Arts:

PAINTING

In painting, this new approach manifested as realistic depictions of people, as evident in Leonardo’s
iconic Mona Lisa. Using sfumato—a technique in which the artist forgoes bold outlines for soft, blurred
edges—as well as realistic shadows and aerial perspective, Leonardo was able to produce a humanist
and seemingly secular portrayal of a contemporaneous female figure

SCULPTURE

Much like the figures in Renaissance paintings, sculptures produced during this period convey an interest
in realism. This is particularly evident in Michelangelo’s figurative sculptures, like his iconic David statue.
Employing contrapposto, or “counterpose,” David showcases a realistically balanced posture.
Additionally, the figure exhibits lifelike features and a detailed anatomy.

ARCHITECTURE

On top of the fine arts, the Renaissance style is also evident in architecture of the period. Led by
Brunelleschi, the designer and architect behind Florence’s famed duomo, or dome, Italian Renaissance
architecture often conveys an interest in symmetry and balance

Michelangelo

ITALIAN ARTIST

Michelangelo, in full Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni, (born March 6, 1475, Caprese,
Republic of Florence [Italy]—died February 18, 1564, Rome, Papal States), Italian Renaissance sculptor,
painter, architect, and poet who exerted an unparalleled influence on the development of Western art.

Michelangelo

QUICK FACTS

BORN:

March 6, 1475

Caprese, Italy

DIED;
February 18, 1564 (aged 88)

Rome, Italy

NOTABLE WORKS:

“David”, “Pietà” "Bacchus”, “Moses”, “The Last Judgment”, “Madonna and Child with the Infant St. John”,
“Crucifixion of St. Peter”

MOVEMENT / STYLE

Renaissance, Mannerism Early Renaissance

Leonardo da Vinci, (Italian: “Leonardo from Vinci”) (born April 15, 1452, Anchiano, near Vinci, Republic
of Florence [Italy]—died May 2, 1519, Cloux [now Clos-Lucé], France), Italian painter, draftsman, sculptor,
architect, and engineer whose genius, perhaps more than that of any other figure, epitomized the
Renaissance humanist ideal. His Last Supper (1495–98) and Mona Lisa (c. 1503–19) are among the most
widely popular and influential paintings of the Renaissance. His notebooks reveal a spirit of scientific
inquiry and a mechanical inventiveness that were centuries ahead of their time.

BORN:

April 15, 1452

Vinci, Italy

DIED:

May 2, 1519 (aged 67)

Clos-Lucé, France

NOTABLE WORKS:

“Mona Lisa”, “Last Supper”, “Leda”, “St. Jerome”, “The Virgin of the Rocks”, “The Benois Madonna”,
“Treatise on Painting”, “Portrait of Ginevra de’ Benci”, “Virgin and Child with St. Anne”, “Battle of
Anghiari”

Donato di Niccolò di Betto Bardi, (born c. 1386, Florence [Italy]—died December 13, 1466, Florence),
master of sculpture in both marble and bronze, one of the greatest of all Italian Renaissance
artists.Donatello was one of greatest Italian Renaissance artists, noted especially for his sculptures in
marble, bronze, and wood. His sculpted figures were some of the first since antiquity to represent
anatomy correctly—though some late works were slightly exaggerated—and to suggest a sense of
individuality.
BORN

c. 1386

Florence, Italy

DIED

December 13, 1466

Florence, Italy
Music:

Joseph Haydn

AUSTRIAN COMPOSER

Joseph Haydn, in full Franz Joseph Haydn, (born March 31, 1732, Rohrau, Austria—died May 31, 1809,
Vienna), Austrian composer who was one of the most important figures in the development of the
Classical style in music during the 18th century. He helped establish the forms and styles for the string
quartet and the symphony.

Joseph Haydn

Joseph Haydn, detail of a portrait by Thomas Hardy, 1791; in the collection of the Royal College of Music,
London.

