Question

Compare one way Renaissance art was influenced by classical Greece and Rome to one way it reflected new Renaissance values.(5 points)

Answer 1

One way Renaissance art was influenced by classical Greece and Rome was its revival of classical forms and techniques: artists returned to naturalism, idealized human anatomy, balanced composition and contrapposto poses drawn from ancient sculpture and used classical architectural orders (columns, domes, arches). Example: Michelangelo’s David echoes Greek idealized proportions and stance.

One way it reflected new Renaissance values was its embrace of humanism and individualism: artists emphasized the realistic portrayal of individual personalities, emotions, and everyday (often secular) subjects and used observation and scientific study (anatomy, linear perspective) to depict the world. Example: Leonardo’s Mona Lisa captures an individual’s personality through subtle expression and careful observation; Raphael’s School of Athens combines classical figures with contemporary thinkers, celebrating human reason.

Thus Renaissance art borrowed classical style and rules but applied them to express Renaissance ideas about human potential, individuality, and empirical inquiry.