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FROM ANATOMY TO ART. GENOESE PAINTINGS IN THE LATE RENAISSANCE
Abstract
From the early 15th century, anatomical knowledge was considered fundamental to artists and even architects. Not only medically trained scientists, but also artists found a primary source of inspiration in the human body, directly investigating it under cover of the night or, later on, in public dissections. Direct observation, “to see with one’s eyes” – as states the original meaning of the Greek word autopsia – was fundamental to Renaissance artists. The body, standardized in its dimensions and used as a measurement reference, was rationalised in geometrical forms and masses in order to shape the space. The increasingly evolving study of human anatomy in the scientific field allowed artists to explore not only its structure but also its movement. From “The Fall of the Giants” by Perino del Vaga to the works of Luca Cambiaso, the Genoese art in the 16th century shows the innovative force of the Renaissance art and is a remarkable example of how the understanding of the human body allows the artist to model complex anatomical positions that create an almost architectural scenography.
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