Unit 1

Renaissance: The Origins of a Western Worldview

Lesson 3

What do the arts tell us about a society?

Art flourished during the Renaissance, and many of the works we believe today to be masterpieces were produced at that time.

Many of the names of famous Renaissance artists may be familiar to you (and not just from the Ninja Turtles) such as da Vinci, Bottecelli, Raphael, Michelangelo, and de Pisan.

You might recognize the face in the sculpture in Figure 1. This image is of the famous sculpture of David created by Michelangelo. Painting, sculpture, architecture, and literature were major focuses of Renaissance artists, and much of their work is still admired and copied today. Their works can supply us with information about the society in which they were produced.

Watch

The philosophy of humanism changed significantly the way artists looked at the world and what they chose to portray in their works.

---

Click the link to watch the video, Renaissance Art: Artists, Paintings, Sculptures and Architecture to learn about how humanism changed the way artists worked during the Renaissance.