The materials used by Renaissance artists changed too. They began to use canvas instead of wooden panels on which to paint their pictures. They also used oil in their paints. Oil paint took longer to dry so artists could make corrections if they were not happy with their painting. It also gave a richer colour than the paint mixed with egg-yolk or water which was popular in the Middle Ages. Many artists also painted frescoes, i.e. pictures painted on walls of wet plaster.
Source B u ✣ By the way
Brunelleschi invented the vanishing point. This is the point where all lines of perspective come from. It can also be described as the point at which parallel lines meet.
5
Looking at the evidence
Look at these two images. The first image shows sculptures from the Middle Ages. The second is a bronze statue of David by the Renaissance sculptor Donatello. Does the statue of David appear to be more realistic than the statue from the Middle Ages? Give two reasons why.
Sculpture
The sculpture of figures during the Renaissance period was far more realistic. In the Middle Ages sculptures were usually attached to churches. Renaissance sculptures were free-standing (they were not connected to anything else).
RECALL
1. Give three ways in which we know about the Renaissance and the lives of the artists and scientists. 2. (a) What were the new subjects that Renaissance artists began to paint and sculpt? (b) Why do you think they began to use these new subjects?
3. How did Renaissance artists make their art more realistic than medieval art? 4. Explain the following words: (a) Anatomy (b) Fresco (c) Perspective.