Ten Things I Hate About Renaissance Art
Let me get this off my chest.
In preparation for the course I’m delivering on art of the Italian Renaissance, I want to understand more deeply why I haven’t ever really enjoyed the art of a historical period I love. So, here are my gripes—the top ten things I hate about (Italian) Renaissance art.
1. Too Cartoony! Let’s start with the style. So much of Renaissance art is so cartoony looking! Throw in funky human bodies, the overuse of gold, the exaggerated use of perspective, and it makes me yearn for a Waterhouse or a Bouguereau! Why go back to 8-bit graphics in video games? Why go back to black-and-white movies? There is so much more realistic rendering in post-Renaissance art! It’s so much easier to suspend disbelief in something I can more easily imagine as real!
2. No Realistic Subtlety! I love details that help tell a story with subtlety. Give me clues, give me subtle body language, give me some landscape—give me an Aristotelian world where I can observe and infer! There is so little of that in most Renaissance Art. And if there is detail, it’s mostly detail for detail’s sake: “Look, I can do atmospheric perspective!” “Look, I can do linear perspective!” “Look, I can do musculature in the human body!” “Look I can do lots and lots of intricate feathers in Angels wings!” I love detail that helps me read the story in the artwork, and I wish Renaissance artists were more interested in story-meaningful detail.
3. Such Bland Expressions! Facial expressions are really bland (or otherwise over-exaggerated). Something pivotal, dramatic, wonderful, devastating, glorious is happening, and the reaction of the characters is either a bored “ho-hum” or just a stern “hrmph”. I wish there were better “acting” in Renaissance productions!
4. So Religious! Okay, let’s talk content. So much of the art is religious, telling Bible stories that espouse philosophic ideas I’m not a big fan of. Like… the importance of the supernatural, the value of revelation, suffering as a virtue, pleasure as a sin, eternal life as more important than earthly life. I know that the Renaissance is a rebirth of the secular/pagan ancients. But why should I devote my self, my time, and my soul to art that exhibits growing pains when I can just spend time with art that fits with my world view. One hour spent with the Italian Renaissance art is one less hour spent with Ancient Greek art!
5. So Preachy! I don’t mind the religious ideology if the art is great. I love the novels of Victor Hugo—I’m immersed in their amazing plots and characterizations. But so much Renaissance Art seems like it’s preaching to me, telling me how I should live my life, what lessons I should follow. They’re not depicting great stories, masterfully told, that I lose myself in. So much Renaissance art is wagging its finger at me! Even Michelangelo, whom I love, has a huge Last Judgment that makes me feel like I’m being told I need to be a good boy if I don’t want to go to Hell.
6. Too Repetitive! Walk into a Renaissance gallery in any museum, any gallery, and you’ll see a dozen crucifixions and two dozen Madonna and Childs just lined up on the walls waiting to bore you! Now, they’re all by different artists, and they have some subtle stylistic differences, but it’s so boringly repetitive. It’s like going to a movie theater and all the movie posters are for only Spiderman movies. I like Spiderman movies (shoutout Tobey Maguire!), but give me a few years before I have to see the next one!
7. Too Familiar! I know all the main stories: the Last Supper, the Annunciation, the Pieta, the Adoration of the Magi, Venus Being chill. That gets repetitive (as I mentioned above), but there’s another reason this bothers me. I can just glance at the art and immediately guess the background story. I prefer mystery! I love coming to an artwork and not knowing the background story. I get to experience suspense and surprise as I try to figure out what is going on. And I get the reward of hearing to what extent the background story meshes with my reading. With 99.999% of Renaissance art, I don’t get any mystery or suspense!
8. So Much Damage! So many Renaissance artworks are lost or damaged! I’d love to immerse myself in a reading of Leonardo’s The Last Supper, but it is so badly damaged that I can’t easily suspend disbelief. And so many vital details, like facial expression, are just plain blurry. I also really like the art of Giotto, but we’re lucky that one set of his frescos is relatively undamaged! So many Renaissance artworks have been broken apart, painted over, bombed, “repaired”, hacked at by hooligans, flooded, had doors carved into them, or just faded with time. I should probably call my course “Renaissance Archeology”!
9. So Hard to See! Have you ever gone to see Michelangelo’s Sistine Ceiling? Well, you’re stuck standing in the middle of huge crowds all craning their necks with so much noise and bustle that security guards are constantly yelling at everyone to quiet down. Fun! And have you seen the Mona Lisa at the Louvre? How much did you enjoy those three seconds before someone pushed you out of the way for their selfie? And what about all the “wonderful” viewing conditions in churches: poorly lit frescos at awkward angles much too high to view well. And, going back to the “repetitiveness” point, art museums just bunch all the Renaissance art together so that you get an endless stream of stern saints on gold backgrounds. Thanks… I’d rather watch TikTok videos on my premium Super Retina XDR phone screen.
10. Too Iconic. I’ve mentioned some famous artworks, and I like many of those artworks… rather I like that they exist. But for most, I’ve never really been able to suspend disbelief. I’ve never personally connected with the characters. I’ve just been oversaturated with Leonardo, and Michelangelo, and Raphael. I wish I could see Raphael’s School of Athens as if I were seeing it for the first time! But that’s not going to happen.
Join me for my upcoming course: The Art of the Renaissance!
Well, actually it’s sold out, but you can still get the recordings! More info here.
All so true. Good thing I’d trust you with my life.
Very exciting. I share all of your frustrations with renaissance art. I look forward to seeing how you tackle this subject.