Quattrocento

Quattrocento is the shortened form of "mille quattrocento" (meaning the 1400's, or the fifteenth century), a term used in history of arts describing early Italian renaissance. The most famous Quattrocento artists are Donatello and Botticelli. Italians during this period were bankers, and therefore had lots of money to spend on art. Art became a form of commpetition. The more art you had, the higher your social class. Renaissance art had seven main characteristics. 1. Realism and Expression, which was shown in the nakedness of the people. 2. Perspective. Art started to show vanishing points and looked more realistic. 3. Classicism, which meant that the paintings were focusing on ancient times (Greeks and Romans). 4. Emphasis on Individualism, which was demonstrated in the increase in portraits. 5. Geometrical Arangement of Figures. Some of the advanced painters (like Leonardo) had their paintings geometrically balanced with symmetry and with shapes. 6. The Use of Light and Shadows and Softened Edges. 7. Artists became celebrities, and if they were good then they became rich.

Related Topics:
Fifteenth century - History of art - Renaissance - Donatello - Botticelli

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I got this information from my AP European teacher and from "The Western Heritage" by Kagan, Ozment, and Turner.

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