My major takeaways from the first class was how important it is to not consider art in the present, but to consider it in the context of when it was produced. I thought it was interesting how the Sistine Madonna was not made for a gallery, but was rather created as an altar piece for a church. I also thought it was interesting how intertwined art and religion were during the Renaissance Period. As stated by Goethe, museums could be equated to “House(s) of God(s)”. It is interesting to see how this Renaissance encaptures so many different facets of societies. From religion, to Greek and Roman literature, to Italian art, all under the name of the French Renaissance. In the translation of the word “rebirth”, all these elements come together to create something beautiful, new, and unique.

In the first reading and lecture, it became apparent that the way art is considered, created, and perceived has much to do with its physical and cultural context. While this is true about its present context, such as artworks in a museum, the context in which it was created by the original artist also serves to give valuable insight into a piece. This was apparent with the allusion to Goethe’s perception of the Dresden Musuem, which he compared to a “house of God”, and which housed works like The Sistine Madonna, which as we discussed was initially an alterpiece of a church. Even still, the two angels at the bottom of the painting have been further removed from their original context, becoming the centerpiece on many modern pieces of merchandise. This example, presented by Johnson and further explored in class, goes to demonstrate how the perception of a piece can transform with context. Furthermore, we explored the meaning of the word Renaissance, including its origin, its function as a word that defines a time period, and the multiple definitions by historians of different cultures. This, along with the reference to Vasari’s opinion on Florentine art, also displayed how even an art historians’ opinions can be swayed by the culture they are a part of.

Being that it was the first class, we spent the first day becoming acquainted with Renaissance art. We discussed how the literal term “Reniassance”, which means “rebirth” in French, implies that something has died and is finally coming back to life. This was interesting to ponder, as I had never considered interpreting the word in that sense. It makes a lot of sense, however, as the Renaissance occurred as Europe emerged from the dark ages, which was a metaphorical death of the continent. This was because much of the medicine, innovation, and culture invented up until that point was abandoned, causing Europe to descend into somewhat of a societal death.

In our first class of the Renaissance Art course, we had the opportunity to discuss the brief reading we had done before class. I was particularly interested in the concept of “period eye” that we touched on in class. I have never taken an art history course, so this was a new idea to me and one that I think will be of great importance and interest throughout the semester. Working to truly understand period eye seems like it is one of the greatest challenges and joys of studying art history, and I look forward to engaging with that work this semester. I also enjoyed our conversation about the meaning of the word “Renaissance,” particularly the implication that something had to have died in order for there to be a rebirth. I look forward to exploring the history and art of the time just before the Renaissance to examine what this “death” looked like and felt like, and then contrasting it with the work of the Renaissance to fully appreciate the innovation in art, technology, religion, and thinking of that time.

One of the most interesting takeaways I had from our class was the comparison between museums and holy locations (Churches, Synagogues, Mosques, etc.) Growing up Jewish, I felt a specific connection to this aspect as silence is a ritual that demonstrates respect and helps to appreciate beauty, similar to the intended observation of a piece of art. Additionally, I appreciated the in depth look we took at the meaning of the word renaissance. Professor Plesch pointed out that sometimes, obvious meaning is hard to see, however, after discussing that the word renaissance did not just mean rebirth, but also that something had died, I found a sense of clarity with the work we discussed. I look forward to continuing to dive into such meaningful work going forward.

The Renaissance was a meshing of religion and art in a way that is difficult for modern viewers to understand. In order to fully understand the Renaissance, we need to put ourselves in context and try to understand the different forces at play in the time period of the art. If most art was meant to be an altarpiece, then taking it away from the church removes a huge chunk of our ability to see the art in context. So we need to pay attention to the original purpose, not just where the art is now.

The renaissance is an often spoke of time period, but not as frequently defined. It is a broad term which encompasses numerous cultural shifts in different nations to fit under one umbrella. This was my main take away from today’s class: the renaissance was multiple cultural revivals taking place at different times. The return to Greek and Roman literature, art, and science did not happen overnight across the continent; rather, it was a slow process which altered society after centuries. We see this on display in the difference between the French and Italian renaissance. While the Italians began their cultural shift in the 14th century, it was not until the French fought wars against the Italians, in the 16th century did they adopt similar ideologies. This point is interesting and relevant because it will contextualize the time periods and different works we see through history.

Something I took away from our first class today was how it is important to take into account the historical context of viewing art. It was interesting to talk about how altarpieces in the past were viewed with a ritual / functional manner while now this art infiltrates pop culture, like how the two angels are commonly seen on t shirts or phone cases. I also thought it was interesting how Vasari’s commentary on art is bias and brings up the idea that how historical narratives can possess biases which alter how the audience views Renaissance art. I thought it was interesting how the French Renaissance began after the French fought wars in Italy and were exposed to Italian art that they used for their own inspiration.

Here are some of the takeaways that I took from the class. It’s interesting how art pieces, how we now call them, transformed throughout the years. Going from having a purpose – altarpieces – to hanging in art museums as an aesthetic, has transformed how people view art. Along with change, the word renaissance itself has changed throughout time. Renaissance, meaning rebirth, has been used to describe people and movement, and innovations. It is important when studying art pieces that we put ourselves in the time period; refocusing our lenses. It’s interesting also that time is divided and given a name. Giorgio Vasari tried to promote Italy, really, Florence, as home to the best artist. This created a problem because there was no diversity and people starting looking at Italy as home to the best art and artist, narrowing people’s minds. (9.9.21)

Today is the first Art257 class for this semester. Here are some points that left me with a relatively great impression. “Renaissance” means rebirth, and that means something had died, but what exactly does “something” refer is not yet clarified. Based on the so-far readings and knowledge, “something” may refer to the lack of creativity and humanism in European culture and art during the medieval period. This may not be correct and hope I could give a more precise answer after a few more class. The pictures of two little angels from Raphael’s painting shown in different modern objects, such as t-shirts and phone shells, are interesting. It makes me think about how art made in one certain period can obtain some totally different functions during the following human history. Being the altarpieces originally, it now becomes the image decoration being able to be printed almost everywhere. Its meaning also changes from merely ritual to more aesthetic, from something sacred to something that can be consumed and utilized by everyone in daily trivial life. Such a huge change, I think, is exactly the reason why we need to perceive the artworks in the Renaissance period through contextualized eyes in order to better understand and appreciate them comprehensively.