Question 1

The Renaissance era is widely known to have established many artistic concepts and principles.
Perspective, one of many concepts from the Renaissance era, was the illusion of spatial distance
used to create depth in paintings. Sfumato, another technique, was the practice of softening edges
to depict three dimensional objects more realistically. Chiaroscuro is a concept of capturing light from
a certain direction and emphasizing the contrast of light and dark space. All three of these
techniques can be seen in The Virgin of the Rocks by Leonardo Da Vinci. Perspective is
demonstrated by distance of the foreground subject to the background scenery; Sfumato is applied
on the edges of the human subjects to make them look natural; and chiaroscuro is also used on the
human subjects, for example, shadows and highlights on the child to the left.

Question 2

Individualism, which is the belief that an individual are capable of accomplishments, is shown in
Castigliones The Book of Courtier. I should like our courtier to be a more than average scholar, at
least in those studies which we call the humanities; and he should have a knowledge of Greek as
well as Latin...He should be very well acquainted with the poets...and also skilled at writing both
verse and prose, especially in our own language (Castiglione, 319). This description of the ideal
courtier is very demanding, however, it is making a point that any dedicated individual is capable of
these requirements. Castigliones book had high expectations but it demonstrated the broken
boundaries that once limited the potential of people during the Middle Ages. Machiavellis The Prince
stressed the importance of humanity, not divinity, through this quote, So leaving aside imaginary
things, and referring only to those which truly exist, I say that whenever men are discussed (and
especially princes, who are more exposed to view), they are noted for various qualities which earn
them either praise or condemnation. (Machiavelli, 323). Machiavelli explicitly separated faith and
humanity. How leaders are viewed should be based on their own actions and what they bring to
politics not what leaders would do in order to submit to their faith. Classicism is represented in
Michelangelo's poem 166, My eyes can easily see your beautiful face wherever it appears, near or
far away (Michelangelo, 327). In this line, Michelangelo only mentions her physical beauty as it he is
incapable of seeing inner beauty because it cannot be judged by the human eye. This line is heavily
influenced by the Neoplatonic philosophy from the Hellenistic era.

Question 3

What long-term economic and social trends were under way in the High Renaissance and early
mannerism? How did they help reshape Western life and culture?

Economic expansion and the start of global trade was a long-term trend that definitely reshaped
Western Life, even until today. Expansion was a result of growing population and new ideas of
manufacturing methods. Expansion offered opportunities such as investing,loans, and surplus
capital that would build a foundation of Western economics. Oversea trade introduced new
commodities and habits to consumers, The wave of globalization, launched during this period, led to
our interconnected twenty-first century world (Matthews, 353). Oversea trading is very common in
modern economics. Individualism and personal style was stressed in society during High
Renaissance and mannerism. Western life was impacted because it led freed individuals, such as
Leonardo Da Vinci, to reach their full potential and encourage people to seek out originality rather
than perfection. That social trend effects Western life today as self-celebration and expression is
often encouraged.

Question 4
When looking Michelangelos The Creation of Adam (340) and The Last Judgement (341), there are
obvious similarities and differences. The style of realism and the religious influence is kept between
the two but the approaches for these two paintings are very different. The Creation of Adam has a
harmony between the movement of the bodies and the background, the shape of the bodies follow
the structures in the background. It is a very fluid and graceful painting that brings pleasant
emotions. The colors of this painting are muted and mild. Proportions are ideal and the perspective
is consistent. The Last Judgement has a very chaotic composition, Proportions are off because the
bodies are elongated. The painting gives overwhelming emotions such as anxiety. The perspective is
rather confusing in this painting and lastly the colors are very strong and high contrast. I would
consider his poems as mannerist because it is very expressive, follows several themes, and has a
personal style to it.