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The Renaissance
1.The Renaissance in Italy
A Renaissance historian has described the Renaissance
as the “Prototype of the modern world.” This was the
period in which people began to adopt a rational,
objective, and statistical approach to reality and to
rediscover the importance of the individual and his or
her artistic creativity.
(1). Meaning and Characteristics of the
Italian Renaissance
The word Renaissance means “rebirth” .
specifically, a rebirth of antiquity or Greco-Roman
civilization.
Though not entirely new, a revived
emphasis on individual ability became
characteristic of the Italian Renaissance.
(2).The Background of the Italian
Renaissance
Italy:Birthplace of the Renaissance
The city-states of northern Italy that spawned the
Renaissance were developed urban centers, where
people had the wealth, freedom, and inclination to
cultivate the arts to enjoy the fruits of worldly life.
In Italy ,reminders of ancient Rome’s grandeur were
everywhere.
With the expansion of commerce and industry, Italian
feudal values of birth, military prowess, and a fixed
hierarchy of lords and vassals decayed in favor of
ambition and individual achievement.
(3). Humanism and Individualism
The most characteristic intellectual movement of the
Renaissance was humanism, an educational and cultural
program based on the study of ancient Greek and Roman
literature. Humanism is the term generally applied to the
predominant social philosophy and intellectual and literary
currents of the period from c. 1350 to c.1600. The return to
favor of classics stimulated the philosophy of secularism, the
appreciation of worldly pleasures, and above all intensified the
assertion of personal independence and individual expression.
Individualism is the moral stance, political philosophy, or
social outlook that stresses indepenpence, self-reliance and
individual liberty.
(4). Renaissance Literature
Petrarch (1304-1374),
“the father of
humanism,” His work
Secretum ("My Secret
book"), was an personal
imaginary dialogue with
Augustine.
Dante Alighieri (12651321) The greatest Italian
poet and one of the most
important writers of
European literature. Dante
is best known for the epic
poem COMMEDIA, c.
1310-14, later named LA
DIVINA COMMEDIA
(Divine Comedy ).
Giovanni Boccaccio
(1313 –21 December
1375) was an Italian
author and poet, a friend
and correspondent of
Petrarch, an important
Renaissance Humanist
and the author of a
number of notable
works including the
Decameron, On Famous
Women, and his poetry
in the Italian Vernacular
(5). Secular Politics-Machiavelli and the
New Statecraft
No one gave better expression the Renaissance
preoccupation with political power than Niccolo
Machiavelli (1469-1527).
Niccolò di Bernardo dei
Machiavelli (May 3, 1469 –
June 21,1527) was an Italian
diplomat,political,
philosopher,musician,poet and
playwright. Machiavelli was a
figure
of
the
Italian
Renaissance, and a central
figure of its political scene. He
is best known for his works
on realist political theory.The
Prince was considered one of
most famous treatises on
political power in western
world.
2:The High Renaissance inside and
outside of Italy
(1) Renaissance Art
The essential meanings of the Renaissance is
conveyed through its art, particularly
architecture, sculpture, and painting.
Renaissance examples of all three art forms
reflect a style that stressed proportion, balance,
and harmony.
The great Renaissance artists included Leonardo
da Vinci(1452-1519),Michelangelo Buonarroti
(1475-1564), and Raphael Santi (1483-1520).
Leonardo di ser Piero da
Vinci (April15,1452-May
21, 1519) It is primarily
as a painter that
Leonardo was and is
renowned. Two of his
works, the Mona Lisa and
The Last Supper occupy
unique positions as the
most famous, most
reproduced and most
parodied portrait and
religious painting of all
time,
Leonardo di ser Piero da
Vinci . Mona Lisa
Leonardo da Vinci(1452-1519). The Last Supper
Michelangelo di Lodovico
Buonarroti Simoni (March 6,
1475 – February 18, 1564),
commonly known as
Michelangelo, was an Italian
Renaissance painter, sculpter,
architect, poet and engineer.
his versatility in the
disciplines he took up was of
such a high order that he is
often considered a contender
for the title of the archetypal
Renaissance, along with his
rival and fellow Italian
Leonardo di ser Piero da
Vinci .
David By Michelangelo
Buonarroti
Raphael Sanzio, usually
known by his first name
alone (April 6 or March
28,1483–April 6, 1520)was
an Italian painter and
architect of the High
Renaissance , celebrated for
the perfection and grace of
his paintings and drawings.
Together with Michelangelo
and Leonardo da Vinci he
forms the traditional trinity
of great masters of that
period.
Cowper Madonna by
Raphael Santi
The School of Athens by Raphael Santi
(2): The Spread of the Renaissance
Aided by the invention of printing, the Renaissance
spread to Germany, France, England, and Spain in the
late fifteenth and the sixteenth centuries. In its
migration northward, Renaissance culture adapted
itself to conditions different from those in Italy—
particularly the strength of lay piety.
Desiderius Erasmus
Roterodamus (c. 14661536) Erasmus was a
classical scholar who
wrote in a "pure" Latin
style and enjoyed the
Sobriquet "Prince of the
Humanists." He has been
called "the crowning
glory of the Christian
humanists. “ He belongs
the credit for making
Renaissance humanism
an international
movement.
French and English Humanism
Francois Rabelais (c. 1494-c. 1553), a former monk,
exemplified the humanist spirit in France. In response
to religious dogmatism, Rabelais asserted the essential
goodness of the individual and the right to enjoy the
world rather than be bound by the fear of a punishing
God.
Francois Rabelais (c.
1494-April 9. 1553),
was a major French
Renaissance writer,
doctor and humanist.
He is regarded as an
avant-garde writer of
fantasy, satire, the
grotesque, dirty jokes
and bawdy songs. in
1532 he published his
book, Pantagruel,
The most influential humanist of the early English
Renaissance was Sir Thomas More (1478-1535). His
most famous book is Utopia, the first major utopian
treatise to be written in the West since Plato’s republic
and one of the most original works on the entire
Renaissance.
Thomas More (14781535). was an English
lawyer, author, and
statesman who in his
lifetime gained a
reputation as a
leading humanist
scholar. His most
famous book is Utopia
William Shakespeare (1564-1616), widely considered
the greatest playwright the world has ever produced,
gave expression to Renaissance values—honor,
heroism, and the struggle against fate and fortune.
William Shakespeare
(26 April 1564 – 23
April 1616 ) was an
English poet and
playwright, widely
regarded as the
greatest writer in the
English Language and
the world's preeminent dramatist. He
is often called
England's national
poet and the “Bard of
Avon" (or simply "The
Bard").
(3): The Renaissance and the Modern
Age
The renaissance, then, marks the birth of modernity;
in art; in the idea of the individual’s role in history and
in nature; and in society, politics, war, and diplomacy.
The revival of antiquity by the humanists did not
mean, however, that they identified completely with it.
The revival itself was done too self-consciously for
that.