What ten works of the Italian Renaissance are considered the best?

Question

Not just paintings, but architecture and sculpture as well.

Answer 1

You're on dangerous ground here. I'll give you my answer from the point of the Art Historian as I suspect any other answers that you get will be from an individual opinion and highly subjective.

You can't really say what the ten most important works of the Renaissance were as there were many more than ten which illustrate the importance of this era in many different ways.

For instance the work of Cimabue illustrates the birth of Naturalism.

Many artists works illustrate different aspects of Humanism for example Botticelli, da Vinci, Petrarch, etc.

Some artists works are the best examples of painting innovation and technique. The Mona Lisa for Leonardo's sfumato, his Last Supper as a living testimony of how not to paint a fresco using oils. His drawing of Santa Maria della Neve now known as the first landscape of western art. His anatomical studies which are still used in medicine today. I think I could name ten works of great importance just from Leonardo!!

Phillipo Brunellesci with his discovery of linear persepctive and his Humanist architecture.

Michelangelo's innovative portrayals of David and Moses.

What you have to remember with art is that without one innovation there can not be futher movement. Some works may look better than others or more pleasing to the eye. Maybe some are considered greater than others necause of size or effort but that does not make them better or more valuable to the art world.The best works are creations that can give an insight into the the artist, the work itself and its importance among contemporary works. Maybe it can give us some historical insight or visual recording of a place. Either way subjectivity can not come into any decision and opinions on visual pleasure should mean nothing to the historian.

Answer 2

St.Peter's in Rome
the cathedral in Florence
the Mona Lisa
Michelangelo's David (sculpture)
Leonardo's Last Supper
Raphael's Sistine Madonna
Michelangelo's frescos in the Sistine Chapel
Caravaggio's David (painting)
Botticelli's "Birth of Venus"
Tizian's Venus of Urbino

But that's my list. Everybody elses might be different.

Answer 3

If you are considering ONLY paintings I would say, in no particular order:
DaVinci's 'Mona Lisa", Giorgione's 'Sleeping Venus', Raphael's 'Galatea', Michelangelo's 'Creation of Adam' (a section of the Sistine Chapel ceiling frescoes), DaVinci's 'Madonna and Child with Saint Anne', Botticelli's 'Birth of Venus', Mantegna's 'Dead Christ', Botticelli's 'Mystical Nativity', Romano's ceiling for the Palazzo del Te, Bronzino's 'Venus, Cupid, Folly, and Time'.

Answer 4

In my humble opinion:
Ecstacy of Theresa
The Ambassators.
David
Creation of Adam

Answer 5

ALL THE GOOD COPIES OF CLASSIC ANCIENT GREEK ART