Special Edition: Who is more remarkable among the “Three Giants of the Renaissance”?

Who is more remarkable among the “Three Giants of the Renaissance”? Let’s discuss this in today’s special edition.

Special Edition: Who is more remarkable among the “Three Giants of the Renaissance”?

1. The Renaissance was a European intellectual and cultural movement that took place from the 14th to the 16th century, marking the most brilliant period in art history. Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, and Raphael are known as the “Three Giants of the Renaissance.” Their artistic achievements and contributions are unparalleled and unsurpassed. Many wonder, out of the three, who is the most outstanding? In fact, the three masters were not doing the same thing. Leonardo da Vinci was a scientist, Michelangelo was a sculptor, and Raphael was a pure painter, so direct comparisons in terms of their professional skills are not possible.
2. If we look at painting alone, in terms of technique and achievements, Raphael went further. However, Leonardo’s Mona Lisa and Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel ceiling are no less impressive than any of Raphael’s works, and they have had an enormous impact. Aside from The School of Athens, Raphael does not have any other work that can compete with the fame of the other two masters. So, even though Raphael was better in terms of painting techniques, the artistic achievements of the “Three Giants” are hard to rank.
3. Artistic achievement is not simply about quantity—who has more works, who has more comprehensive strengths, does not necessarily make them the best. Raphael’s paintings merged the strengths of Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, and even all his predecessors, creating his own “perfection.” However, the combination of the masters does not necessarily create another master. The key is whether the artist can form a self-consistent artistic system. The “Three Giants” achieved this. Their art, within the framework of realism, completely shed the traces of technique and became a naturally self-consistent form of art.
4. The reason other artists of the same era as the “Three Giants” did not become part of this elite group is that, although each had innovations and unique artistic expressions, they still had shortcomings that prevented their works from being completely self-consistent. For example, Uccello, who excelled at large scenes, had very stiff handling of figures; Botticelli’s works were exquisite but his anatomy and perspective were not always correct; Mantegna, who invented a unique perspective in painting, created figures that were too formulaic.
5. Like the “Three Giants of the Renaissance,” great art, like science, possesses a self-consistency that can explain itself. A complete and self-consistent scientific theory often has the beauty of art. In most people’s minds, science and art are two completely different ways of thinking—science emphasizes evidence, logic, and rigorous reasoning, while art values free expression and passionate creativity. However, the most brilliant art often comes from the calmest minds and the most precise calculations, while the most profound scientific theories often stem from the most imaginative and unconventional ideas.
6. The achievements of the Renaissance were brilliant, but the foundation was based on scientific perspective. The same applies to art from other periods. For example, the Baroque period’s representative artist Vermeer created lifelike works that were as precise as modern photography, earning him the title of “human camera.” He used the scientific principle of pinhole imaging. Mozart’s music frequently modulates at the golden ratio point in the composition. The post-impressionist master Seurat, known as the “Prince of Pointillism,” utilized the same principle of fluorescence imaging used in modern TV screens.
7. Science is also artistic. Its core is often unrigorous and can be quite romantic. Einstein’s special theory of relativity, which revolutionized human understanding, was based on the principle that the speed of light is constant. This seemingly unreasonable assumption turned out to be the cornerstone of relativity, which was later proven to be correct. In the early 20th century, people could not use existing theories to explain the experimental results of the “black body spectrum.” It wasn’t until Planck, with his seemingly absurd quantum hypothesis, that the field of quantum mechanics was born, overturning traditional physics.
8. Painters, sculptors, and scientists are, in essence, peers. They all climb the peak of truth, seeking that self-consistent system full of artistic integrity. They simply choose different paths—some choose art, some choose music, and others choose science. Although their paths differ, their ultimate goal is the same, and as they approach the summit, the distance between these different paths grows shorter. For example, Leonardo da Vinci realized heliocentrism before Copernicus did; Einstein played the violin beautifully.