The Development of Landscape Painting in the Italian Renaissance.

... The Development of Landscape Painting in the Italian Renaissance How did the attitude towards depicting landscapes in painting change during the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries of the Italian Renaissance? Throughout this period the depiction of natural settings were always subordinated to the figures who occupied central position in the composition. Nevertheless, it was gradually liberated from its function as a purely symbolic backdrop to actually commenting on the mood of the protagonists. Technical innovations, ideological developments, and the increasing influence of classical poetry contributed to the change. Focusing on Florence and Venice as the two major centers for the development of landscape painting in Italy a distinct move from a stylized to a naturalistic representation can be discerned. Beginning with the invention of linear perspective in Florence, coupled with the changing function of religious art, the landscape reflects the growing interest in realism among artists. Leonardo da Vinci is credited

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