Art: The Mirror of Society

"The School of Athens" ~ Rafael

How can art be a mirror of society?

Art mirrors society by showing evolution and change in a society. There was no way except for art for moments to be captured so art was the only way that a moment could be shown visually. For example most of Roman art was mythological consisting of gods, goddesses and mythical creatures. During the Middle Ages art was only ever religious and unrealistic. These pieces of art consisted of biblical stories and biblical figures. "The School of Athens" by Rafael is a true depiction of the Renaissance because it shows change and a "rebirth" in knowledge and in painting. It shows a rebirth in knowledge because during the Renaissance curiosity was encouraged so people stopped searching for answers through the Church and made new discoveries through experiments and observations. Everyone in this painting was an amazing inquirer who worked to make new discoveries to share to the world. Another way that society had evolved during the Renaissance was through art itself. Human dissections weren't allowed during the Middle Ages so the paintings of people were unrealistic and proportioned. During the Renaissance though, the Church had less control over the people and dissections were being done and the details of the human body were being uncovered. These discoveries allowed painters to make all their paintings realistic and proportional as well. Along with anatomical accuracy artists used other techiniques to make their art more realistic with depth and shades. Through different time periods the society has affected art and as society changes art would soon follow as art mirrors society.