Depiction of the human body in the middle ages and Renaissance period

Comparison and contract of human body during the middle ages and renaissance Middle ages Middle ages refers to the period that dates from the fall of the Western Roman Empire (476 CE) to the approximately 1000 years which marks the start of the Romanesque period. This period comprises of genres and rivals, art movements and periods, and national and regional art (Cavero, 2015). During the middle ages, the emergence of Christianity in Europe contributed to varying views of the human body. For example, Catholicism directed focus on chastity and modesty. An exception were the depictions of Adam and Eve from the book of Genesis. They represented sin and were depicted in nakedness (Manion & Muir, 2019). Many sculptures and paintings were scenes from the Bible. In the middle ages, the study of human anatomy and medicine was limited. The church did not allow dissection of the body, hence, it was rarely done (Manion & Muir, 2019). In addition, the study of the body was limited to the outdate teachings. The Biological body In the middle ages, life expectancy of a man was approximately 35 years. The elderly population was considered to be an exception. The study of the dying of the French Kings indicated that those who die at the age of 50 years and above were exceptional. The short life span was linked to multiple, factors including: wars, tough life conditions and absence of sanitary facilities (Cavero, 2015). These factors contributed to rapid development and spread of illnesses. A good example is the spread of leprosy that occurred in Europe during the 7th century as a result of sanitary issues during the middle ages (Cavero, 2015). The outcome was many people dying on daily basis due to infections, hence, death was an event that was perceived as normal and close, unlike current society where people never discuss about death (Cavero, 2015).