Download Art and Literature of the Renaissance Classical Influences

Art and
Literature
of the
Renaissance
Classical Influences
During the Renaissance, artists
returned to the classical principles
of Greek and Roman art.
Greek art
stressed
harmony
and balance,
while
Roman art
emphasized
realism.
Donatello’s
graceful and
realistic
sculpture of
King David
influenced
later artists of
the Italian
Renaissance.
Brunelleschi championed an
architecture based on mathematics,
proportion, and perspective.
Michelangelo Buonarroti would
later use the engineering principles
developed by Brunelleschi to design
St. Peter’s Cathedral in Rome.
New Techniques in Art
The artist
Giotto used
shadings of
dark and
light to add
a feeling of
space to his
paintings.
The artists
Masaccio and
Brunelleschi
developed
the rules of
perspective,
which give
paintings a
sense of
depth.
Michelangelo Buonarroti
Flemish artists developed oil-based
paints which dried slower and were
easier to blend.
Great Italian Artists
Leonardo
da Vinci
(1452-1519)
• painter, sculptor,
architect, engineer,
and scientist
• contributed to our
knowledge of
anatomy, optics,
and hydraulics
He used the
knowledge
gained from
dissecting
cadavers to
paint human
figures more
realistically.
“When you are finished, please
return your trays to the cafeteria.”
Da Vinci was
interested in
how things
worked and
used his study
of birds to
draw flying
machines.
Michelangelo
(1475-1564)
• sculptor, painter, architect, and
poet
• best remembered for his painting
of the Sistine Chapel
Michelangelo’s sculptures
suggest a sense of tension.
Pieta
Although he
considered
himself a
sculptor, he is
often
remembered
today as the
painter of the
frescoes in
the Sistine
Chapel.
St. Peter’s Basilica,
Vatican City
Raphael
(1483-1520)
• Renaissance
painter who
favoured bright
colours
• was influenced
by the works of
da Vinci and
Michelangelo
Raphael favored
the bright colors
traditionally used
by painters from
his home region
of Umbria.
The School of Athens by Raphael.
Artists of Northern Europe
• were less influenced by classical
styles than their contemporaries
in Italy
• painted the world realistically
-paid careful attention to detail
Jan van Eyck
(1390?-1441)
• Flemish painter
• called the “King of Painters” by
his compatriots
Van Eyck painted the world
realistically, paying careful
attention to every detail.
Jan van
Eyck’s
paintings
often had
religious
messages.
Pieter Bruegel was inspired by
scenes of peasant country life.
Hans Holbein the Younger painted
portraits of nobles and rulers.
Albrecht Durer
(1471-1528)
• famous German artist of the
Reformation
• widely known for his illustrations
Renaissance Literature
• emerging middle class formed a
demanding new audience
-enjoyed dramatic tales as well as
comedies
• popular literature was often
written in the vernacular
Petrarch perfected the form of
poetry known as the sonnet.
Giovanni Boccaccio
(1313-75)
Best-known work the Decameron:
• consisted of 100 stories that
make fun of knights and other
medieval figures
• clear, narrative style served as a
model for later writers
The French
writer Francois
Rabelais used
satire to make
fun of narrowminded monks
and scholars.
“Abandon yourself to Nature’s
truths, and let nothing in the
world be unknown to you.”
- Francois Rebelais
Miguel de Cervantes was a leading
writer of the Renaissance in Spain.
In his novel
Don Quixote,
Cervantes
mocked
medieval
ideas of
chivalry.
Quixote’s
idealism
seems to be
madness in a
world that
views love
and heroism
as forms of
insanity.
Renaissance Reaches England…
War of the Roses Ends
• A war of succession
between the House of
Lancaster (symbolized
by red roses) and the
House of York
(symbolized by white
roses).
Finally settled
with Henry
VII…of the
House of Tudor
became King.
(He was related
to the House of
Lancaster)
King Henry VII
invited Italian
scholars to
England. They
taught humanist
ideals and the
study of
classical texts.
William
Shakespeare
(1564-1616)
• leading English playwright and
poet
His themes are universal and still
relevant centuries later
History of the Globe Theatre
Christian
scholars
urged the
Roman
Catholic
Church to
reform.
Martin Luther
They wanted
the Church
to return to
its early
traditions
based on the
teachings of
Jesus.
Rise of Humanism in Northern
Europe
• They sought to combine humanism with the
study of Scripture, or Christian Humanism
• Christian Humanism is the belief that
individual freedom and human dignity are
essential parts of the Christian faith.
• The Renaissance Reformers relied on early
Church Fathers such as Justin, Basil and
Gregory of Nyssa.
Giovanni Pico della Mirandola
• Oration on the Dignity
of Man
• In addition, he wrote
900 Conclusions,
many of which were
deemed heretical by
the Catholic Church
Desiderius
Erasmus
(1466?-1536)
• Dutch scholar and priest
• led the Christian humanists
• used witty dialogues to point out
the ignorance of some clergy
Erasmus is
considered
the“Father of the
Reformation”
because of the
way his writings
influenced other
church reformers.
Sir Thomas
More
(1478-1535)
• English scholar and statesman
• believed that literature could be
used to serve Christian goals
More’s book
Utopia
described an
ideal society
in which
people lived
at peace with
one another.
• Unlike other Christian reformers, Sir More
remained unyieldingly loyal to the Catholic
Church, even while recognizing it needed
clean up its act.
• This devotion to the Catholic Church
eventually ran him into trouble with King
Henry VII.
Unfortunately
for Sir Thomas
More, and his
neck, things
did not end
well for him.
• “I die the King’s good servant, but God’s first.”