UMANISMART History II"Every painting, sketch and drawing began with a line." If there is anyone who had a greater impact on the art world, it would be Giotto, but you might wonder why Giotto is relevant when talking about Renaissance work. The answer is that, if it weren't for Giotto's ingenuity, no one knows how long it would have taken artists to understand linear or atmospheric perspective. The Greeks themselves, with all their artistic discoveries, could not understand what this man understood. It is thanks to Giotto that artists were able to elevate their work to a higher level of realism. You might think that realism is important, especially in a time when humanism seems to be the driving force of art. However, what is humanism? Humanism focuses on actual physical humans rather than supernatural or religious beings (a view or system of thought that places primary importance on human rather than divine or supernatural matters. Humanist beliefs emphasize the potential value and goodness of human beings, emphasize common human needs, and seek exclusively rational ways to solve human problems, a Renaissance cultural movement that moved away from medieval scholasticism and revived interest in ancient Greek and Roman thought: Humanism). This is not to say that the Church in those days was not still a very important or large figure. It's just saying that a broad sense of self-awareness has occurred, and because of this, amazing art has been produced that focuses on people and not on God or Gods. For example Petrus Christus. He painted religious scenes, yet the holy figures depicted had very human characteristics. Mary no longer had a gaudy halo around her head with the gold leaf drowning her and the Chr... in the center of the paper... all to herself. The care and detail of the hills closest to the stable are breathtaking. It almost has a sense of life. The way the lights and shadows hit the grass brings it to life. The artist once again shows his mastery of atmospheric perspective by slowly fading into blue the hills that should be furthest from the viewer. He does this until the only thing the viewer sees on the back of the painting are blue suggestions of hills. To conclude, there were many artists who influenced the way art was created, viewed and evaluated, however it was Giotto's contribution. it could be said to have acquired a higher level of realism that had a profound impact on many subsequent movements. It was the dawn of the Renaissance and Humanism that shed light on linear and atmospheric perspective, on foreshortening and on the true anatomy of a person.