Italy’s three advantages
Thriving cities Overseas trade helped the growth Population shrank due to bubonic plague
Advantages cont’d
A wealthy merchant class Patrons Universities founded Medici family ruled Florence
Advantages cont’d
Classical Heritage Wanted to return to the learning of the Greeks
and Romans Scholars drew from ruins of Rome
Classicalism
• A greater understanding of and admiration for Greek and Roman literature and learning
• Europe was exposed to these writings through the translations done by Jews and Arabs
Secularism
Worldly The view that consideration for the present
well-being of mankind should predominate over religious consideration in civil affairs, public education, and cultural expressions.
Humanism-The most important philosophy to come out of the Renaissance
The concept that to be human is, in and of itself, worthwhile- that to be alive as a human being is something to celebrate and rejoice. (this is counter to the religious teachings of the Church)
It was taken from the study of ancient Greek and Roman texts
What Humanism really means…
….the seeking to balance worldly pleasure (secularism)
with religious piety
A Renaissance Man
The epitome of the Renaissance ideals: Highly educated A variety of interests Worldly
Artistic Spread of Ideas
War broke out between southern and northern Italy
As safe haven, many artists fled to northern Italy
Many artists studied in Italy also traveled up north
The “flavor” of the Northern Renaissance
Christian Humanist Spiritual/religious
themes and ideas Looked at the
relationship between humanity and the divine
The Northern Renaissance
By 1450, population was recovering from plague
As Renaissance spread out of Italy, it mingled with northern traditions
Famous Northern Artists
German painter- Durer Flemish painters- Jan van Eyck, Pieter
Bruegel the Elder Christian Humanists- Thomas More,
Desiderius Erasmus William Shakespeare
Most Important Invention for the Renaissance
The Printing Press by Johann Gutenberg
Based on the idea of Chinese movable printing
Allowed ideas to spread faster
Literacy increased Opened the door for the
Reformation
Renaissance Art
What the Renaissance is really known for…
To explain why the names Leonardo, Michelangelo, Donatello and Raphael are important…
And it is NOT because of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles….
Characteristics of Renaissance Art
Decrease use of religious subjects and increase use of real world subjects (people, places, landscapes, even nudity)
Use of “perspective”, a technique to show 3 dimensions (3D) or give depth to the picture
These characteristics were not limited to visual art but was used in literature and other art forms
Different mediums of Renaissance Art
"Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?"
Shall I compare thee to a summer's day? Thou art more lovely and more temperate: Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May, And summer's lease hath all too short a date: Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines, And often is his gold complexion dimm'd; And every fair from fair sometime declines, By chance, or nature's changing course, untrimm'd; But thy eternal summer shall not fade, Nor lose possession of that fair thou owest; Nor shall Death brag thou wander'st in his shade, When in eternal lines to time thou growest; So long as men can breathe, or eyes can see,
So long lives this, and this gives life to thee.
Renaissance Artists
Painters Leonardo da Vinci Raphael Rembrandt Sofonisba Anguissola
Sculptors Donatello Michelangelo
Writers William Shakespeare Thomas More Niccolo Machiavelli
Musicians Guilliaume Dufay Giovanni de Palestrina Orlando Di Lasso William Byrd
The End
….now you can go to an Art museum and understand what is going on or you can go impress Mr. Wodzainski with your deep
knowledge of Art
Leonardo da Vinci
The ultimate “Renaissance Man”
Inventor, artist, scientist Epitome of experimental
tradition Regarded as a genius Began modern scientific
method Best works occurred during
1496- 1506 Designs of inventions-
parachutes, flying machines, etc.
“Michelangelo” Buonarroti
Pupil of Donatello Considered himself a sculptor
above all Worked on Sistine Chapel for
4 years Seems to be ultimate
embodiment of the achievements of his age
Each one of his works has his distinct signature on it (sense of striving)
Raphael
Most famous work- “School of Athens”
For his patrons, he painted Madonnas and flattering portraits
Paintings give impression of pure relaxation
Combined religious art with a Renaissance spirit
Used perspective to create a sense of spaced and balance in his paintings
Donatello
Made free-standing statues like those of ancient Greeks and Romans
First European sculptor since ancient times to make a large, free-standing human figure in the nude
Wanted his figures to seem real and alive
Wanted to show strength and grace of human form
Sofonisba Anguissola
One of the 1st women to gain an international reputation as a painter
Prolific painter- 50 works to her credit
An inspiration for many young women to become painters
Rembrandt van Rijn
A Northern Renaissance Artist meaning he was a Christian Humanist
Greatest Dutch artist of the period
Works realistically captured moments of drama
Most famous group painting “The Night Watch”
Fascinated with human character
William Shakespeare
Shared interest in ancient world
Master at revealing nature in all its forms- good, evil, wise, etc.
People doubt that one man could produce this amazing body of works
Thomas More
Central figure in English humanism
Implies that a society based on Christian principles can attain a greater good
Idea of “Utopia”