a vendetta against Florence and the Church. Dante tried to make sense out of the afterlife, Gods plan and the imperfections of the Church. The Inferno was Dantes version of hell and Reason was his guide. In the Inferno the punishment fit the crime and many well-known and respected men of the time, including some clergymen, resided there. The reasoning behind this great work was both personal, coming to terms with being sentenced as a sinner, and public, bringing to light the hypocritical nature of the church. Giotto Di Bondone was another genius of the 1300s that symbolizes the transition from Medieval to Renaissance. The art of the Medieval times depicted humans as stiff, two-dimensional, symbolic spiritual abstraction. Giotto brought a more humanistic approach to art by portraying humans in a more realistic light. He used light and darkness, conveyed depth and perspective, and is noted for anatomical realism. He gave his figures a range of emotion and made them appear lifelike. No longer was religious art just symbolic and hard to relate to, now people were becoming more emotional about art. Giotto brought passion and realism to his art and this in turn affected the future of art. These three men truly represent the genius of the 1300s. It was a time of change and rebirth. Old thinking was challenged and replaced with creative ideas and new ways of thinking. Greek and Roman ideals were being reborn and classical humanism was being brought into literature, art, and education. Aquinas, Dante, and Giotto helped in this rebirth and therefore represent the brilliance of their time. ...
