Renaissance Art Research Paper

Words: 509
Pages: 3

I think that a new diversity in patrons had significant impacts on the arts in the 15th-18th centuries. Until the period of the Renaissance, the Church had been the primary patron of the arts because art was mainly viewed as a “vehicle for religious ritual” (“The Evolution of Visual Art”, n.d.). In order to commemorate significant religious events, the Church hired artists who were perceived as skilled laborers, craftsmen or artisans, but as the Middle Ages transitioned to the Renaissance, artists realized a desire to break this notion.

Renaissance artists had ambitions to be considered as creative thinkers and innovators as opposed to simple laborers, craftsmen or artisans. It is also worth noting that this endeavor to change people’s perception of artists did make dramatic progressions, but it was most definitely not an easy battle as “it would take centuries for successful artists to gain the extremely high status we grant to “art stars today” (“What made
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Whereas in the past, the Church was mainly involved in the world of arts, the Renaissance saw the emergence of many other patrons such as princes, other noble figures, royal families, wealthy merchants and bankers. These patrons, by commissioning various works of art, were able to showcase their religious dedication, affluence, power and generosity. Art, according to humanist philosophies, was “morally uplifting for all of society. So when patrons commissioned a major work of public art, it was seen as a gift to the people” (Muscato, n.d.). Furthermore, I feel that this vast array of patrons also correlated with a larger spectrum of the types of art that were able to be commissioned and, therefore,