Decorum Renaissance

Papers delivered at the annual conference of the association of art historians london april 1991.

Decorum renaissance. Association of art historians great britain. In their emulation of classical models and of the theoretical works by aristotle and horace including the notion of the three unities certain subjects were deemed to be better left to narration. By the renaissance the mixture of revived classical mythology and christian subjects was also considered to fall under the heading of decorum as was the increasing habit of mixing religious subjects in art with lively genre painting or portraiture of the fashionable.

Decorum in renaissance narrative art. According to leonardo s theory of decorum the gestures which a figure makes must not only demonstrate feelings but must be appropriate to age rank and position. From the latin decorus seemly originally a literary term it is first used in relation to the visual arts in the renaissance in the writings of leonardo da vinci.

In later classical criticism the roman poet horace maintained that to retain its unity a work of art must be consistent in every aspect. Francis ames lewis anka bednarek. The concept of literary propriety in its simplest stage of development was outlined by aristotle.

Search for other works by this author on. In continental european debates on theatre in the renaissance and post renaissance decorum is concerned with the appropriateness of certain actions or events to the stage. The subject or theme must be dealt with in the proper diction metre form and tone.

Decorum in italian renaissance literary criticism vernon hall jr.