The history of Renaissance art does not begin in the 14th century. It begins during the Classical age. The Renaissance did not create an entirely new form of art, but rather a reconstruction of previous subjects and styles that were altered to fit the Renaissance's culture. It expanded upon and modified the art of the Classical and Medieval ages. The first step in the Renaissance was taken by artists in the 1300s, who were exploring the religious subject matters of the middle age’s paintings in a new light. They took the Medieval two-dimensional art form that focused on the story behind the painting and made the pieces more visually appealing.
Artists began to focus on the beauty of the actual pieces rather than the stories behind them. As art began to move from the low Renaissance to the High Renaissance and Early Modern periods, subjects that were last prevalent in works of art about a thousand years earlier began to reappear. Scenes of Roman and Greek deities and stories began to be commissioned and were used in a symbolic manner with illusion to Christian Beliefs.
In Venice, artists like Jacopo, Gentile, and Giovanni Bellini, Vittore Carpaccio, Giorgone, Tiziano Vecelli, Paolo Veronese, and Jacopo Robust (Tintoretto) propelled the artistic culture forward during the Early Modern Era by developing their own styles and methods over their lifetime. However, the artists were not in charge of every scene that they put onto canvas. Most of their works were commissioned by Venetian patrons or members of the Church who told the artist what to paint. So these artists were not necessarily painting what they wanted to paint.
From my perspective, the Catholic Church used their commissions to depict scenes with religious subjects like miracles, saints, and figures in the church for its own betterment and to achieve its own personal goals. The money that was put into these projects was progressing the artistic culture in Venice, while also displaying the power of the Church through wealth.
Credits
Darien Sansosti