Download PowerPoint on The Renaissance

Video Slide – Introducing the
Renaissance
I.B. History of the Americas II :: Session 2 :: The Renaissance :: Davis & Bakkal
The Renaissance
(c. 1350 –c. 1550)

In 1500, Europe was in the middle of a cultural
revival called the Renaissance (“Rebirth.”)

“Rebirth” of what?

Rebirth of classical Greek and Roman ideas.
I.B. History of the Americas II :: Session 2 :: The Renaissance :: Davis & Bakkal
How did the Renaissance differ from the Middle Ages?
In the Renaissance, people explored the
richness of human experience (the here and
now, emotions) rather than focusing on
religious issues (life after death.)


It was a period of great creativity.
I.B. History of the Americas II :: Session 2 :: The Renaissance :: Davis & Bakkal
Humanism
 At
the heart of the Renaissance was an
intellectual movement known as
humanism.
 Humanism
is a view of the world with
human needs and hopes at the center.
Most humanist scholars were Christians
who hoped to use the wisdom of the
ancients to understand their own times.
I.B. History of the Americas II :: Session 2 :: The Renaissance :: Davis & Bakkal
Humanist Beliefs
 Humanists
believed that education should
stimulate the individual’s creative power
and studied the humanities, the subjects
taught in ancient Greek and Roman
schools.
 The
main areas of study were grammar,
rhetoric (public speaking), poetry and
history.
I.B. History of the Americas II :: Session 2 :: The Renaissance :: Davis & Bakkal
Humanist Beliefs
 Renaissance
humanism was a threat to
the Church because it emphasized a
return to the original sources of
Christianity (the Bible & early Christians)
 The
humanists tended to ignore or
denounce the proceedings of Church
councils.
I.B. History of the Americas II :: Session 2 :: The Renaissance :: Davis & Bakkal
Someone Call Dan Brown!
 Circa
500 A.D. is the fall of the Roman
Empire. The Renaissance peaks in
Europe around 1500 A.D, hence there is a
“1000 year gap.”
 So
who preserved ancient Greek and
Roman works for a millennium?
I.B. History of the Americas II :: Session 2 :: The Renaissance :: Davis & Bakkal
Survey Says
 During
the Middle Ages, monks & Church
scholars preserved ancient classics
through painstaking copying (Latin.)
 The
Muslim empires and the Byzantine
Empire respected, studied and preserved
Greek classics (Arabic & Greek)
I.B. History of the Americas II :: Session 2 :: The Renaissance :: Davis & Bakkal
I.B. History of the Americas II :: Session 2 :: The Renaissance :: Davis & Bakkal
Birth of the Renaissance
 The
Renaissance began in Italy, which
had been the center of the Roman Empire.
 In the north, city-states like Florence,
Milan, Venice and Genoa grew into
prosperous centers of trade.
 A wealthy and powerful merchant class
contributed to the birth of the Renaissance
in Italy. These wealthy merchants, such
as the Medici family, were patrons of the
arts.
I.B. History of the Americas II :: Session 2 :: The Renaissance :: Davis & Bakkal
Birth of the Renaissance

The new merchant class of the Commercial
revolution was more interested in the secular
world and less interested in the world of religion.

Rome (in central Italy), Naples (in southern Italy)
and other city-states contributed to the cultural
revival.
I.B. History of the Americas II :: Session 2 :: The Renaissance :: Davis & Bakkal
I.B. History of the Americas II :: Session 2 :: The Renaissance :: Davis & Bakkal
Realism
 Classical
art inspired Renaissance
painters and sculptors depicted the
human figure very realistically.
 In their effort to achieve realism,
Renaissance painters and sculptors gave
great attention to anatomy.
 They also discovered how to create a
more convincing illusion of space
(perspective.)
I.B. History of the Americas II :: Session 2 :: The Renaissance :: Davis & Bakkal
Examples of Perspective
I.B. History of the Americas II :: Session 2 :: The Renaissance :: Davis & Bakkal
Examples of Perspective
I.B. History of the Americas II :: Session 2 :: The Renaissance :: Davis & Bakkal
A New Worldview Emerges
 Renaissance
art reflected the humanist
interest in individual achievement. In
the Renaissance, portraiture flourished as
artists worked to capture the unique
character of individual people.
 Scenes
of everyday life, known as genre,
also became popular.
I.B. History of the Americas II :: Session 2 :: The Renaissance :: Davis & Bakkal
Introducing: The Ninja Turtles
 In
painting, Leonardo da Vinci, Raphael,
and Michelangelo dominated the peak
period of the Renaissance (1500-1527)
I.B. History of the Americas II :: Session 2 :: The Renaissance :: Davis & Bakkal
Leonardo da Vinci
 He
was the embodiment of the
Renaissance genius. In addition to being
one of the greatest painters in history, da
Vinci’s inventions were hundreds of years
ahead of their time (helicopter, airplane
and submarine).
 Leonardo painted two of the most famous
paintings of all time, “The Last Supper”
and the “Mona Lisa.”
I.B. History of the Americas II :: Session 2 :: The Renaissance :: Davis & Bakkal
The Last Supper, by da Vinci
I.B. History of the Americas II :: Session 2 :: The Renaissance :: Davis & Bakkal
The Mona Lisa, by da Vinci
I.B. History of the Americas II :: Session 2 :: The Renaissance :: Davis & Bakkal
Raphael
 Raphael
was recognized as one of the
most brilliant painters of his age.
his best work is “The School of
Athens,” which was part of a series of
frescoes (wall paintings) he painted for
Pope Julius II in the Vatican Palace in
Rome.
 Among
I.B. History of the Americas II :: Session 2 :: The Renaissance :: Davis & Bakkal
The School of Athens, by Raphael
I.B. History of the Americas II :: Session 2 :: The Renaissance :: Davis & Bakkal
Michelangelo

Michelangelo was both a sculptor and a
painter.

