Hello Instructor Goodluck and fellow students,
Increased Diversity of Patrons
The increased diversity of patrons in the 15th-18th centuries had a significant effect on
the arts, allowing for greater freedom of artistic expression and experimentation. With the
Church no longer being the sole patron of the arts, artists were able to explore new ideas and
techniques, such as realism, perspective and the use of light and shadow, without worrying about
the potential for censorship (Rodriguez, Hillary, 2013). For instance, Milan's ruler Ludovico
Sforza and the affluent Medici family both employed the Renaissance artist, Leonardo da Vinci.
As a result, he was able to create secular and nonreligious works of art like the well-known
Mona Lisa, Last Supper, and Lady with an Ermine. Similar to how King Philip IV of Spain and
Queen Marie de' Medici of France employed the Baroque artist Peter Paul Rubens, they gave
him the means to produce works of art like The Triumph of the Church, The Garden of Love, and
The Elevation of the Cross.
A new art style like landscape painting, which was made popular by the Dutch Golden
Age artist Jacob van Ruisdael, emerged as a result of the shifting patronage of the arts. Similar to
this, the affluent and powerful French nobility provided the majority of funding for the mid-18th
century Rococo movement, which was distinguished by its elaborate, light, and pastel-colored
works (Cracraft, James, 2004). Overall, the increased diversity of patrons in the 15th-18th
centuries allowed for greater artistic freedom and experimentation, leading to the emergence of
new art forms and techniques that would have otherwise been impossible if the Church was still
the primary patron of the arts.
