The World We Live In

The Renaissance was a call in the human heart to return to classical art and classical beauty. The Renaissance pulled away from the depressing notion that mankind was evil and needed to be reminded of it every Sunday, and artists and the public alike found a new faith in themselves. What was new in the minds of the people was that mankind was in fact not entirely evil, but that they had the potential for goodness of character, and brilliance in performance. It was a time to blend science and art, both united in seeking perfection in beauty.

The Baroque period was all about pushing the envelope. The idea was taking what was done and taking it further than ever before. The idea, "I did it because I can" was prevalent in their art and music, the true extent of human genius being made manifest. The use of counterpoint and fugue and toccata enhanced music and pushed musicians and the human mind further than either were accustom to. At the same time, art and religion began to become more personal, more down to earth and lifelike.

Since this time, man-kind has continued trying to expand its ability in every way possible. We continue to push the envelope on moral grounds and in art, adding variety to music has brought on a huge plethora of musical styles and ways to use the voice and instruments. Doing the same in art added different forms of paintings, and eventually photographs and movies and computer animations and video games. Making things bigger became the new trend, then making them smaller. Always seeking to improve detail, people began searching for the clearest sound or the crispest image.

Another new thing that came up was artists bringing notice specifically to themselves. This is something we can see today when artists say things like, “This is Dre” or “Jason Derulo” just before they start their song or spelling out F-E-R-G-I-E for the chorus. Clearly we as a society have never really left the Baroque mindset, and it has even taken us to the stars.