Abstract
This paper is an in-depth look at the history of art in the Italian and Northern Renaissances, and Italian Baroque. The author discusses how art reflected the social and cultural changes, and compares the styles of the three periods.

From the Paper
"A glance back into the history of art genre and style is much like a glance back into a globalized mirror of cultural and societal change. Art is a traditional form of expression common to all civilizations and cultures, a form of expression that has conventionally been shaped by a shifting society and dictated by the diversities that shift that society. A look at the history of the evolution of art genre and style, therefore, offers also a reflective look at the centuries of change and decades of dissemination that shaped not only the evolution of art, but also the evolution of human civilization at large. Three artistic periods in particular present a clear and comprehensive reflection of the societies and eras that shaped them. These periods are known as the Italian Renaissance, the Northern Renaissance and the era of the Italian Baroque."

Tags:baroque, renaissance, genre, style, italian, north, netherlands, europe, raphael, david, caravaggio

Abstract
This paper compares and contrasts classical Hollywood films with Italian art cinema. It explores the characteristics and elements of each. The paper provides examples from "Casablanca," "The Bicycle Thief," "A Fistful of Dollars" and "Last Tango in Paris." The author discusses the Hollywood star system and principles of Neo-Realism.

Tags:Hollywood, Films, Cinema, Narrative, Neo-Realism, Leone, Eastwood, Bogart, Westerns, Italian

Abstract
"Mars and Venus" by Sandro Botticelli is a typical example of the art of the Early Italian Renaissance. The writer explains how the painting depicts the relaxed goddess of love, Venus, looking over the sleeping form of Mars, the god of war, showing the power of love to conquer violence and war. It points out that "Mars and Venus" falls neatly within the themes of the Italian Renaissance, which focused on the classical works of both Greek and Roman material. The painting also illustrates Botticelli's ability to capture muted skin tones and create a fantastic and dreamlike atmosphere.

From the Paper
"Born Alessandro di Mariano Filipepi in 1445 in Florence, Italy, Sandro Botticelli became one of the most noted artists of the Early Italian Renaissance. Botticelli was known for his commissions for major churches in Florence, as well as his famed wall frescos on the Sistine Chapel of the Vatican in Rome. He painted a number of famed religious paintings, including "The Adoration of the Magi", "Madonna of the Pomegranate", "The Cestello Annunciation", as well as a number of paintings that depicted Roman and Greek legends, including "Primavera", "The Birth of Venus", "Mars and Venus" (WebMuseum)."

Tags:art

Abstract
This paper studies the conveying of meaning in art through the use of different techniques. It does this by comparing and contrasting two works on the same subject, as envisioned by two different artists. It looks at the slightly different styles and techniques of "The Fortune Teller" by the Italian painter Caravaggio and "The Fortune Teller" by the French artist Georges De La Tour.

From the Paper
"To understand the role of technique, as opposed to subject or narrative, in conveying visual meaning, it is so instructive for a student of painting to compare and contrast the works on the same subject, as envisioned by two different artists. Consider how the slightly different styles and techniques of "The Fortune Teller" by the Italian painter Caravaggio and "The Fortune Teller by the French artist Georges De La Tour both tell the same narrative within their painted structure. In both works, a young man of evident wealth is depicted visiting a fortune-teller. While having his palm read, all of the gold and money upon his person is stolen. However, subtle shifts in the artists" techniques and images cause slightly different shifts in the viewer's sympathy for the young man's plight and the viewer's feelings towards the thieving fortuneteller. This is true even though both paintings date from relatively similar periods of time in art history."

Tags:Fortune, Teller, Italian, Caravaggio, French, Georges, De, La, Tour, depiction, narrative

Abstract
This art history study compares and contrasts the realism that is exhibited within the paintings of Caravaggio and Annibale Carracci. By analyzing the Farnese gallery of Carracci, this paper sees the sense of realism that is anatomically in compliance with Caravaggio's painting style. Within the scope of realism, however, Caravaggio is more reliant on shadows and color schematics than Carracci in his compositional technique. This paper further discusses how in this manner, both Carracci and Caravaggio express similarities and differences in their approach to painting technique during the Italian Renaissance.

Tags:art, history, renaissance

Abstract
This paper aims to provide information on Mannerism in Italian Renaissance Art. It includes a brief history of Mannerism and its phases in Italian art. This paper also discusses the importance of Mannerism to Renaissance artists. It also includes brief information about mannerists as well as their works.

