The Renaissance
What was the Renaissance?Rebirth Rebirth of what?◦ Culture◦ Art and architecture◦ Science and medicine◦ Literature◦ Ideas & Learning
Return to interest in Classical (Greek/Roman) ideas and ideals
Renaissance begins in the 1300s.
Causes Humanism: New attitude toward the study of
humans and humanity. Celebrated the individual. (Petrarch, Erasmus)
During Renaissance, people began to question Church teaching and turn to science and medicine.
Was supported by wealthy patrons (people who supported artists and writers)
Printing Presses made works available-ordinary people learned to read and write.
Why did it begin in Italy?
Centre of Roman Empire. Wealthy rulers spent
money on art and architecture. (The De Medici family of Florence)
Italian merchantsbrought ideas back to Italy.
Competition between different Italian cities and states.
Changes
Middle Ages Renaissance
Middle Ages
LIFE:
Reading/learning wasn’t valued by everyone
Individual wasn’t important
Serve lord, country, church
ART:
Controlled by religious climate
No nudes (gasp!)
Portraits only of saints or religious figures
Expression of grandeur
Changes in Art
Medieval Art Renaissance Art
Changes in Art
Medieval Art Renaissance Art
New Techniques
Proportional, realistic, life-like
Perspective, shadowing and depth
Sfumato: blurring of the edges
Individual identities, emotional
Bright colors, oil paints
Free-standing statues
Religious subjects, daily life, mythology
Perspective
Things that are further away look smaller.
Sfumato
Using shading to make paintings
more realistic.
Frescos – painting directly onto walls/ceilings
Portraits
Patrons often asked for
paintings of their loved ones
Patrons
A patron is a person who pays an artist to produce a work of art.
At this time works of art were status symbols.
Without patrons artists wouldn’t have been able to finance their work.
The Medicis, a rich banking family in Florence were important patrons.
The popes Julius II and Leo X were patrons.
Florence – the
cradle of the
Renaissance
In 1400 Florence was the richest city in Italy.
Money came from the wool trade and banking.
Florence was a republic. They elected their own
government and loved their city.
They built churches and public buildings and
filled them with paintings and statues.
Cosimo de Medici The Medici family were the richest bankers in Florence.
He used his money to elect his friends to the government so in effect he was the real ruler of the city.
He admired the writings of the Greeks and Romans. He built a library for old manuscripts from across Europe. It became the largest in Europe & the 1st public one.
He set up the Platonic Academy to study the manuscripts.
He was a patron of artists and inventors and paid for many public buildings.
He ruled for 30 yrs he kept peace and made alliances.
When Cosimo died his grandson Lorenzo took over.
The Medicis
Cosimo
deMedici
Lorenzo the Magnificent