Question

Which of the following is a characteristic of Renaissance humanism shown in the painting? The use of a black-and-white style of painting The angel floating above the human figures The emphasis on human actions within the natural world The animals being used to complete tasks such as farming

Answer 1

The correct answer is: The emphasis on human actions within the natural world.

The principal characteristic of the Renaissance humanism is the anthropocentrism in which Human reason acquires supreme value as in the classic Greco-Roman humanism.  

The principal characteristics in the paintings of this movement were:  

• The nature portrayed in the backgrounds of the compositions.

• More realistic representation of the human body

• Religion in paintings is replaced by human figures. There was paintings about religious themes but it was more focused in the human actions and the human body than in the religious meaning.   It is important to make clear that Humanism in the Renaissance, represents a rupture with the idea of religion that God was the center of all things, but God was still a recurrent topic. With Humanism, God did not lose his role, but he placed himself on a different plane.

With this characteristics in mind, one can be sure that if we are talking about Renaissance humanism the principal things that we are going to find in a painting is the emphasis on human actions within the natural world.