Renaissance

The Renaissance, which had determined European art until present days, was born in Italy, but the time of its beginning is as much debated as its end. The word itself comes from the French, meaning "rebirth." The novelty of the Renaissance was seen, by the definition of the period itself, in the fact that after the general decline of the Middle Ages the original grandeur of antique art was brought to light again. In architecture the architectural language of antiquity was renewed, and the individual architectural forms imitated antique examples. The art of sculpture also developed under the influence of antique statues, and was primarily interested in the representation of the human body. In painting, the most important problem was, beside the depiction of the human body, the representation of space. Although the chronological boundaries of the Renaissance in Hungarian art are debated, its beginning (after some precursory humanism) can be counted from the reign of King Mátyás, and its end came only with the end of the seventeenth century, especially in Transylvania, but also in Royal Hungary where by this time Baroque art was also present. The early period under King Mátyás was characterised by high artistic quality and exclusiveness, but from the Jagello period the stylistic elements of the Renaissance occupied a far more significant place in Hungarian art. At that time in addition to the Italian Renaissance also Renaissance works of art from Germany appeared. After the battle of Mohács, art developed in different ways in the various parts of the country according to the political situation: in Royal Hungary higher quality works of arts were created, while in Transylvania the artistic level was more provincial. The artistic language of the Late Renaissance was preserved in Transylvania until the end of the seventeenth century.

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