As an extension of an earlier post (Art and the Pursuit of Nature) I wanted to talk about the sense of movement found in Italian art. Early paintings were 2-D, as in the rest of the world, but as the art moved towards more realistic body images and 3-D shapes it also worked to create a sense of movement.
Paintings were essentially the “movies” of the Renaissance period, as the strides in art were the technological advancements equivocal to today’s increasing prowess in special effects. Paintings were the most accurate means of capturing life as it was, and for the first time, artists were truly pursuing reality instead of some artistic ideal. As the painters improved their skill in the area of shadow and dimension, they also refined their ability to make the people look alive, capturing the musculature of their bodies and the expressions on their face, as well as the movement of their clothes and bodies. This was a new and exciting idea for this time, though it may seem mundane to us now.
Part of the reason that it is hard for many people today to appreciate art in the same way as medieval peoples is that we are used to watching things move, and therefore have a very short attention span. We look at a painting for a few seconds, ten at the most, and feel that we have taken what there is to take from it. But this was not the case in the past. Paintings were given much attention, as their vitality and movement was almost difficult for the mind to comprehend. So therefore, if we let ourselves slow down and fully experience a painting, however old, it may come to life and show us something we have not seen before.
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