He carved the “Pieta,” a monumental depiction
of the Virgin Mary holding the body of her son
Jesus. The “Pieta” made Michelangelo famous.

Pope Julius II asked him to paint the great
ceiling of the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican.
He depicted the Bible story of the Creation,
painting hundreds of grand human figures.
I.B. History of the Americas II :: Session 2 :: The Renaissance :: Davis & Bakkal
The Pieta, by Michelangelo
I.B. History of the Americas II :: Session 2 :: The Renaissance :: Davis & Bakkal
The Sistine Chapel, by Michelangelo
I.B. History of the Americas II :: Session 2 :: The Renaissance :: Davis & Bakkal
Renaissance architecture

The Greek and Roman styles (columns,
domes, arches) were the most popular.
Filippo Brunelleschi (1377-1446)
Florence Cathedral Dome [S. Maria del Fiore] (1420-34)
I.B. History of the Americas II :: Session 2 :: The Renaissance :: Davis & Bakkal
Writers and Philosophers (Thinkers)
Machiavelli: Author of The Prince.
 The focus of The Prince was how rulers
could gain and maintain power.
 Be
 It
Ruthless: the end justifies the means.
is better to be feared then to be loved.
I.B. History of the Americas II :: Session 2 :: The Renaissance :: Davis & Bakkal
Writers and Philosophers (Thinkers)
Machiavelli: Author of The Prince.
 "We
Italians then owe to the Church of
Rome and to her priests for our having
become irreligious and bad; but we
owe her still a greater debt...that the
Church has kept and still keeps our
country divided."
I.B. History of the Americas II :: Session 2 :: The Renaissance :: Davis & Bakkal
Writers and Philosophers (Thinkers)
Machiavelli: Author of The Prince.
 "...It is, then, much safer to be feared than
to be loved...for touching human nature,
we may say in general that men are
untruthful, inconstant, dissemblers, they
avoid dangers and are covetous of gain.
While you do them good, they are wholly
yours...but when (danger) approaches,
they revolt."
I.B. History of the Americas II :: Session 2 :: The Renaissance :: Davis & Bakkal
Writers and Philosophers (Thinkers)
Petrarch: Sonnets to Laura.
 His most famous works were love
sonnets to a married woman whom he
admired from a distance
I.B. History of the Americas II :: Session 2 :: The Renaissance :: Davis & Bakkal
Renaissance in Northern Europe
 The
Renaissance began in Italy and
moved to Northern Europe (France,
Belgium, Netherlands, Germany and
England.)
 The
Renaissance occurred in northern
Europe later because the Black Death
delayed economic growth in that region.
I.B. History of the Americas II :: Session 2 :: The Renaissance :: Davis & Bakkal
I.B. History of the Americas II :: Session 2 :: The Renaissance :: Davis & Bakkal
Albert Durer, the German Leonardo
 Durer
is often compared to da Vinci since
both men had a wide range of interests.
 He helped bring the genius of the Italian
Renaissance to Northern Europe. Many of
his finest works were engravings.
I.B. History of the Americas II :: Session 2 :: The Renaissance :: Davis & Bakkal
Hans Hoblein

He specialized in paintings of almost
photographic detail. Hoblein enjoyed great
success in England, where he painted portraits
of King Henry VIII.
I.B. History of the Americas II :: Session 2 :: The Renaissance :: Davis & Bakkal
Christian Humanism

Much of Northern Renaissance writing was devoted to
combining humanism with Christian teachings.

The Northern Renaissance differed from the
Renaissance in Italy in that it placed greater emphasis
upon religious piety.

Inspired by the Renaissance ideal of human dignity,
many Christian humanists developed plans for social
reform based on Christian values.

Two Christian humanists were especially famous: the
Dutch priest Erasmus and the Englishman Thomas
More.
I.B. History of the Americas II :: Session 2 :: The Renaissance :: Davis & Bakkal
Christian Humanism
Erasmus:
 Desiderius Erasmus, “Prince of Humanism.”

His most famous work was The Praise of Folly,
which poked fun at merchants and scholars, as
well as priests.

Erasmus felt that the Vulgate, which was the
standard Latin translation of the New Testament,
contained errors. Therefore, he edited and
published new translations of the New
Testament in Greek and then in Latin.
I.B. History of the Americas II :: Session 2 :: The Renaissance :: Davis & Bakkal
Christian Humanism
Erasmus:
"I dissent from those who are unwilling that
the sacred Scriptures should be read by
the unlearned and translated into the
vulgar tongue, as though Christ had taught
such subtleties that they can scarcely be
understood even by a few theologians..."
I.B. History of the Americas II :: Session 2 :: The Renaissance :: Davis & Bakkal
Christian Humanism
Thomas More:
 In Utopia, he described an ideal society in
which no one is idle, all are educated and
justice is used to end crime (rather than to
eliminate the criminal.)
I.B. History of the Americas II :: Session 2 :: The Renaissance :: Davis & Bakkal
Literature
Shakespeare:
 English poet & playwright. Author of
Twelfth Night (comedy), Richard III
(historical play), and Romeo and Juliet
(tragedy).
 Shakespeare enriched the English
language with more than 1,700 new
words, including . . . bedroom, lonely,
generous, gloomy, hurry and sneak.
I.B. History of the Americas II :: Session 2 :: The Renaissance :: Davis & Bakkal