whats the difference between early renaissance and high renaissance?

Answer 1

Art History 101 - The Early Renaissance

The "Early Renaissance" was all about Florence. Firenze, as it's known to those who live there, was the place in which to launch one's artistic career in 15th-century Italy.

In the previous article on the Proto-Renaissance, several Republics and Duchies in northern Italy were mentioned as artist-friendly. These places were quite serious in competing with one another for the most glorious civic adornment, among other things, which kept a lot of artists happily employed. How, then, did Florence manage to grab center stage? It all had to do with five competitions. Only one of these was specifically about art, but they were all important to art.

Competition #1: Dueling Popes
In most of 15th-century (and 14th-century, and all the way back to the 4th-century) Europe, the Roman Catholic Church had the final say on everything.
eeping this in mind, it was of major importance that the end of the 14th-century saw rival Popes. During what is called the "Great Schism of the West", there was a French Pope in Avignon and an Italian Pope in Rome. Each had different political allies.
Having two Popes was intolerable; to a pious Believer, it was akin to being a helpless passenger in a speeding, driverless automobile. A conference was called to resolve matters, but its outcome, in 1409, saw a third Pope installed. This situation endured for some years, until one Pope was settled on in 1417. As a bonus, the new Pope got to re-establish the Papacy in the Papal States (read: Italy). This meant that all of the (considerable) funding/tithing to the Church was once again flowing into one coffer, and, say! The Papal bankers were in Florence.

Competition #2: Florence vs. the Pushy Neighbors

Florence already had a long and prosperous history by the 15th century. It had made fortunes in the wool and banking trades. During the 14th century, however, the Black Death wiped out half of the population and two banks succumbed to bankruptcy...which led to civil unrest and occasional famine, coupled with episodic, new outbreaks of plague.

These calamities certainly shook Florence, and its economy was a bit wobbly for a while. First Milan, then Naples and then Milan (again), tried to "annex" Florence, which was a juicy prize indeed. The Florentines were not about to be dominated by others, though. With no alternative, they repulsed both Milan and Naples' unwelcome advances. As a result, Florence became even more powerful than it had been pre-Plague, and went on to secure Pisa as its port (a geographical item Florence had not previously enjoyed).

Competition #3: Humanist? Or pious Believer?

Humanists had the revolutionary notion that humans, purportedly created in the image of the Judeo-Christian God, had been given the ability for rational thought to some meaningful end. The idea that people could choose autonomy hadn't been expressed in many, many centuries, and posed a bit of a challenge to blind faith in the Church.

The 15th-century saw an unprecedented rise in humanist thought because the humanists began writing prolifically. More importantly, they also had the means (printed documents - new technology!) to distribute their words to an ever-widening audience.

Florence had already established itself as a haven for philosophers and other men of the "arts", so it naturally continued to attract the great thinkers of the day. Florence became a city in which scholars and artists freely exchanged ideas, and art became more vibrant for it.

Competition #4: Let us entertain you!

Oh, those clever Medici! They'd begun the family fortune as wool merchants, but soon realized the real money was in banking. With deft skill and ambition, they became bankers to most of present-day Europe, amassed staggering wealth, and were known as the pre-eminent family of Florence.

One thing marred their success, though: Florence was a Republic. The Medici could not be its kings, or even its governors - not officially, that is. While this may have presented an insurmountable obstacle to some, the Medici were not ones for hand-wringing and indecisiveness.

During the 15th-century, the Medici spent astronomical sums of money on architects and artists, who built and decorated Florence to the total delight of all who lived there. The sky was the limit! Florence even got the first public library since Antiquity. Florentines were beside themselves with love for their benefactors, the Medici. And the Medici? They got to run the show that was Florence. Unofficially, of course.

Perhaps their patronage was self-serving, but the reality is that the Medici almost singlehandedly underwrote the Early Renaissance. Because they were Florentines, and that was where they spent their money, artists flocked to Florence.

Art History 101 - The High Renaissance

After hearing so much about Florence, in the article entitled "The Early Renaissance", it would be natural to assume that the next - and most glorious - phase in Art History would occur in the same location. Well, no, this didn't happen.

Wonderful Florence met the end of its Renaissance heyday in the 1490s for several reasons. First, Lorenzo de Medici - arguably the greatest of the Medici - died in 1492. This brought a close to what is often referred to as the "Laurentian Age" in Florence.

Of equal importance, a rabidly religious monk named Savonarola was busy in Florence decrying the decadence of its art which, in his opinion, had caused moral decay and would, quite possibly, bring the Apocalypse upon the Florentines. As is always the sad case in instances such as these, many were willing to listen to Savonarola. The powerful Medici were expelled, fleeing to Rome. Savonarola inspired, for a time, great religious fervor in the townspeople, to the point of organizing the first "bonfire of the vanities", wherein "sacrilegious" items were burned in public. Loyalty being fickle, Savonarola himself suffered a similar fate in 1498. The damage to Florence's profile in the arts, however, had already been irreparably done.
Finally, the Florentine scene had made it incredibly chic for Those in Power (elsewhere) to acquire their own, personal artistic geniuses. Have you ever heard the phrase "keeping up with the Jones-es"? On a grand scale, at this time, many were keen to "keep up with" the Medici. The ranks of the Florentine artists were plundered, lured to other locations by promises of wealth and fame.

