For something artsy to do this weekend near D.C., see a tour of Italian Renaissance art at the National Gallery this Saturday, December 1.
The tour this Saturday, December 1, 2007, explores the artistic period from the early 13th century (that is, the late Medieval period) to the late 16th century (and the rebirth of interest in Classicism) that took place in Italy. The tour focuses on Renaissance ideals that transformed art like the rise of scientific inquiry, geographic exploration, the appeal of art to the common man, and the importance of the individual.
During the Renaissance, painters developed the use of perspective, giving paintings a more realistic presentation. Artists began to favor a more naturalistic balance and proportion in human anatomy, giving their subjects a realistic appearance where previous artists had idealized the body. They experimented with the effects that oil paints and airy, bright colors could bring to their depictions of subjects, textures, modeling, and the effects of light and dark.
As part of their overview of Western Art, the December 1st tour reviews art by a variety of masters like Verrocchio, Duccio, Botticelli, Giorgione, Bellini, Raphael, Titian, and Leonardo.
The tour begins at 12:30 p.m. Visitors should meet in the West Building on the Main Floor of the Rotunda.
