The Early Renaissance movement began in Florence, Italy.
The Early Renaissance period, spanning about 1420 to 1495, witnessed the rebirth of classical Greek and Roman artistic ideals that reflected an appreciation of the beauty of the human body. Early Renaissance artists sought to depict realistic representations of the human form. Additionally, artists such as Masaccio and Fra Angelico employed the emerging use of linear perspective. Florence, Italy, was the center of the Early Renaissance, but art academies or art schools did not exist yet. Artists were perceived as tradesmen, and skilled tradesmen belonged to guilds. Therefore, individuals who wished to pursue careers as artists sought apprenticeships from master artists.
Guilds
Early Renaissance artists belonged to guilds, which were professional or trade organizations. For example, painters belonged to the Guild of St. Luke. In the Medieval and Renaissance periods, guilds were responsible for inspecting artworks and materials used to create them, thereby guaranteeing quality workmanship, and master artists received their commissions through their guild.
The Apprentice
Apprentices learned to mix pigments to make paint.
An artist's apprenticeship of learning his (rarely her) craft began between the ages of 7 and 15 years. The apprentice lived like a son with the master artist, who taught his pupil the essentials of his craft.
An apprentice's tasks in a painter's workshop typically consisted of keeping the workshop clean, preparing panels for painting, and grinding and mixing pigments to make paint. When the apprentice became more proficient, he was allowed to sketch and copy paintings. Skilled students were allowed to assist the master painter by painting background or minor figures for commissioned works.
The Master Artist
Artists trained to become members of a guild.
Once an apprentice mastered the skills he'd been taught, he traveled to other workshops, learning as a journeyman artist. His goal was to become a master artist and gain admission to the guild so he could hire apprentices of his own. Artists were dependent on patrons' commissions; therefore, established artists were often expected to provide a variety of artistic work, such as painting portraits, banners and murals for the home and church. Patrons were viewed as the creators of artworks rather than the artist because patrons brought definite ideas of the art they wished to see completed, along with their money.
Evolution of the Artist's Image
By the late Renaissance, an individual artist's talents were well respected.
Although many early Renaissance artists never received due recognition for their contributions to the art world, art was no longer viewed as a trade by the late Renaissance. A talented master artist enjoyed higher social status than a tradesman, and artists achieved greater independence and new prestige.