The good news is that, even though Florence was left with not much talent, it had already trained the talent that went elsewhere. In one of those ironic twists of fate, nearly all of the "greats" (excepting the Venetians, which is another topic entirely) of the High Renaissance were either trained in or influenced by the Florentine School.

Bidding Florence both huge thanks and a fond farewell, then, let's get right down to defining the who-s, what-s and when-s of the "High" Renaissance.

Why is it called the "High" Renaissance?

Simply put, this period represented a culmination. The tentative artistic explorations of the Proto-Renaissance, which caught hold and flowered during the Early Renaissance, burst into full bloom during the High Renaissance. Artists no longer pondered the art of antiquity. They now had the tools, technology, training and confidence to go their own way, secure in the knowledge that what they were doing was as good - or better - than anything that had been done before.

Additionally, the High Renaissance represented a convergence of talent - an almost obscene wealth of talent - concentrated in the same area during the same small window of time. Astounding, truly, considering what the odds against this have to have been.

How long did the High Renaissance last?

Not long at all, in the grand scheme of things. Leonardo began producing his important works in the 1480's, so most art historians agree that the 1480's were the start of the High Renaissance. Raphael died in 1520. One could argue that either Raphael's death or the Sack of Rome, in 1527, marked the end of the High Renaissance. No matter how it's figured, though, the High Renaissance was of no more than forty years' duration.

Where did the High Renaissance occur?

A little bit in Milan (per early Leonardo), a little bit in Florence (per early Michelangelo), smaller bits scattered here and there throughout northern and central Italy and a whole lot in Rome. Rome, you see, was the place to which one fled when a Duchy was under attack, a Republic was being reorganized or one simply grew tired of wandering.

Another attractive feature Rome offered artists, at this time, was a series of ambitious Popes. Each of these Popes, in turn, outspent the previous Pope on elaborate works of art. In fact, if this string of Holy Fathers agreed on any one secular policy, it was that Rome needed better art. By the end of the 15th-century, Popes were coming from the sorts of wealthy, powerful families that were accustomed to underwriting public art and employing their own private artists. Now, a Pope had (still has, in fact) a great deal of clout. If one was an artist, and the Pope "requested" one's presence in Rome, one certainly packed off to Rome. (Not to mention the fact that these Holy "requests" were often delivered by armed emissaries.)

In any case, we've already seen it demonstrated that artists tend to go where arts funding is found. Between Papal requests and the money being in Rome, the Big Three Names of the High Renaissance each found themselves in Rome being creative, at certain points.

Answer 2

High Renaissance Architecture

Answer 3

The high renaissance was the Pinnacle of the renaissance, there wasn't really a 'low' renaissance as such. High renaissance produced many amazing examples of art,architecture, sculpture etc. Many artists during this time were amazing at many different things this is where the phrase 'renaissance man' comes from. The duomo in Florence is an amazing example of renaissance architecture while the baptistery doors are amazing examples of sculpture. Massacios fresco's in Florence are also good examples. Artists such as Michelangelo and Brunelleschi reached their peak, there was such a concentration of talent in Italy at the time and people were so interested in cultivating these talents.

Answer 4

Monc has it right, and in the proverbial nutshell. The distinguishing factor is the timing, the inventions and the progress of the Raniassance.
Some people will tell you it was all about the art. Some all about the science. Truth is, it was all about KNOWLEDGE. A return to the lost "classical" teachings. Art, science, architecture...they all began again, were reborn, with addition of the old knowledge, classical knowledge. That is "early" renaissance, the return to classics. High renaissance was the culmination of relearning AND applying this "new" knowledge to new explorations.
The renaissance was less about "art" than it was about learning. It was about thought, and expression, about seeking, trying new things, new ways, new ideas, with a solid, practical base in classics.

Answer 5

if you look at the artwork from this particular era, as Im sure you alredy have, youll see quite a difference.
early renaissance evolved from the gothic period in art and in the transitional period, you can clearly see the gothic motif.
later, renaissance modeled itself in the art of antiquity, influenced by roman and greek art and philosophy. the perfect proportions of body and face is something the world hasnt seen in a long time. botticellis "birth of venus" is a good example.

even later, in high, or late renaissance, the shapes become more and more distorted, the age of manirisam is at hand. try to look up "the egzile from eden" by massacio.

im sure youll see the diference yourself just looking and comparing these two masterpieces.

Answer 6

Early Renaissance = Renaissance in Italy before the printing Press. 14th c. to early 15th.

High Renaissance - we've got our printing press and things are humming along at quite a clip.

late 15th century to 16th and early 17th. (thinks shakespeare)