The renaissance was a modern time for art during the 14th, 15th, and 16th Centuries. It is also the period in European history that marked the transition from the dark Middle Ages to the modern era known as the renaissance period.
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50 Plus Quotes From Renaissance Artists That We Love!
We are a great fan of the renaissance and many renaissance artists. So we have created for you 50+ of some of our favorite renaissance era artist quotes.
1. “Learning never exhausts the mind.” – Leonardo da Vinci
2. “You cannot teach a man anything, you can only help him to find it for himself.” – Galileo Galilei
3. “You are not only responsible for what you say, but also for what you do not say.” – Martin Luther
4. “Brevity is the soul of wit.” – William Shakespeare
5. “A speech comes alive only if it rises from the heart, not if it floats on the lips.” – Desiderius Erasmus
6. “Saying is one thing, doing another.” – Michel de Montaigne
7. “Faith in oneself is the best and safest course.” – Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni
8. “Strong reasons make strong actions.” – William Shakespeare
9. “Each problem that I solved became a rule, which served afterward to solve other problems.” – René Descartes
10. “Whosoever desires constant success must change his conduct with the times.” – Niccolò Machiavelli
11. “Fortune is powerless to help one who does not exert himself.” – Leonardo da Vinci
12. “The most certain sign of wisdom is cheerfulness.” – Michel de Montaigne
13. “He who wishes to be obeyed must know how to command.” – Niccolò Machiavelli
14. “Whenever anyone has offended me, I try to raise my soul so high that the offense cannot reach it.” – René Descartes
15. “I don’t know, John. Yesterday was a pretty embarrassing day in my career. I don’t want to repeat it with one of the most powerful men on the planet.”
“Really?” Wilkie chirped. “I kind of enjoyed it!”
“John, you left Thomas Edison in tears for no other reason than your own amusement.”
“That’s not true,” Wilkie corrected. “Dr. Tesla thought it was funny as hell.” ― Jacopo della Quercia
16. “What beauty is, I know not, though it adheres to many things.” – Albrecht Dürer
17. “A good painter needs only three colors: black, white and red.” – Titian
18. “If it were as easy to do a thing as to judge it, my Christ would not look like a peasant; but take some wood yourself and make one.” – Donatello
19. “Drawing is the necessary beginning of everything, and not having it, one has nothing.”- Giorgio Vasari
20. “The true work of art is but a shadow of the divine perfection.” – Michelangelo
21. “Art is never finished, only abandoned.” – Leonardo da Vinci
22. “It is not bright colors but good drawing that makes figures beautiful.” – Titian
23. “All works, no matter what or by whom painted, are nothing but bagatelles and childish trifles… unless they are made and painted from life, and there can be nothing… better than to follow nature.” – Caravaggio
24. “Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales was expected to clock in at anywhere between 100 and 120 chapters. Unfortunately, the dude only managed to finish 24 tales before he suffered an insurmountable and permanent state of writer’s block commonly known as death.”
― Jacopo della Quercia
25. Rules serve no purpose; they can only do harm… Not only must the artist’s mind be clear, it must also be free. His fancy should not be hindered and weighed down by a mechanical servility to such rules. – Federico Zuccaro
26. “The painter must always seek the essence of things, always represent the essential characteristics and emotions of the person he is painting.” – Titian
27. “You can never do too much drawing.” – Tintoretto
28. “The gifts given to us by God must not be relinquished to those who speak ill of them and who are moved by envy or ignorance.” – Filippo Brunelleschi
29. “Take pleasure in your dreams; relish your principles and drape your purest feelings on the heart of a precious lover.” – Giotto di Bondone
30. “Nature holds the beautiful, for the artist who has the insight to extract it. Thus, beauty lies even in humble, perhaps ugly things, and the ideal, which bypasses or improves on nature, may not be truly beautiful in the end.” – Albrecht Durer
31. “I am always learning.” – Caravaggio
32. “A good painter needs only three colors: black, white and red.” – Titian
33. “A good eye and heart is not enough, neither is a good hand and eye.” – Van Eyck
34. “I paint my pictures with all the considerations which are natural to my intelligence, and according as my intelligence understands them.” – Paolo Veronese
35. “Beautiful colors can be bought in the shops on the Riato, but good drawing can only be bought from the casket of the artist’s talent with patient study and nights without sleep.” – Tintoretto
36. “Do not share your inventions with many; share them only with the few who understand and love the sciences.” – Filippo Brunelleschi
37. “For poor is the mind that always uses the ideas of others and invents none of its own.” – Hieronymus Bosch
38. “Painting done under pressure by artists without the necessary talent can only give rise to formlessness, as painting is a profession that requires peace of mind.” – Titian
39. “The language of art is celestial in origin and can only be understood by the chosen.” – El Greco
40. “I was once that which you are, and what I am you will also be.” – Masaccio
41. “The sculptor, and the painter also, should be trained in these liberal arts: grammar, geometry, philosophy, medicine, astronomy, perspective, history, anatomy, theory of design, arithmetic.” – Lorenzo Ghiberti
42. “I am curious to see what happens in the next world to one who dies unshriven.” – Pietro Perugino
43. “I bury my head in the pillow, and dream of my true love… I am rowing to you on the great, dark ocean.” – Caravaggio
44. “Those who are compelled to paint by force, without being in the necessary mood, can produce only ungainly works, because this profession requires an unruffled temper.” – Titian
45. “Grant me paradise in this world; I’m not so sure I’ll reach it in the next.” – Tintoretto
46. “Because the world is so faithless, I go my way in mourning.” – Pieter Brueghel the Younger
47. “I paint because the spirits whisper madly inside my head.” – El Greco
48. “I had not thought that I was doing wrong; I had never taken so many things into consideration.”
– Paolo Veronese
49. “Simplicity is the greatest adornment of art”. – Albrecht Durer
50. “To disclose too much of one’s inventions and achievements is one and the same thing as to give up the fruit of one’s ingenuity.” – Filippo Brunelleschi
51. “This knowledge I pursue is the finest pleasure I have ever known. I could no sooner give it up that I could the very air that I breath.” – Paolo Uccello
52. “Little beginnings sometimes have great endings.” – Benvenuto Cellini
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Frequently Asked Questions
What was the Renaissance?
The Renaissance was a period in European history, lasting from the 14th to the 17th century, characterized by a renewed interest in classical learning, literature, art, and science
What were some of the key ideas of the Renaissance?
Key ideas of the Renaissance included humanism, individualism, and secularism
Where did the Renaissance begin?
The Renaissance began in Italy, specifically in Florence, in the 14th century
Who were some famous Renaissance artists?
Famous Renaissance artists include Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, and Raphael.
Who were some famous Renaissance artists?
Famous Renaissance artists include Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, and Raphael
What was the role of women during the Renaissance?
Women during the Renaissance were generally excluded from formal education and professional opportunities, but some women were able to achieve recognition in the arts and literature
What is the legacy of the Renaissance?
The legacy of the Renaissance includes the lasting impact of its art, literature, science, and political ideas, as well as its influence on subsequent periods of European history
What were some of the major historical events that occurred during the Renaissance?
Major historical events during the Renaissance include the Protestant Reformation and the voyages of exploration undertaken by European powers.
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Because we have these notebooks, we can learn from Leonardo’s great mind about life, art, living and many other things. Below are some of our favorite Leonardo da Vinci quotes that we feel are still relevant today.
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By clicking here, you can learn more by reading 40 Inspiring Quotes From the Artist Pablo Picasso.
