Introduction
Artists in the late nineteenth century challenged status quo while those ones in the Renaissance period either lived by it or made mild attempts at speaking out. This major difference was as a result of the social, economic, political and cultural changes that societies underwent during these different art periods. However, because of the nature of art, there were still certain commonalities between these eras
Similarities between artists and society in the nineteenth Century and in the Reformation period
During both eras, most artists were male. In both periods of history, female emancipation was a concept that society had not yet embraced. While the late nineteenth century may have been characterized by a number of advances made by women; these were largely in other fields and more was yet to be done in the field of art. In fact, in both eras, women were often regarded as the subjects of art and not the creators of those subjects. This is why it was often common to find their depictions in both times. (Burke, 1999)
In both time frames, artists largely represented the views held by society. In this regard, they were affected by the advancements in science or technology synonymous to their times. Additionally, they embraced societal attitudes in their art forms. It should be noted that these attitudes were quite different in both eras but this does not change the fact that they were reflected by artists in their work. In close relation to the latter factor is the fact that artists and art in general held a special place in society within the nineteenth century and the renaissance. Art was an important indicator of the transformations that those societies were undergoing and most people sought art as a method of self expression.
Portraiture was an element common to both periods of history as one only has to examine examples from different parts of the divide to find out about why this statement is true. It is common to find representations of these portraits by citing common examples from either side of history. (Lopez, 1970)
Artists in both eras of history were instrumental in promoting images that built identity in society. During the late nineteenth century this was depicted in the development of the spirit of nationalism through demonstration of images that reflected those ideas. Also, in the reformation era, artists promoted the spirit of humanism. The reason behind this endearing element to their work is that renaissance artists brought out the real human spirit. The latter tradition was pioneered in that era and is one of the most sought after qualities in modern art. That concept was carried forward into the late nineteenth century.
Differences between the renaissance and the reformation
Art was made and commercialized very differently during the nineteenth century as compared to the reformation. In the reformation, most artists had patrons in high places hence the reason why being an artist was considered an affluent thing. In fact, they tended to have connections to persons who mattered in society. For instance, they were often acquainted with kings or princes who also happened to be their patrons. (Cronin, 1992) On the other hand, artists in the nineteenth century era were quite independent. This period in history saw a marked increase in commercialization of art where different individuals could make their own paintings and then sell them independently. In certain instances, these independent efforts would succeed. However, in other scenarios, it would be common to find that a society is well aware of an artist but that artist may still be struggling. This period saw the treatment of artists as marginalized members of society; something that was in stark contrasts to the wealthy and important artists in the reformation.
Another issue that made nineteenth century quite different for their counterparts in the reformation era is the fact that in the latter period, artists tended to dwell on neo-Platonist ideas. Usually, the content of their art was still religious in nature. In other words, their paintings and other artistic works were not as rooted in common day occurrences as was the case in the nineteenth century. During the late nineteenth century, there was a great emphasis on real life and examples of pieces of art that reflected such sentiments included; art by Jean François Millet and Gioto. These artists took on a political agenda by challenging the status quo. Their pieces were often very controversial ones and this implies that through their paintings.
Late 19th Century artists managed to show the stark realities of poverty in the rural areas. In fact, this showed that artists within this period were operating in a manner that opposed societal ideals. (Tinterow, 1987)
Some of the works that 19th Century artists carried out were treated negatively by other individuals who labeled them as political threats that hated authority. In these paintings, the latter artists were often trying to depict native people who were showing the dignity of work. Consequently, their critics claimed that instead of dwelling on the people who lead society, these artists were focusing on the persons being led. They also claimed that they were trying to despise authority by under-looking the role that they had played in making society what it was currently. Some said that common paintings were an ironic depiction of life in society as people knew it. This was because industrialized nations were incapable of freeing people from some of the unpleasant tasks that the ordinary man under took. In fact, other 19th C art critics felt that artists attempting this form of art were engaging in crude art forms. This was because one had to borrow some idealist styles and use them to depict ordinary day to day activities. The technique seemed to confuse critics owing to the fact that it was responsible for violating conventional rules. Additionally, it challenged what society had accepted as the norm because of the following;
-It Challenged gender role
-Challenged class distinctions
-Challenged rules of art (Raffini, 1998)
These artists were rebellious and changed the face of art as people understood it at that time since they attempted at all costs to show the down side of society’s rules or to show other ways in which things could be re-examined. In sharp contrast to this assertion was work done by artists within the Renaissance periods. These painters were in tune with societal rules and tended to produce pieces that reflected those perceptions.
It should be noted that the understanding of genius changed sharply during this eras and that the understandings were also carried forward into art. This was largely because in the late nineteenth century, geniuses were treated as individuals who were deeply marginalized and tortured as was the case with Vab Gogh. The latter artist tended to struggle with his own emotions and this idea became common among other artists who changed the perception of what a genius really was. Such perceptions sharply contrasted those ones held in the renaissance owing to the fact that at that time, geniuses were universal in nature and some of them included Da Vinci. In fact, the late nineteenth century artist felt so tortured that they opted to abandon their respective countries of origin and instead opted to go to other parts of the world. Usually, they settled on countries that contravened western ideals altogether. Usually, such artists were trying to protest against the concept of capitalism. Gauguin – a nineteenth century artist decided to go to Tahiti. It can therefore be said that this rejection of western ideals further contributes to the notion that nineteenth century artists challenged status quo.
