Northern vs Southern Renaissance
The Northern and Southern Renaissance is often viewed as one of the most interesting and most important eras in European history. The ‘Golden Age’ as many call it, is believed to be the time in which Europe has finally started to enter the ‘Modern Age.’ The Southern Renaissance (in Italy) began during the 14th century while the Northern Renaissance is believed to have started during the 16th century.
The Renaissance has increased the popularity of works of art and other fields of study including: architecture, literature, sciences, politics, and religion. There are quite a few differences between the Southern and Northern Renaissance, and it is also based on the concept of Humanism. Different artists from the south and the north have shown these differences in views in their works of art and their concepts in picturing the way a person lives his or her life.
The Northern part of Europe during those times was strongly attached to the teachings of Christianity. The church held power, and humanists pictured their society as being more close to God or nature as possible. The North held that Middle Ages belief far longer than their Southern counterpart, and that is also the reason why most of their works of art are about landscapes and the lifestyles of people.
The Southern part of Europe (Italy to be more precise) has a very different outlook on how art should be viewed and appreciated. Their artists created paintings about Greek and Roman mythologies, about gods and goddesses, and they were always searching for something new and better to create. The colors that they also developed made their paintings seem alive but not in a sense where the painting is the only thing that a person can see. It’s more like the viewer can see the object and let his imagination roam freely.
Unlike the Northern work of art that deals strongly with naturalism in which the art, color, and detail are always checked with a critical eye, Southern paintings delve into the mysterious and inner workings of the human mind.
The layout of the land might have also played a significant role on how the Renaissance took place in the Northern and Southern parts of Europe. Italy is a place were trade was abundant, and they were exposed to different cultures (Asians and the like). These gave them the option to develop and discover new things. Southerners think that religion is still important, but it is not the only priority that they should be focusing upon. Politics and other sciences were the things that people thought about during those days, and that also changed their way of living.
Northerners, on the other hand, was not too exposed to these changes and still clung to their belief of Jesus Christ and the church. The Southern and Northern Renaissance might have a lot of differences, but they have one thing in common: They valued artwork. There even came a time when these artists met and shared their opinions with each other. These led to the creation of better works of art which are appreciated by the world today.
Summary:
1. The Southern Renaissance began during the 14th century while the Northern Renaissance was believed to have started during the 16th century.
2. The Northern Part of Europe is strongly attached to Christianity and the church.
3. The Southern Part of Europe during the Renaissance is more focused on the improvement of different fields of science including literature, architecture, politics, and religion.
4. Artwork from the North are based on Humanism and Landscapes.
5. Artwork from the South are more about Classical Greek and Roman Mythologies.