BORN:

March 31, 1732

Rohrau, Austria

DIED;

May 31, 1809 (aged 77)

Vienna, Austria

NOTABLE WORKS;

“Surprise Symphony”

“Deutschlandlied”

“Emperor Quartet”

“The Creation”

“Military Symphony”

“Paris Symphonies”

“The Seasons”

“London Symphonies”

“Requiem”
“Gott erhalte Franz den Kaiser”

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

AUSTRIAN COMPOSER

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, in full Johann Chrysostom Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, baptized as Johannes
Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart, (born January 27, 1756, Salzburg, archbishopric of
Salzburg [Austria]—died December 5, 1791, Vienna), Austrian composer, widely recognized as one of the
greatest composers in the history of Western music. With Haydn and Beethoven he brought to its height
the achievement of the Viennese Classical school. Unlike any other composer in musical history, he
wrote in all the musical genres of his day and excelled in every one. His taste, his command of form, and
his range of expression have made him seem the most universal of all composers; yet, it may also be said
that his music was written to accommodate the specific tastes of particular audiences.

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozar

Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus

BORN:

January 27, 1756

Salzburg, Austria

DIED:

December 5, 1791 (aged 35)

Vienna, Austria

NOTABLE WORKS:

“The Marriage of Figaro”

“Don Giovanni”

“The Magic Flute”

song

“Così fan tutte”

“Jupiter Symphony”

“Eine kleine Nachtmusik”

“Clarinet Quintet in A Major, K 581”

“Exsultate, Jubilate, K 165”

“La finta semplice”

Raphael

ITALIAN PAINTER AND ARCHITECT

Raphael, Italian in full Raffaello Sanzio or Raffaello Santi, (born April 6, 1483, Urbino, Duchy of Urbino [Italy]—died April 6, 1520,
Rome, Papal States [Italy]), master painter and architect of the Italian High Renaissance. Raphael is best known for his
Madonnas and for his large figure compositions in the Vatican. His work is admired for its clarity of form and ease of
composition and for its visual achievement of the Neoplatonic ideal of human grandeur.

Raphael

QUICK FACTS

Raphael: The Grand Duke's Madonna

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BORN:

April 6, 1483

Urbino, Italy

DIED:

April 6, 1520 (aged 37)

Rome, Italy

NOTABLE WORKS:

Stanza della Segnatura, “School of Athens”, Stanza d’Elidoro, “Disputa”, “The Marriage of the Virgin”, “Transfiguration”, “The
Liberation of St. Peter"

”
Ludwig van Beethoven, (baptized December 17, 1770, Bonn, archbishopric of Cologne [Germany]—died
March 26, 1827, Vienna, Austria),

Ludwig van Beethoven

GERMAN COMPOSER

Beethoven was born into a musical family. His father tried to make him into a child prodigy, like Wolfgang
Amadeus Mozart, but did not succeed. Beethoven did, however, meet Mozart in 1787. By that time, the
teenaged Beethoven had published a composition (Nine Variations on a March by Dressler [1783]) and
had been appointed continuo player to the Bonn opera. After their meeting, Mozart reportedly said of
Beethoven, “This young man will make a great name for himself in the world.” Three years later,
composer Joseph Haydn “discovered” Beethoven, who was then a viola player in the Bonn orchestra, and
took him under his wing. In 1792 Beethoven left Bonn for good. He took with him several musical
souvenirs, including the sudden pianos, unexpected outbursts, and “Mannheim rockets” typical of the
Bonn orchestra. These elements feature prominently in Beethoven’s later work.

December 17, 1770

Germany

DIED:

March 26, 1827

Vienna, Austria

NOTABLE WORKS:

“Symphony No. 9 in D Minor”

“Eroica Symphony”

“Symphony No. 5 in C Minor, Op. 67”

“Symphony No. 7 in A Major, Op. 92”

“Symphony No. 6 in F Major”

“Moonlight Sonata”

“Archduke Trio”

“Emperor Concerto”

“Choral Fantasy in C Minor”

“Diabelli Variations, Op. 120”

P. E. :