Renaissance paintings tell stories. They are meant to be read. Each element--color, subject, background detail, and overall composition-- has meaning, often layers of overlapping meaning, as in a poem.
Renaissance men of learning delighted in discussing the paintings of the day and extracting every bit of meaning. They loved to argue about which lines of classical poetry an artist might have chosen to depict in paint, and how it related to current ideas.They liked to consider whether a painting's story was appropriate for its purpose. Perhaps it was commissioned as a wedding gift: did it contain a message for the bride or instruction for the groom?
In the fifteenth century, Lorenzo the Magnificent, the great Medici patron of art in Florence, often gathered his noble friends as well as artists, writers and scholars to discuss the works in his collection. (That's his portrait by Girolamo Macchietti.)
They loved finding clues to a painting's meaning in the details. It was like working out a puzzle. These Renaissance men could easily recognize the symbols embedded in a work of art. They were familiar with Christian saints and symbols as well as those from Classical Roman and Greek mythology. They knew the meanings associated with flowers, birds, and particular colors. They could quickly pick out new twists on the traditional that an artist had incorporated.
Today we are not so lucky. Often the various signs and symbols are meaningless to the modern viewer. What could be a rich experience is too often reduced to a child's level of: "I like it," or "I don't like it."
Of course, it can take years of study and dedication to fully grasp even some of the meanings in Renaissance art. But even a little study can offer rich rewards. 
In the next couple of weeks I will be writing a series of articles about hidden meanings in the details of some of the
most beloved Renaissance painting, starting with Botticelli's Primavera. You'll get a taste of the evening art talks I give on Time of Your Life Tours to Italy.
I know a lot of people will be traveling in Italy this summer and I'd like to offer this series to enhance their trips--so that the art they will see doesn't jumble together in a blur of Madonnas.
For more information check out Preparing for Your Trip and also A Few Notes of the Renaissance. You can also click on Italian art in the category cloud on the right to find all the previous articles about paintings and sculpture.
If you have a favorite work of Italian Renaissance art that you'd like to learn more about, please leave a comment and I'll include it.
(NOTE: although there is space for URLs and other information on the comment page, all you need to fill in to post a comment is your name (first name is fine) and an email address -to weed out spam. Your email address will NOT be published or filed anywhere).
