Summation: Renaissance (plus seashells and candles)

Renaissance

The Renaissance adopted most of its characteristics from Classical Greece and Rome. It was a “rebirth,” an attempt to restore ideals such as order, harmony, beauty, perfection, man’s divinity, and Platonism. Characteristics, such as ideal proportions in both sculpting the body and in architecture, interest in science and the world, the painting of perspective and depth, and the use of columns and arches, arose from these ancient influences and ideals.

Michelangelo’s David expresses the ideals of perfection and man’s divinity. His figure is upright, sure, and even reminiscent of a Greek god. Also, the marble has been smoothed down and polished, obviously Michelangelo’s endeavor to make it beautiful. Michelangelo’s ceiling in the Sistine Chapel also displays these characteristics. The figures are so carefully painted and well proportioned.

Another work of Michelangelo’s is the Basilica of Saint Mary of the Angels and the Martyrs he designed in old baths in Rome. Stepping into it, the basilica gives you a sense of symmetry, harmony, order, and beauty. 

Renaissance art wasn’t just religious, however. Many painters, with this renewed interest in Ancient Greece and Rome, painted secular subjects, such as Botticelli’s La Primavera and The Birth of Venus, both of which depict classical themes and are influenced by Platonism.

Here are some pictures of the Roman baths turned Michelangelo-designed basilica:

The entrance. You can see the Roman architecture.

But on the inside:

Classical themes abound.

A very Roman dome. Pantheon anyone? 

One of the transepts.

Detail of the stained glass window.

Seashell themes also abound. 

Shells symbolize pilgrimage and are a symbol for St. James, who's often depicted as a pilgrim. He was the first apostle to be martyred, therefore the connection with the basilica's name.

Fun story from this basilica: 

One of the boys in the group [there were 43 girls, 4 boys, and 3 professors] lit a candle and offered a 50 cent to another girl and I to also light candles (each candle was 25 cents), so we did. Probably didn't do it correctly, but it was a cool and reverent experience. 

It was the first of three candles I lit on the tour (the second was in Munich, because the red candle holders looked cool against the white of the church, and the third in Reims to honor Joan of Arc). [More pictures coming soon]

Mine is the one on the left, second row up.