8-3Art

= What were popular forms of art and sculpture in Elizabethan England? =

Prepared by Laura H
Art has played a major role in the worlds history, and the forms of art have been ever changing. During Shakespeare's time, the art was being made in the style of the Renaissance Age. The more popular forms of art during that time consisted of more humans in their natural form, and more study of the movements of human beings. The sculptures and picture portrayed people's natural actions, and the human anatomy in it's most basic form. Some of the more famous artists of the time period included Luca Signorelli, Barent van Orley, and El Greco. Luca Signorelli was known for his sculptures of nude human beings doing every day things. He also helped paint the walls in the Sistine Chapel. What he did was paint and design murals that were extremely famous, that which still exist today. Barent van Orley was best known for his work looking natural, much like another famous painter, known as Raphael. According to Michael Best, in the article High Renaissance: Raphael, Raphael was considered one of the most famous artists from the Renaissance. He made many paintings, most of which were hung in the Sistine Chapel to complement paintings by Michelangelo. El Greco was popular for his purely Renaissance paintings. All of his work summed up the Renaissance. Most of the art produced during this era was constructed with the most basic of materials. However, the result was much more than plain and simple. The careful and intricate designs and details took years on end to carve, and paint. Many sculptures and paintings have been found from this era, including ones like the Mona Lisa, portraits of Queen Elizabeth, and Shakespeare himself. Although these paintings were of great significance, there were other artists who seemed to have a greater hold on Shakespeare.

One of the artists who was prevalent in Shakespeare's life and writing was a man named Giulio Romano. This artist may have been a larger figure in the Italian Renaissance, but he was one of the few artists to make it into Shakespeare's writing. Giulio was famous for his depiction of The Madonna and Child with Saint John the Baptist, which was the painting Shakespeare talked about. He said that Giulo in The Winter's Tale, where the statue of Queen Hermione said, "that rare Italian master, Julio Romano." His picture was one of simplicity; a good use of color, and not too fancy. Just a wonderfully well done, yet simple picture, which completely sums up the Renaissance.