During the reformation, artists rarely displayed their work for their public as art was not considered a commercial issue. On the other hand, public viewings were often quite common in the late nineteenth century. Artists at that time rejected the notion of art exhibitions being run by the government and the instead opted to run their own show. Again, this showed how artists in the nineteenth century were independent minded and also how they were not afraid of challenging the status quo. (Kloss, 2007)
The styles used by artists in both eras differed sharply. During the reformation era, artist tended to dwell on the new mathematical perspectives that had just been discovered. This was the reason why most of their work fell under the latter categories;
-Landscapes
-Portraits
Additionally, at this time woodcuts became very common because technology had just emerged. In contrast, artist in the late nineteenth century tended to embrace new dimensions of art. Examples of traditional but distinct styles include; Impressionism and Pointillism. Impressionism required that the artist involved leave the confines of their art studios and go to the outdoors to capture the beauty of the outdoors. Usually, it was common to find urban scenes and rural landscapes being painted by such artists. On the other hand, different genres of art began emerging that defied traditional understanding of art and these were brought on by the industrial movement. Some of them included;
-Photography
-Cinema
Artists in both eras were undergoing different phases and such differences were depicted in their art pieces. During the late nineteenth century, it was the industrial revolution while during the renaissance it was the advancement of mathematics and other sciences. This was largely the reason why artists within the renaissance tended to adopt styles that reflected newly discovered mathematical perspectives. In other words, the representation of three dimensional objects became much more refined. On the other hand, art in the later nineteenth century depicted some of the historical occurrences within that era. The industrial revolution brought with it advancement of cities and creation of other kinds of infrastructure that were reflective of that century. For instance, artists were drawn to newly developed cities and tended to show this in their pieces. For instance, there was a lot of work on the Napoleonic era in Paris and the renovations that occurred thereof. (Nochlin, 1978) Additionally, infrastructure such as bridges and other urban structures were also a common sight. It can therefore be argued that the images depicted in art pieces from each era were reflective of the economical background existent at that time. Another element that also reflected the industrial revolution was leisure activities synonymous to the upper and the middle class. These new leisure activities had been propagated by the economic benefits of the industrial revolution. At that time, picnics in the parks had become a common occurrence. Additionally, attendance of other social activities such as;
· race tracks
· cafes
· races
· dance halls
were also common. Additionally, other minor features that indicated exactly how technologically advanced the late nineteenth century was from the renaissance as a result of the industrial revolution. For instance, paintings in the renaissance tended to contain indoor lighting thus implying that more and more people were now using light bulbs.
The concept of rejecting status quo was continually depicted in late nineteenth century art as compared to art in the reformation period. This was mostly because in the renaissance, the subject of their art pieces centered on heroes, political figures and the like. However, in the late nineteenth century, most artists wanted to defy these common ideals. Instead, they went for the lives of the urban poor and the rural poor too. In these paintings, they reflected the themes of class oppression and economic inequalities. The late nineteenth century was characterized by another movement known as realism. Its essentially sought to convey messages of an objective and truthful image of contemporary life. (Finocchio, 2004) While some elements of realism were present in the renaissance era, this movement thrived more in the current scenario than in the late nineteenth century. Some of the artists who stuck in this movement had grown weary of the extremism present in the romantic era and they felt a need to change this a little more. Consequently, artists in the late nineteenth century tended to draw more inspiration from direct observations of day to day occurrences compared to their counterparts in the renaissance era. These artists were revolutionary in their own way because they were responsible for elevating ordinary working class citizens into art and literature. This changed their status from being members of a mass group to becoming individuals in their own right. The following were some of the agenda that artists within this era sought to address
· Economic change
· Political repression
· Addressing problems of the poor
This era was therefore more political in that artists had an inclination to develop ideological focus through encompassing socialist interest. The renaissance era on the other dwelt on religious and social topics alone.
Conclusion
Artists in the late nineteenth century related distinctly from their societies compared to their counterparts in the renaissance. The major difference was seen in the way that the former artists addressed sensitive issues such as class oppression. However, this era was similar with regard to art and society because in both times, artists reflected the attitudes and knowledge of their time.
References
Lopez, R. (1970): The three ages of the Italian Renaissance; Virginia University Press
Raffini, C. (1998): Political approaches in renaissance Platonism; Peter Lang Publishing
Cronin, V. (1992): The flowering of the renaissance; Mc Milan Publishers
Burke, P. (1999): the Italian Renaissance; Princeton University press
Kloss, W. (2007): Great Artists of the renaissance; Smithsonian institution, 12, 3, 49
Nochlin, L. (1978): realism; Penguin Publishers
Tinterow, G. (1987): Introduction to Modern Europe; Metropolitan museum of Art, 4, 50
Finocchio, R. (2004): Nineteenth Century French realism, retrieved from http://www.metmuseum.org/