Based on this reading, and my knowledge from past art history courses, I will say that the authors and artists of the Renaissance most cared about reaching for perfection and divinity in their art. Vasari comments greatly on how 3rd period artists and he is constantly commending them for achieving perfection in their art. He describes the sculpting process as “of removing from and adding to material that was imperfect”.

Religion was greatly important in those times. Instead of creating figures with real human emotions [they are not seen until Humanism kicks in], all the figures are flawless, with rippling muscles and god-like faces. These flawless figures represent how people were trying to signify that humans were created in the likeness of God. Thusly, despite the reality of the human body, sculptures aimed to create the form human.

Almost all of the pictures in the slides have religious themes, whether they be Christian or Greek mythology. Religion was immeasurably important to the people in the Renaissance time. This can be contrasted to modern times, an art where imperfections are valued for the uniqueness they add to a piece of art. Small cracks in sculptures give character, brushstrokes in paintings create movement and life. Everything in those times were smooth, pristine, and made to look untouched by human hands.