Artistic form and subject matter changed during both the early and late Renaissance. A middle class of wealthy merchants and tradesmen emerged during this historic time period as the proliferation of knowledge and the exchange of ideas flourished. The art of the period changed to reflect the changing attitudes of the populace.
Prior to the Renaissance, artwork was mainly based on religious subject matter but as the Renaissance progressed that changed to include the Gods and Goddesses of Greek and Roman mythology. A movement called Realism was born and the subject matter of artwork changed to include portraits of those in the new middle class and depictions of daily life.
Artists, including sculptors, employed symmetry, form, proportion, and perspective in their works. They found symmetry in nature and applied it in their works, this revelation is known as “the golden mean.” They experimented with the placement of objects in paintings to show perspective, depth, and dimension. When painting the Mona Lisa, da Vinci used a technique called Sfumato in which the hard lines in a painting are blurred thus creating softness as well as dimension. In addition, they attempted to perfect the use of light and shadows. Sculptors focused on creating the perfect human form.
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