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Samurai Influence On Japanese Art

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No other tribe in the history may have gained such an epic image that Samurai people got who had been featured in a large number of comic books, plays and movies. That military people lived in the feudal Japan before centuries are still living in the hearts of hundreds of people today without regard to adults or children.

History of the Samurai art cannot be explained without referring to the history of the Samurai tribe. The governance system that existed in Japan in 12th century was denominated as Shogunate and the ruler was known as Shogun. At that time, Japan was suffering a lot from frequent struggles between the then existed powerful clans named Taira and Minamoto.

The daimyo were the second in command in the hierarchy of the Shogunate. This position was similar to that of dukes in Europe. The Samurai class was then the soldiers of a daimyo. Ronin is the name given to a Samurai that did not have a master. This happens when their master is forced to commit suicide.

The Samurai caste had many privileges which was not granted for the common people. They were licensed to carry two swords while the common people were restricted from carrying any. They were even allowed to kill any ordinary citizen who came to hurt them.

The Samurai tribe itself was categorized into three classes – the administrators who were known as housemen, soldiers who were permitted to fight on horse back named mounted Samurai and the foot soldiers.

Eventually this Samurai life underwent many changes and now most of their descendants are farmers living in castles. Depending upon their ranks, they were authorized for a certain percentage of the rice tax also. Samurai followed some moral doctrines which were mainly established over the obedience to the leader who was known as Daimyo. This code of Samurai life is known as Bushido, which means the way of warrior.

A strange custom of committing suicide named Suppuku existed among them. They believed it as a honourable way of death and was performed at the battle field or outside the battle as a formal function. Gradually, the age of battles came to an end and the Samurai class dissolved in the mainstream of the Japanese life.

The Samurai chronicles have become world-renowned because of their heroism and the impacts they made in the Japanese history in addition to the fame they accomplished through various types of media. The fact that this type of a tribe existed in the history and the code of life they adopted still remain implausible for the modern world.

The Samurai life had a great impact on the Japanese art of those times because of the power and position they possessed in the society. Their life, history and culture had been depicted in the Japanese art works with all the fascination. These arts catch the attention of everyone including those who are not at all familiar with the Japanese way of life.

Art – The Importance Of The Italian Renaissance

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An extremely important time in art was during the renaissance. In particular the Italian renaissance which was the start of the entire period brought a change in culture, poetry, music and art. This time period was a time of rebirth in which old beliefs and ideas were challenged by new ones. This was a time of transition that would bring humans from the medieval times into modern Europe.

Some of the world’s finest masterpieces were created during the renaissance and much of this work was created in Italy as the center of the Renaissance was first Florence and Siena and then later Venice. The new ideas that came about during the Renaissance quickly spread throughout the rest of Europe even after the Italian renaissance finished.

Some of the art world’s great masters produced work during the Italian Renaissance and much of the paintings and sculpture have influenced today’s modern artists. Leonardo da Vinci, Raphael, Perugino, Piero della Francesca, Giotto di Bondone, Botticelli, Michelangelo, Ghirlandaio and Masaccio all created works of art that are greatly valued to this day.

There were many stylistic changes that occurred in the art world during the Renaissance. One of the most important was that three dimension objects were depicted realistically instead of skewed. This was noticeably different as humans were painted in proportion instead of with elongated faces or longer arms and legs, as the prior art period much of the human form was changed to appear more beautiful. This realism is a pivotal point in art history.

Other changes included changes in perspective as most landscapes and forms were now correctly depicted on a two dimensional canvas as in their true 3 dimensional form. These new techniques also created a large amount of literature on the nature of new renaissance ideas and techniques.

The use of light was also used differently as many painters changed how they used dark and light. Many of the portraits done by Titian are an excellent example of this play of light. During the renaissance the subject matter of art also included non-religious subject matter such as mythology. The Birth of Venus by Botticelli is a great example of mythology artwork.

How sculptures positioned their subjects also brought about what is known as classical poses. Raphael developed the contrapostopose and also created the first free standing sculpture. These classic poses gave more of an emotional intensity to the subject and also were more realistic. Many Renaissance sculptures also captured figures in motion.

Architecture also utilized the principles behind the Renaissance. Buildings constructed during the Renaissance concentrated on using light and creating space to provide enlightenment and clarity. Additionally many of the Renaissance artists contributed to the buildings as many sculptures and paintings are found on and in the churches and other grand buildings.

The Renaissance is an exceptional time where new ideas where producing some of the most important works of art. This rebirth of culture and society was an extraordinary time in which many of the ideas and principles are still used. Much of the renaissance still influences artists and individuals.

Annie Deakin is an expert furniture and interior design writer who is currently interested in bathroom cabinets, coffee tables and home office furniture