From the Paper
"Mannerism is a style in art and architecture of the 16th century. It is characterized by the distortion of elements such as proportion and space. In general, Mannerist artists and architects took the classical or idealized forms developed by Italian Renaissance artists of the early 16th century, but exaggerated or used these forms in unconventional ways in order to heighten tension, power, emotion, or elegance. The first to begin working in the Mannerist style were the Italian artists in Florence and Rome around 1520. Mannerism soon spread throughout Italy, France, Eastern Europe, Germany, and The Netherlands. In Italy, the more emotionally compelling baroque style had replaced Mannerism by 1600, whereas in northern Europe Mannerism continued well into the 17th century."

Tags:Style, Europe, Distortion, 'Maniera', Elegance

Abstract
The paper notes that the Italian Renaissance is often thought of in terms of humanism and landmark high art as it influenced the next chapters of European art history. This paper argues the importance of Muslim influence, notably in everyday and decorative items and arts that were most important to what happened in Italian centres whose material cultures were more Eastern than we might imagine.

From the Paper
"The Italian Renaissance is often studied for its humanism and its famous paintings. Less time can be devoted to everyday practical items or the decorative arts, that were also shaped by diverse influences reaching Italy. Rosamond Mack wrote on Italian trade with Muslim societies that it brought much change to Renaissance ceramics, glass and textiles and again, noting the importance of what can be quite ordinary decorative articles. (2001) Islamic cultures were declining by the 15th century, by which time the arts in Italy were flourishing."

Tags:renaissance, islamic, decorative

Abstract
Beginning with a definition of the term renaissance, this paper explores, through specific examples of writing, art and architecture, how and why the Italian renaissance may be characterized as a glorification of human power and human activity. Petrarch and his contemporaries are presented as examples of a return to classical idealism in Europe. Further, an exploration of the dignity of man, as well as renaissance art and architecture are detailed, giving weight to the paper's thesis. Specific art examples discussed in the paper include the Merode Altarpiece (1425-1428) by Master of Flemalle, Michelangelo Buonarrotis' David and Bramante's Tempietto.

From the Paper
"The Renaissance, from the French word renaissance and the Italian word rinascita, both meaning rebirth, is considered by some to have officially begun in 1341 when Francesco Petrarch (1304-1374) was crowned in Rome with the Laurel wreath, the ancient symbol of victory and merit. Petrarch, as one of the first humanist writers, explored modern life through the lens of the ancient Romans and Greeks. Both Petrarch and his contemporary Boccaccio (1313-1375) "were famous in their own day as poets, scholars and men of letters - their achievements equivalent in honor to those of the heroes of civic virtue." As the word humanism suggests, the principle concerns of its advocates were human values and human interests, which are distinct from, but not entirely opposed to, the other worldly values of Christianity."

Tags:bramante, merode, michelangelo, petrarch

Abstract
The following paper examines the history of Italian opera focusing particularly on how Italian singers and composers helped to transform opera in the United States from an art form that was something that only the elite followed to something approaching a truly popular art.

From the Paper
"Opera is simply the Italian word for work and describes a piece of drama set to music, distinguished from plays in which music is merely incidental. Although there are certainly distant antecedents to opera in the music of Greek tragedy and Medieval European miracle-plays, it begins as a distinct art form (as dramas that were set to music in order to be produced as musical works of art) at the beginning of the 17th century. Kimbell, 1994, p. 11)."

Tags:system, free, musical, declamation, recitative, operatic, vocal, conventions, tradition, melodies, dramatic, repose, dance, vocalization

Abstract
This paper examines 16th century European art. It first shows how, during this time, the Italian artists successfully claimed a very high place among the fine arts with their masterpieces. It focuses, in particular, on the artist most typical of the High Renaissance period, Raphael Sanzio (1483-1520). The paper looks at Sanzio's "School of Athens" as an example of his work. In contrast, while this great art movement was occurring in Italy, the lands beyond the Alps were still immersed in the Gothic manner, which persisted well into the 16th century in the north of Europe. The paper examines the work of Flanders artist, Hieronymus Bosch, and his painting, "Garden of Earthly Delights".

From the Paper
"The subjects in this painting are apparently derived in part from three major sources, being Medieval bestiaries, Flemish proverbs and the then very popular dream books, all intertwined in the melting pot of Bosch's astonishingly inventive imagination. In addition, there are frequent allusions to magic and alchemy and animal and vegetable forms are mingled in the most absurd combinations. Symbols are scattered throughout the panels, such as "fruit for sexual pleasure, eggs for alchemy and sex, a rat for lies and fabrications and dead fish for memories of past joys.""

Tags:Pope, Julius, II, Plato, Aristotle, triptych