Global Citizenship

In Siena, the greatest Medieval city in the world is where I learned the impact art can have. In Siena is where I learned that in gothic art, people are more symbols than they are people, the world is depicted as very abstract. They then start perspective again and so the Renaissance starts and becomes humanistic. Gothic ends with the symbols of people and the Renaissance starts with Duccio, which is considered to be very early, early Renaissance. He introduces humanism into his paintings as seen in the Maesta through the expression of hands. After the Renaissance, they enter into the Baroque, with this transition being called Mannerism. Baroque pushes further the Renaissance. Gothic is spiritual, Renisaance is humanistic, and Baroque is political because it is after the reformation. At this point, I had seen much art in Italy and could not really understand the impact art had on people, until Siena, which is interesting because the focus of Siena was not exactly the art, but for me it was. As I stood there staring at the Maesta, I could feel her hands holding onto baby Jesus, a humanistic feature although the painting came off as very Gothic looking. I reflected on the crazy idea that this painting started something that would forever impact the lives of many people, art of the Renaissance. An impact I felt myself when I stepped into a church and laid my eyes on the beautiful sculpture of Moses done by Michelangelo, leaving me completely speechless. Art has the ability to connect you to your senses. Art has made the emotions and problems of the world felt, which is where action by the person can come into play. Art transports you to another place. Art engages with the world and each piece impacts each person differently.