Art continues to be a largely debated subject within academia until this day. For centuries, depictions of holy events and fantastical scenes have graced the eyes of royalty and school tour groups. The beauty of art is strongly contested as well, with the topic of modern art being one of particular fascination. In this article, we examine the perspectives of the Renaissance and Surrealism, along with the various similarities and differences unique to each style throughout history.
The Renaissance is characterized as the period between the 1490s-1520s, a time when figureheads of society used art to solidify their rule. After the Middle Ages, Europe encountered many cultural changes-- art being one of them. Elements of Roman and Greek culture were highly emphasized in the Renaissance. New techniques were born: the introduction of chiaroscuro allowed for the contrast between lighter and darker tones, which had a larger effect on the boldness of a piece. Other techniques like sfumato made for depth and established lines, creating more realistic images. Depictions of the human anatomy explored concepts of humanity in a more established approach. Artists and sculptors explored concepts of femininity and masculinity in their depictions of humanity. Concepts of beauty at the time are visible in pieces like David by Michaelangelo. The observance of linear perspective brought upon a world of realism to art-- establishing a more realistic and humanistic approach to oils on canvas.
Surrealism, an art movement mainly active from the 1920s-1960s, encompassed themes of strange dream worlds, abstract thoughts, and realms of the unconscious mind. Depictions of dream worlds in works of Salvador Dali are considered to be the most recognizable. Items in everyday life were drawn and depicted in places one wouldn’t normally imagine. This was done to challenge normality and evoke a sense of curiosity. A technique such as automatism was particularly representative of the style. The artist would relieve all sense of conscious control of the brush, and allow the subconscious to make blots and markings along a piece to represent the true embodiment of surrealism’s ideals. The emphasis of the unconscious and illogical placement of objects cemented this artstyle.
In two very famous pieces that represent core ideas of both the Renaissance and Surrealism,
The Last Supper and The Persistence of Memory contain elements of their respective time periods. However, they also see an overlap in similar compositions.
The Last Supper and The Persistence of Memory both use bold colors to emphasize the central figures of their works: The Last Supper centers colorful clothes on Christ and his fellow diners while The Persistence of Memory uses blues to focus on clocks. In the background, browns and greys alienate the viewer from what is behind. Elements of chiaroscuro are found within each-- Last Supper is very succinct in its depiction of realism and humanity. Persistence of Memory uses shadow to create illusion and insinuation of timelessness. This also further follows into the theme of realism. The Last Supper clearly depicts humanity, as people are sitting down and eating food together. Persistence of Memory distorts realism by putting random objects like clocks and unidentified objects to shift the viewer’s perspective. Symbolism also heavily differentiates both types-- The Last Supper depicts the historical significance of Christ while The Persistence of Memory focuses on a dream-like landscape.
Evaluating the importance of characteristic styles within the Renaissance and Surrealism allows for a starting point to understand history. To understand another time period, a look into depictions at the time allows for viewers to step into others’ shoes and see through the lens of influential artists of that time. Perhaps one will understand that humanity separated by the centuries is not as different as one can think.
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