Art then & now

After studying the changing artist in Renaissance times, I think there are few similarities and differences between them and the modern artists today.

One main similarity is the changing aspect of both types of artist. The artist's position in society was changing during the Renaissance. Artist became a part of a higher, more respectable class than before. Today the position of the artist is changing from someone who not only creates art but brings to the forefront ideas and criticism of the world around them through their art. Another similarity is that both artist types were pushing boundaries brought on by society. In the Renaissance the artist were branching out and beginning to chose their own subject matter and paint to their standards and choices. Today artist are pushing the boundaries of creativity and trying to find new ways to express old ideas.

In the Renaissance, the artists were creating art for the patron and sometimes could add their own artistic touch and display their talents, if the patron allowed. Many of the artist had to sign contracts and stick to the guidelines put down by the patron. This concept of art has completely changed for the artist today. Art now is produced because the artist has some concept or idea to get across to an audience, they are not bound by patrons but rather have the freedom to create art as they please. This is the biggest difference, artist then were restricted to patron subject matter, where now artist are restricted only through government policies and gallery standards. However, even then artist today can always find somewhere or someone to accept their art and ideas. Another big difference is how people during the time accept the art. During the Renaissance, artist were praised for their talent and skills, today artist are still recgonized for their talent but they are also judged on their ideas and how different the art is compared to other artist in their genre.