Possibilities of Exploring, Understanding, and Appreciating Art by Tiambria Phillips

      Artwork during the Baroque Era connects to emotions on a physical level. The contrasts of light and dark create an illusion that they are a part of our space. Moments that a painting seems to be real moments, whether they are in the middle of pouring a liquid or looking out of a window. During this era, the Medici family was still commissioning artwork. One of those artists is assumed to be Artemisia Gentileschi. The Medici family commissioned Donatello for the sculpture of Judith moving to cut off Holofernes' head. Donatello, Judith and Holofernes , 1460, bronze, 236 cm high (Palazzo Vecchio, Florence).      While it is not entirely sure, it is believed that they were interested in the story of Judith and Holofernes, which is why they are supposed to have commissioned Artemisia Gentileschi for her four paintings of this story from the Jewish. Bible, "The Uffizi Judith was likely either commissioned by or gifted to the Medici, Florence's ruling ...

       During the Renaissance, there was a movement towards humanism, in which artists focused on humans' intellect and achievements rather than solely on religion. Humanism relates to art, where the artist highlights the people and actions within the pieces. Leonardo Da Vinci was a key person during the Italian Renaissance (1452-1519) for humanism. Da Vinci was a man who was constantly in pursuit of knowledge, "In his explicit turn back to an ancient model in search of knowledge and wisdom, Leonardo follows early humanist practice" (Jones). This often led to his sketching various parts of human forms and even plants. An example of the human form is the Vitruvian Man , a sketch created in 1490. When it was created, it was not so much for artwork but rather a process of research where each line was carefully thought about and how to display the scientific concepts.  Leonardo da Vinci, “Vitruvian Man,” c. 1490, pen and watercolor over metalpoint on paper, 34....