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N a m e _________________________________D a te _________________P e r i o d __________
The Renaissance period (1300 - 1500 AD) marked the
end of the Middle Age and what some historians believe
as the beginning of the modern age. The word
renaissance’ means re-birth. It was aperiod when people
re-discovered the
art and knowledge of the “Classical”
period of Greek and Roman culture.
While Christians in the Middle Ages
were taught they were to endure
suffering while they awaited their
rewards in heaven, the Renaissance
celebrated human life on earth.
Europeans developed new ideas about
the world and the arts, literature and
sciences flourished.
The Renaissance began in Italy in the
mid 1300s and eventually spread into
northern Europe. Why Italy? Visible
reminders of the greatness of Italy and
the rest of Europe stood all around
them. Huge statues, art and remnants
of glorious architecture like the
Colosseum showed the greatness of a
society that once existed during Roman
times. Many Italians drew inspiration
from those ancient wonders. In
addition, the Renaissance was made
possible by Italy’s wealth. Italian cities
such as Naples, Genoa, and Venice
became wealthy trading centers
between Europe and the Middle East.
International trade made rich bankers,
merchants and lawyers. These people
could afford to build fine houses, but
more importantly use their money to
buy books and employ artists and musicians. In
addition, a cultural diffusion took place, exchanging
knowledge from Arab scholars from the East with
writings from the Ancient Greeks.
The classical Ancient Greek and Roman culture also
influenced Italian painters, sculptures, and architects.
Like artists during the Middle Ages, Renaissance artists
often depicted religious subjects, but they used a
realistic style copied from classical models. Greek and
Roman subjects also became popular.
Renaissance painters used the technique called
perspective, which shows three dimensions on a flat
surface. Church leaders during the Renaissance used
the Catholic Church’s wealth to spend huge amounts of
money on Italy’s artists by commissioning paintings,
architecture and sculptures all over
Europe. They became patrons of the
arts. Patrons are people who support
artists by commissioning art and buying
many of their works. Wealthy Italian
merchants and bankers also became
patrons of the arts. This allowed artists
like Leonardo De Vinci and
Michelangelo to prosper and continue to
experiment with their craft.
Looking back to Greek
and Roman
culture also led to the
study of
classical texts. A person
who studied
the classics was called a
humanist.
Humanists studied and
recreated
Cosimo I de' Medici was
classical styles in art,
the richest banker in Italy.
literature, and
He was a great patron of
architecture. They
learning, the arts
believed that by
and architecture.
studying the classics, they
could
understand people and the world better.
Humanism focused less on religion and
more on worldly subjects. Many people
hoped that education and the wisdom
of the ancients rather than the church
would increase their understanding of
their own times. Humanists also
popularized the study of subjects
common to classical education, such as
history, literature, and philosophy. These
subjects are called the humanities. They
are the subjects that we continue to learn today in our
schools.
Northern Europe took a longer to recover
from the Plague. As a result, the Renaissance
did not begin there
until the 1400’s. It
slowly
spread to Spain,
France, Germany
and England. The
Northern
Renaissance
produced many
talented artists and
writers, like Albercht
Durer, William
Perspective in Leonardo de
Vinci’s Last Supper.
Northern Renaissance later.
Shakespeare, and
Thomas More.
More on the
N a m e _________________________________D a te _________________P e r i o d __________
Answer the following questions using the
informational text from the other side.
1. What does the word “renaissance” mean?
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2. What were the classics or classicism?
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3. Give two reasons why the Renaissance began in
Italy.
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4. What was the reason behind Italy’s wealth?
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5. Who was the richest banker in Italy?
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6. Describe Renaissance art.
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7. What is perspective?
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8. What are patrons?
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9. Why were patrons important?
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10. In your own words, what was a humanist?
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11. Why were humanist sometimes clash with
religion?
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12. What were humanities?
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13. Why did it take longer for the Renaissance to
spread to northern Europe?
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