“Naturalism” in art can take on a variety of meanings to different artists in distinct periods.  Naturalism, or realism, developed during the Italian Renaissance and reacted against the depiction of two-dimensional space found in earlier medieval paintings.  Formally, realism is an attempt to imitate nature.  Simple, two-dimensional, geometric shapes are replaced with more organic, three-dimensional forms, intended to portray people, animals, and the environment as they appear to the eye.  One-point linear perspective is used to organize the space within the picture plane, adding depth and diminishing the crowded space found in medieval paintings.  Chiaroscuro develops as a way to add value and depth to the forms within a painting, allowing them to stand more independently from the background.  Naturalism, to me, is the result of a process of turning a design, which is flat, geometric, and decorative, into something comparable to nature as we see it. 

In Raphael’s work of the Italian Renaissance, every element used to describe naturalism is employed to create a realistic, sometimes illusionary, composition.  In The School of Athens of 1509-1511, for example, we can see a perfect example of the use of one-point linear perspective, creating the illusion that the wall on which the fresco is painted is not simply for decoration, but to extend the confines of the limited space.  Raphael applies chiaroscuro to his figures to create even more space within his painting.  Raphael also creates his own version of naturalism by personalizing individuals through their appearance as well as their personalities and actions, allowing a viewer to instantly recognize important figures in history, such as Plato, with his gray beard, book, and upward gesture, or Aristotle, with his full head of hair, book, and gesture to the earth around him.  Raphael’s ability to distinguish characters, especially in The School of Athens, is a trait not often seen in paintings of the Middle Ages.  Raphael admired antiquity, and his figures are reminiscent of the forms of classical Greek and Roman art.  Formal idealization is combined with individual character to represent the personal achievement of his figures in their prime.  During the Renaissance, paintings that accurately represent the world are seen not only as factual accounts, but as an art comparable to God’s creation of the earth and everything in it. 

In northern Europe during the Renaissance, artists began to mimic the light and color of the world around them on a two-dimensional surface.  The work of Jan van Eyck, his Arnolfini Double Portrait, in particular, accurately represents the definition of realism during the Northern Renaissance.  As previously mentioned, the ability to capture light and color as the eye sees it contributed to the northern European idea of naturalism.  Texture and illusion also characterizes northern European art.  Artists in the Northern Renaissance, Jan van Eyck, especially, are most interested in details and specifics.  Every reflection, hair, drapery fold, and smallest detail is captured to create the ultimate depiction of a real world event.  Van Eyck creates illusion with his decision to include a convex mirror within the Arnolfini Double Portrait.  By using the unique oil-glazing technique developed in the Northern Renaissance, a viewer is able to look through the painting like he or she would look through a window.  Reflected surfaces are enhanced and stimulate the viewer’s eye.  Linear perspective is also employed to create space within the picture plane.  In Jan van Eyck’s Virgin in a Church, an illusionist space is created as the aisle of the church recedes into the background.  The double-vaulted ceiling and ornate doorways are based on one-point linear perspective, all while retaining their ornate detail.  Northern Europe also saw a slight difference between its’ Italian counterpart; the Northern Renaissance was interested in grisaille, the use of different shades of gray to make painted figures look like sculpture.  Painters of the era actively competed with sculptors who created physical works that could be touched and seen from many different angles.  Sculpture is the closest to reality art had ever gotten, and the northern European artists strove to equally represent that realistic standard.        

During the Baroque era, naturalism takes on a slightly different meaning.  Figures no longer represent the idealized classical forms found in Greek and Roman art; instead figures are shown with all their flaws, quirks, and physical abnormalities.  Rembrandt is a prime example of a Baroque artist capable of portraying any moment in a figure’s life realistically and truthfully.  Rembrandt, who had a certain fascination with the old and blind, often drew inspiration from characteristics that are far from ideal.  In his Jacob Blessing the Sons of Joseph of 1656, Rembrandt portrays the aging face of the fragile Jacob and his unstable, outstretched arm above his grandson’s head.  Rembrandt is also able to portray the unseeing quality of Jacob with his blank, but introspective, gaze.  While Raphael is able to capture the character and personality of his figures through their actions, Rembrandt strives to represent his figures through their emotions.  Tenebrism takes chiaroscuro one step further by creating an even wider range between light and dark values.  This allows the emotion of his figures to come through even more, creating emotions within the viewer.  In his Self-Portrait as a Young Man of 1629, Rembrandt explores how to represent the specific emotion of excitement.  The viewer can sense the excitement, and the painting becomes “real” to them, like a moment from his or her life.  Through representing figures truthfully at all stages in life, as well as applying certain emotions, Rembrandt humanizes his figures in a way not seen in Renaissance painting.

Though it was the goal of most artists during the Renaissance and Baroque periods to make their work more naturalistic, some chose to work against this tendency to depict the real world.  Sandro Botticelli is an example of a Renaissance artist ignoring the strategies of realism.  In Botticelli’s Primavera, the figures that are archetypal and idealized, without any characterizing features.  They are clearly personifications of certain seasonal developments, not actual human forms.  For example, the blue, highly unnatural Zephyrus embraces the spring nymph, Chloris, in a symbolic act.  Botticelli shows no interest in creating a deep space for his figures.  In fact, he diminishes the space further than necessary by placing a grove of trees directly behind the figures, horizontally aligning them and thus creating a shallow space.  Botticelli is clearly more interested in the symbolism of his figures and the story they tell than the realistic depiction of the figures and their environment.  Botticelli’s The Birth of Venus also depicts certain unnatural characteristics.  The figures are once again placed on the same plane, creating a shallow view.  Venus is carried ashore by an extremely oversized scallop shell, of which she balances precariously on.  The waves, beginning at the horizon line, move forward in a steady pattern, their size remaining the same as they drift into shore. 

Artists throughout the Renaissance and Baroque have had differing opinions on the use of naturalism in their paintings.  For some, it was an act of recording facts and documents, as in van Eyck’s Arnolfini Double Portrait.  For others, it was about recreating nature like God during the initial creation of the earth.  And still for others, realism was of little importance.  Priorities, instead, were symbolic, as in the works of Botticelli.