Art History Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 1

Art History - Essay Example The rise of humanism promoted a renewed interest in pagan themes. The writings of the classical authors such as Plato, Aristotle, and Socrates were influential in the new philosophies of the period. Therefore, an interest in the writings promoted an interest in the mythologies of the ancient Classical period (Hankins 14). However, the paintings would reflect the cultural aesthetics of the time period in which they were painted through the clothing and styles that were used upon the figural representations. Their were distinct differences in the work that was created in the late 15th century to that of the early 16th century. The work of the later half of the century was typified by large groupings of figures who created a story based on period interpretations of the concepts of mythological representations, where in the 16th century there is a shift to fewer figures with attention giving to the realism and curvature of the body. Two paintings that can be compared for these attributes are Francesco Cossa’s Triumph of Venus 1469-1470 and Raphael’s Three Graces 1501-1505. The transition between the two centuries happened very rapidly as the abandonment of the Gothic period with its flatter representations gave way to the appeal of the transformational quality of the use of light to reveal curve and depth. In looking at these two pieces of artwork, it is clear that the representation of the three graces are similar in composition, but distinctly different in the way they are presented. The purpose of the Three Graces are to represent the concept of benefits. In most ancient depictions they are shown nude as or in sheer clothing, according Seneca, benefits should be visible (Algazi et al 348). The goddesses are known for the affiliation with beauty, charm, human creativity, fertility and beauty. They are most often depicted as three represented by Aglaea who is