Time Capsule

The RenaissanceThe Renaissance is an era that covers 200 years between 1420 and ending around the 1600’s, known as the rebirth. The renaissance marked a renewed interest in many things such as creativity and the arts but also brought about change in the areas of class structure helping to create the middle class, trade, invention and science. These changes have in one way or another influenced nearly every modern day society.

The Baroque AgeThe baroque style characterized by the emphasis on unity among the arts. Displayed technical brilliance, these artist achieved a remarkable harmony in painting, sculpture, and architecture, both real and illusionary visual effects. Named after the architectural style of the time, the Baroque period saw artists and composers begin to rebel against the styles that were prevalent during the Renaissance. One of the greatest composers of the period, Johann Sebastian Bach, was able to break new musical ground creating an entirely new style of music.

Johann Sebastian Bach (aged 61) in a portrait by E...

Baroque !

Nave of the Santo Spirito, 1441–1481

Many scientific discoveries influenced art; Galileo's investigations of the planets, for example, account for astronomical accuracy in many paintings of the time.

ArtBefore the Renaissance, paintings and sculptures that were created in the likeness of a human being looked flat and unrealistic. However, due to the rebirth Renaissance painters and sculptors began to illustrate their subjects in a more realistic way. These paintings of the Renaissance soon began to show light and shade in a more natural setting. Sculptures created in bronze and marble began looking lifelike in their depiction of the human form. Both paintings and sculptures depicted detailed and accurate recreation of the human likeness never before seen in art. The Renaissance period produced some of the world's greatest artist and sculptors ever found in history. Great artists such as Da Vinci, Michelangelo and Ghiberti were all products of the Renaissance period. The works of these great artists and sculptors has forever changed the world of art and still today capture the eye, heart and imagination of those who view their magnificent works. While searching for time capsules if one was to discover creations dated early by Da Vinci or Michelangelo, such as the “Annunciation” or the pen-and-ink drawing, “A Wide View over a Plain” would be a discovery of the ages.

MusicThe responsibilities of performers during the Baroque era were to write music at a furious pace due to the demand. Bach, for example, was responsible for one cantata per week while he was music director at Leipzig. Due to the pace when the music was written, the performers of the pieces had to fill in the details. Locating a time capsule containing early creations by Bach and Handel would be the find of the century. Since Baroque would be considered a form of jazz because the soloists would play their own versions of a basic melody with rhythm section improvises, based on a chord pattern. Baroque music sounds different from music of the Renaissance periods due to its lack of dynamic range. The composers at this time usually did not specify dynamics on their pieces, they simply wrote "loud" or "soft." The most prominent element in Baroque music was rhythm and texture. Baroque's fast movement generally caused the feeling of rhythmic drive. Tempos were always constant. The least prominent element was melody. Gradual rise of tonality on the other hand was a great Baroque innovation. This is the major-minor system that is still used today in the twentieth century. Opera which began in Florence in the 1600’s was one of the most important developments in the Baroque Era.

ArchitectureArchitecture is defined as the science of designing, and building of a structure. In architecture, advancements in machinery date back to ancient times. During the Renaissance, architects hoped to create structures that would appeal to both emotion and reason. Three figures in during the Renaissance were Filippo Brunelleschi, Leon Battista Alberti, and Andrea Palladio. In search of a time capsule we would hope to find a set of plans and notes on such marvels as the dome of Santa Maria del Fiore, and other great structures that led the way for the buildings of today. Other great architectural discoveries would be the drawings (blueprints) of the machine known as rota manga or “great wheel” used in constructing this magnificent structure.

Philosophy and LiteraturePhilosophy and Literature have been apart of history for thousands and thousands of years. Histories great philosophers and writers such as Aristotle have played a huge impact on the physics, logic, poetry, zoology, government, and biology fields. William Shakespeare the English poet and play writer, plays are still to this day helping our society move toward the future by analyzing the questions of the past. We hope to find books and memoirs from such great philosophers and great play writer of the time. From the Age of Baroque we hope that there are books or private letters from Thomas Carew an English poet, and that of Richard Crashaw another English poet. From the great Philosophers of the day that asked and challenged the times most complex questions, to the great writers of history. They have both played a huge impact on our changing society all over the world.

ConclusionIn many ways these two periods, the Renaissance and the Age of Baroque has made a significant impact on the modern society. With finding the time capsule we will gain valuable insight and unlock some of the mysteries of the day and how they came up with solutions to there problems. With learning from the past we will be able to help us in the future with modern technology.

ReferenceLeonardo Da Vinci – The Exceptional Life of a true Renaissance Man - http://www.leonardo-davinci.org/leonardo-da-vinci-early-works.phpBaroque Music – Part One - http://trumpet.sdsu.edu/m345/Baroque_Music1.htmlDefinition of Art, Fact Index - http://www.fact-index.com/d/de/definition_of_art.html