Download Why did the Renaissance begin in Italy? What new values did

COLEGIO SAN PATRICIO CUMBRES
SOCIALS STUDIES
8TH GRADE
CHAPTER 17 SECTION 1
NOTES
Italy’s Advantages
Why did the Renaissance begin in Italy?
The years 1300 to 1600 saw a rebirth of learning and culture in Europe called the Renaissance.
This rebirth spread north from Italy. It began there for three reasons. First, Italy had several important
cities. Cities were places where people exchanged ideas. Second, these cities included a class of merchants
and bankers who were becoming wealthy and powerful. This class strongly believed in the idea of individual
achievement. Third, Italian artists and scholars were inspired by the ruined buildings and other reminders of
classical Rome.
Classical and Worldly Values
What new values did people hold?
The new interest in the classical past led to an important value in Renaissance culture—humanism. This was
a deep interest in what people have already achieved as well as what they could achieve in the future.
Scholars did not try to connect classical writings to Christian teaching. Instead, they tried to understand them
on their own terms.
In the Middle Ages, the emphasis had been mostly on spiritual values. Renaissance thinkers stressed secular
ideas. These ideas centered on the things of the world. One way that powerful or wealthy people showed this
interest in worldly things was by paying artists, writers, and musicians to create beautiful works of art. Wealthy
people who supported artists were known as patrons.
People tried to show that they could master many fields of study or work. Someone who succeeded in many
fields was admired greatly. The artist Leonardo da Vinci was an example of this ideal. He was a painter, a
scientist, and an inventor. Men were expected to be charming, witty, well educated, well mannered, athletic,
and self-controlled. Women were expected to have many accomplishments, too. But women were not to show
them in public.
The Renaissance Revolutionizes Art
How did art change during the Renaissance?
Renaissance artists sometimes used new methods. Sculptors made figures more realistic than those from the
Middle Ages. Painters used perspective to create the illusion that their paintings were three-dimensional. The
subject of artwork changed also. Art in the Middle Ages was mostly religious. Renaissance artists reproduced
other views of life. Michelangelo showed great skill as an architect, a sculptor, and a painter.
Renaissance Writers Change Literature
How did literature change during the Renaissance?
Renaissance writers also achieved greatness. Several wrote in the vernacular. This means they wrote in their
native languages. It was a change from the Middle Ages, when most writing was done in Latin. Writers also
changed their subject matter. They began to express their own thoughts and feelings. Sometimes they gave a
detailed look at an individual. Dante and others wrote poetry, letters, and stories that were more realistic.
Niccoló Machiavelli took a new approach to understanding government. He focused on telling rulers how to
expand their power. He believed rulers should do what was politically effective, even if it was not morally right.
TERMS AND NAMES
Renaissance Period of rebirth of art and learning in Europe lasting from about 1300 to 1600
humanism Focus on human potential and achievements
secular Concerned with worldly rather than spiritual matters
patrons People who financially supported artists
perspective Art technique that recreates three dimensions
vernacular Use of native languge instead of classical Latin
European Renaissance and Reformation, 1300–1600
Two movements, the Renaissance and the Reformation, usher in dramatic social and cultural
changes in Europe.
Italy: Birthplace of the Renaissance
The Italian Renaissance is a rebirth of learning that produces many great works of art and literature.
Italy’s Advantages
The Renaissance
 Renaissance—an explosion of creativity in art, writing, and thought
 Started in northern Italy
 Lasted from 1300-1600
City-States
 Crusades spur trade
 Growth of city-states in northern Italy
 In 1300s bubonic plague killed 60% of population, disrupts economy
Merchants and the Medici
 A wealthy merchant class develops
 More emphasis on individual achievement
 Banking family, the Medici, controls Florence
Looking to Greece and Rome
 Artists, scholars study ruins of Rome and Latin, Greek manuscripts
 Scholars move to Rome after fall of Constantinople in 1453
Classical and Worldly Values
Classics Lead to Humanism
 Humanism—intellectual movement focused on human achievements
 Humanists studied classical texts, history, literature, philosophy
Worldly Pleasures
 Renaissance society was secular—worldly
 Wealthy enjoyed fine food, homes, clothes
Patrons of the Arts
 Patron—a financial supporter of artists
 Church leaders spend money on artworks to beautify cities
 Wealthy merchants also patrons of the arts
The Renaissance Man
 Excels in many fields: the classics, art, politics, combat
 Baldassare Castiglione’s The Courtier (1528
 The book teaches how to become a “universal” person
The Renaissance Woman
 Upper-class, educated in classics, charming
 Expected to inspire art but not create it
 Isabella d’Este, patron of artists, wields power in Mantua
The Renaissance Revolutionizes Art
Artistic Styles Change
 Artists use realistic style copied from classical art, often to portray religious subjects
 Painters use perspective—a way to show three dimensions on a canvas
Realistic Painting and Sculpture
 Realistic portraits of prominent citizens
 Sculpture shows natural postures and expressions
 The biblical David is a favorite subject among sculptors
Leonardo, Renaissance Man
 Leonardo da Vinci—painter, sculptor, inventor, scientist
 Paints one of the best-known portraits in the world: the Mona Lisa
 Famous religious painting: The Last Supper
Raphael Advances Realism
 Raphael Sanzio, famous for his use of perspective
 Favorite subject: the Madonna and child
 Famous painting: School of Athens
Anguissola and Gentileschi
 Sofonisba Anguissola: first woman artist to gain world renown
 Artemisia Gentileschi paints strong, heroic women
Renaissance Writers Change Literature
New Trends in Writing
 Writers use the vernacular—their native language
 Self-expression or to portray individuality of the subject
Petrarch and Boccaccio
 Francesco Petrarch, humanist and poet; woman named Laura is his muse
 Boccaccio is best known for the Decameron, a series of stories
Machievelli Advises Rulers
 Niccolò Machievelli, author of political guidebook, The Prince
 The Prince examines how rulers can gain and keep power
Vittoria Colonna
 Woman writer with great influence
 Poems express personal emotions