of dramatic and perspective focus makes it the first real instance of the High Renaissance (Hersey, & Hersey, 2017).

There are five fundamental ideals of the High Renaissance from which artwork comparison of the painters mentioned above is achievable; classical antiquity, the humanist philosophy, science, politics, and most importantly, religion. For the five ideals listed, the most prevalent in the High Renaissance era was the art of religion. Unlike Michelangelo's 'Ceiling in the Sistine Chapel' and Raphael's 'School of Athens' (Ashrafian, 2015), Leonardo's 'Last Supper' is more appealing paint for the High Renaissance because it not only took a religious perspective but also political, humanity and scientific reasoning. Also, unlike in the other two artworks, Da Vinci's 'Last Supper' reveals a definite willingness to explore and learn, faith in the dignity of humanity, the finding and mastery of the right perspective of nature, secularism, and the rebirth of naturalism.

Conclusion

Through his 'Last Supper' artwork, Da Vinci showcases his unmatched capability to picture shadow and light, alongside a physical relationship between animals, humans, and their environs (Underhill, 2019). Even though Michelangelo and Raphael's artworks (mentioned above) were as well created on a vast scale, it is essential to note that Da Vinci's artwork remains unparalleled in terms of how he expressed classical values, talent, and interest. In this artwork, it is a fact that Da Vinci used colors and symmetry that fundamentally depicted the story he was portraying (Underhill, 2019). The only problem with the 'Last Supper' is that Da Vinci used new and much different painting materials that make the preservation of the amazing piece of art much tricky. Otherwise, the artwork stands out to be the epitome of the High Renaissance.

References

Ashrafian, H. (2015). Differential diagnosis of the finger swelling on Pythagoras in the "School of Athens" (1509-1511) by Raphael (1483-1520). Rheumatology international, 37(12), 2123-2124.

Bondeson, L., & Bondeson, A. G. (2013). Michelangelo's divine goiter. Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine, 96(12), 609-611.

Hersey, G. L., & Hersey, G. L. (2017). High Renaissance art in St. Peter's and the Vatican: an interpretive guide. University of Chicago Press.

Underhill, J. (2019). The Twilight of Presence: Pictorialized Illumination in Leonardo da Vinci's Last Supper. Leonardo, 52(1), 44-53.