I remembered Jacob Burckhardt (1818-1897) because he was a common name in high school in history lectures. He's the guy that had his head on the swiss 1000.- banknote until the new edition has been released.
With writings such as "The Civilization of the Renaissance in Italy", he achieved great importance as a historian and art historian and shaped cultural perceptions and historiographical debates for a long time. Burckhardt is considered a pioneer of modern art history and Renaissance research.
Burckhardt established the thesis that Renaissance art represented a break with the past, in what representation became scientific, realistic, individualistic, and humane. A break that left behind the superstitious mindset of the Dark Ages.
From Jacob Burckhardt's in The Civilization of the Renaissance in Italy (1860):
In the Middle Ages, "Man was conscious of himself only as a member of a race, people, party, family, or corporation โ only through some general category. In Italy this veil first melted into air; an objective treatment and consideration of the state and of all the things of this world became possible. The subjective side at the same time asserted itself with corresponding emphasis; man became a spirited individual, and recognized himself as such."
"Thus what the word Renaissance really means is new birth to libertyโthe spirit of mankind recovering consciousness and the power of self-determination, recognizing the beauty of the outer world and of the body through art, liberating the reason in science and the conscience in religion, restoring culture to the intelligence, and establishing the principle of political freedom."
I think we are in a time where we have to rethink patterns from the past in society and how we behave with nature. If we look at the Renaissance as a new birth, I would say that we are nowadays in a similar position. We live in a time where we have a massive amount of knowledge about nature, technology, etc. But when it comes to acting for our planet, we fail in the bigger picture. We live in a time where we embrace (in the western culture) to be individualistic and autonomous beings. Nevertheless, we have to think as a whole, as a planet, to change patterns and not worsen the climate crisis. It is a balancing act between individualism and solidarity, and collective thinking.
Another thing that crossed my mind is the new era we started with digital art, crypto art, and NFT. Which I think isn't just hype; it is more like a new way of thinking about art and ownership of art. It opens many new doors for artists, and it feels like a new birth of the art scene.
I am a human I am an individual I am a daughter I am a sister I am a friend I am a classmate I am a child I am an adult I am a designer I am an artist I am my past I am my present I am my future I am a body I am a mind I am cells I am myself I am a part of the society I am a summary of the people around me
I got asked a few weeks ago the question "๐๐ ๐ฎ๐ค๐ช ๐๐จ ๐ ๐ฅ๐๐ง๐จ๐ค๐ฃ ๐ฌ๐๐ง๐ ๐ ๐จ๐๐๐ฅ๐, ๐ฌ๐๐๐ฉ ๐จ๐๐๐ฅ๐ ๐ฌ๐ค๐ช๐ก๐ ๐ฉ๐๐๐ฉ ๐๐? ๐๐ค๐ฌ ๐ฌ๐ค๐ช๐ก๐ ๐ฎ๐ค๐ช ๐๐๐๐๐ฃ๐ ๐๐ฉ? ๐๐ค๐ฌ ๐ฌ๐ค๐ช๐ก๐ ๐ฉ๐๐ ๐จ๐๐๐ฅ๐ ๐ข๐ค๐ซ๐?"
I want to refer to my answer to that question as a reply to "who am I". This visual was my answer.
I always try to keep my mindset fluid, reflect on thoughts and emotions, and avoid boundaries, which, I think, is a strong attribute. The organic, fluidly changing shape refers to my ability to empathise with people and different situations. I chose the warm golden colour because I would describe myself as a caring, warmhearted person. Furthermore, gold is a solid material, representing commitment and being a stable, positive and independent personality in that context.