The Impact of Technology on Artwork during Renaissance Era

The period popularly translates to “rebirth” as it marked the beginning of a period where the world saw the most outstanding artworks in architecture, sculpture and painting (Nachimuthu, 25). The revival and learning that characterizes this period started in Italy and later spread to other parts of Europe with time. Technology can be defined as the application of scientific knowledge for practical purposes, the knowledge used practically to invent tools or to solve problems. The renaissance period is also the period whereby we saw technological advancements and they were applied in different fields they include invention of the printing press, microscope, telescope, pocket watch, piano, submarine and airplane, gun powder among others (Smith). Technology had a significant impact on art work during the renaissance it gave way to the creation of artwork that is celebrated to date (Nachimuthu, 29).

Artist started experimenting with oil painting during the renaissance period leaving behind medieval techniques. The artists also used came up with new ways if creating sculptures with Michelangelo perfecting the fresco technique. The art of three dimension was also incorporated into art with the introduction of perspective and light (Nachimuthu, 30). Sculptures on the walls of churches were also transformed and created to be more round. The renaissance era redefined the concepts of time space and form and its application to artworks which is something that totally changed people’s view of the world. Authors such as Shakespeare were able to spread the beauty of their words across the continent and later across the world all thanks to the renaissance invention of the printing press.

Technology allowed the world to marvel at the beauty of Michelangelo and da Vinci’s creations, it paved way for the application of architecture that is applied up to date and it gave way to the transformation that science and mathematics brought through various significant inventions. The renaissance era created the foundation upon which the modern life was built. The concept of humanism, which originates from the Greek concept that places man at the center of all things and uses him as a measure, allows man to stretch his thinking and create things that are beyond his imagination. The era pushes the human mind beyond its limit and in so doing results in the diverse inventions. Artists such as Michelangelo, Leonardo, Raphael, Brunelleschi and others championed this artistic change that remained engraved the minds of the people.

They created masterpieces that still remain as the standards of greatness. Architectural designs by Andrea Palladio also paved way for modern designs like the White House which is an imitation of his earlier design writings and villas. The people who lived during this era were more enlightened as they had better access to education and literary forms of writing. Philosophy developed during this time as well and humanism, Aristotelianism, Platonism, Hellenistic Philosophies and New Philosophies of nature shaped the way people reasoned (Mctavish, 119). The painting has a wonderful artistic theme that makes it stand out from the previous era that was purely Biblical. The renaissance era paved way for art that expressed human emotions explicitly and involved the imagination of the audience at large.

The art during this period borrowed a lot from the Greek and Roman culture starting from the central philosophy behind renaissance which equates the importance of human life to that of the gods. The philosophy was adopted by most artists during this era since Rome was being repopulated and major artistic works were found (Kempers). The artist in this time embraced the ideals of symmetry, realism and harmony and incorporated it in their art as they believed that physical perfection translated to perfection of the mind and spirit (Kempers). The architect Florentine Filippo Brunelleschi had vast experiences in different fields including mathematics, clockwork, he was a sculptor, geodesist and goldsmith. He used the experiences in watchmaking in architecture to innovate machines.

In order to lift materials to the height of the dome he came up with cranes which marked a huge step in the advancement of mechanical engineering. He also invented amphibious boats that were used in the transportation of marble blocks during construction (Bauer, 905). Therefore he was not only an architect who redefined designs but also a great inventor who influenced the technological fields of engineering. The concept applied during this period allowed artist to move away from traditional way of creation to a more diverse and realist representation of art. The change is seen in the new techniques that are employed in the era for example the change in perspective from 2D to 3D in painting to embody a more realist image of nature, introduction of light and shadows in painting to give the illusion of depth, the human face were given more features in order to express the idea of individualism, employment of Sfumato a technique that blurs sharp outlines to make it more realist and lastly more emotions were applied on human face (Kempers).

Additionally sculptures and architecture were also designed to reflect the philosophy the sculptures glorified the individual and most of them showcased nudity, architecture was symmetrical, balance and simple giving it a feel of reality (Gray, 508). The glorification of the human as a having equal importance with the gods was depicted in the realism and expression of the renaissance art. The first nude in the renaissance period, Expulsion from the Garden, is borrowed from the Bible but goes ahead to glorify the body of the human kind by showing the reality of its form. Art incorporates aspects of technology whereas the same is true reversed, technology has some aspects of art. While technology and art share this relationship, other fields mentioned above have a more in depth relation to art as they are more practical and expressed easily in works of art (Schroeder,155).

Closely looking at art and technology we are however able to see that the use of technology as a topic in art is as relevant as using any other topic. Over the years we have been able to see the tremendous success technology has brought to various forms of art including music, painting, architecture and writing among others. Art has been revolutionized by technology as our perceptions have been challenged thanks to creativity and science (Schroeder,148).  Picturing knowledge: Historical and philosophical problems concerning the use of art in science. University of Toronto Press, 1996. Bauer, Ewa, and Cindy L. Menches. "Why We Need Renaissance Engineers: Golden Gate Bridge Seismic Retrofit Phase II Case Study. Mctavish, Lianne. "Images and Identity in Fifteenth-Century Florence.