Download Chapter Thirteen: Rebirth in Italy CHAPTER OUTLINE The Rebirth

Chapter Thirteen: Rebirth in Italy
CHAPTER OUTLINE
The Rebirth of Classical Antiquity
Recovering the Past
The Humanist Program
Philosophical Dimensions of Humanism
Humanism and Society
Italian Renaissance Settings
Florence: Capital of the Renaissance
Venice: La Serenissima
Milan: Culture from Above
Naples: Legitimacy for Kings
Ferrara, Mantua, and Urbino: The Condottiere Courts
Rome: Reclaiming the Ancient City
Italian Renaissance Profiles
Giotto: Form in Space
Valla and the Transformation of Values
Nogarola and the Defense of Eve
Pico della Mirandola s One Truth
Machiavelli s Hard Facts
CHAPTER SUMMARY
Chapter thirteen focuses the reader s attention on the Renaissance in Italy. The rebirth of Italian intellectualism began in the
1300s, as an elite group of intellectuals called the humanists were charged with many of the functions of the urban centers. One of the
first things that the humanists did was to try to recover the past, by seeking out the writings of antiquity. One of the first humanists, the
poet Petrarch, launched the search for ancient writings, and both Dante and Boccaccio mined antiquity for models of behavior and
excellence: Dante even used one of the ancients, Vergil, as his guide through Hell and Purgatory. Petrarch felt such a strong bond with
the ancients that he spoke with them, carrying on complete conversations. One of the major problems for the humanists was the lack
of sources in translation: ancient Greek was almost lost, and the Latin of the ancients was difficult for scholars of the Renaissance
period. The near loss of Latin was particularly troublesome, as so many of the ancient classics had been translated into Latin. The
humanists of the Renaissance wanted to do more than read these masterpieces: they wanted to teach others about them. Rather than
stay in contemplation regarding these ideas, humanists wanted to spread the word about the ancients and their works. The humanists
also focused their attention on human beings, rather than viewing humans as sinful or uninteresting.
Humanists were interested in more than just humans: they were interested in every aspect of life. Philosophy, especially the
works of Plato and Aristotle, particularly interested the humanists. Humanists also studied their own social world, and discussed such
diverse topics as the role of women, economics, and the goal of political action. Even the manner in which they discussed these topics
reflected the ideas of antiquity, as the humanists used the dialogue as their primary form of expression.
The Renaissance was not limited to a single city on the Italian peninsula. The capital of the Renaissance was clearly
Florence, with its great wealth and its large population. Many of the wealthy merchants of the city began, starting about 1300, to divert
much of their wealth to the city, building and replacing various parts of the city in order to make Florence a showplace. Cathedrals,
palaces, and a piazza were all constructed. Employing some of the most talented artists of the time, Florence became a masterpiece,
both in terms of art and in terms of intellectual achievement. The Florentines supported both artists and writers, and they read the
works of the great writers of the age. Even the leading family of Florence, the Medicis, were patrons of all aspects of art and literature.
The most famous artists of the Renaissance, including Michelangelo and Botticelli, were sponsored by the families of Florence.
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Unlike Florence, Venice did not immediately embrace the ideas of the Renaissance, and this was demonstrated in how
slowly the Venetians adopted architectural and artistic changes. The Venetians eventually adapted to many of the changes introduced
by the Renaissance, and several of the cathedrals of Venice rank as the most spectacular in the world. Two priceless libraries of
ancient texts were offered to Venice, although only one was accepted. Poets, architects, and artists of every sort flourished in Venice.
Like Florence, Venice was a republic and as a result both cities explorations of thought and form were unhindered by a specific
governmental form.
Milan saw their despotic rulers, the Visconti family, embrace the Renaissance ideals and impose those ideas from above.
When the last of the Visconti died and control of the city was seized by the Sforza family, the tradition of humanism and Renaissance
art continued, with the story of the Sforza seizure of power being translated into both Greek and Latin. In Naples, the presence of a
monarchical government led to the imposition of the Renaissance from above, although in some cases this happened with less money
than that available to other rulers. The Condottiere Courts, those run by former mercenaries, also surrounded themselves with artists
and scholars. Ferrara, Mantua, and Urbino all saw their leaders emerge as serious patrons of the Renaissance.
The most dramatic transformation occurred in Rome, where the popes became some of the greatest of the Renaissance
patrons. It was a natural progression, as many humanists travelled to Rome to seek employment from the papacy. With the elevation
of Nicholas V to the papal throne, the roots of Renaissance culture began to take hold in the city. Nicholas himself was a humanist,
and he supported artists and scholars who were humanists as well. Nicholas collected books for the Papal Library, sponsored a series
of artists, and collected antiquities. Nicholas s building program, which included plans for the Vatican, helped create a Renaissance
Rome, and helped to establish the immortality of the work of Michelangelo.
The remainder of the chapter discusses five figures of the Renaissance who exemplify different aspects of the rebirth of
culture and art. Giotto, the first artist discussed, was a masterful painter, primarily focusing on the human side of religious events.
The humanist Lorenzo Valla, who wrote extensively on issues including pleasure and sacrifice and was eventually forced from
academic life, also questioned the right of the Papal States to control the territory that they held. The third figure, one of the few
women ever mentioned in terms of the Renaissance, is Isotta Nogarola, who wrote about original sin and the condemnation of Eve.
Her writings were at times contradictory, and illustrated the very difficult role that women found themselves in during the Renaissance.
The philosopher Giovanni della Mirandola wrote primarily about issues of religion, and was imprisoned for a short time because of his
writings. The final figure, Machiavelli, is best known for his work The Prince, but also wrote a series of treatises on political
maneuverings and ideas, many of which form the modern ideas of political science. His notion that The end justifies the means is
still used by those wishing to dismiss the means by which they achieved their success.
KEY POINTS
The Rebirth of Classical Antiquity:
Intellectuals and artists renew links to ancient civilization, establishing modern Western
culture on the classical as well as the Judeo-Christian heritage.
Italian Renaissance Settings: The Renaissance develops differently in different settings: the republics of Florence and Venice; the
despotisms of Milan and Naples; the courts of Ferrara, Mantua, and Urbino; and papal Rome.
Italian Renaissance Profiles: Five dynamic figures--four male and one female--from three centuries have decisive influences: a
painter (Giotto di Bondone), a philosopher (Pico della Mirandola), two humanists (Lorenzo Valla and
Isotta Nogarola), and a political theorist (Niccolo Machiavelli).
SUGGESTED FILMS
The Spirit of the Renaissance. Encyclopaedia Britannica, 31 minutes
The Renaissance. Coronet, 11 minutes
The Renaissance: Its Beginnings in Italy. Encyclopaedia Britannica, 26 minutes
Raphael. Time Life, 20 minutes
Michelangelo. A&E, 50 minutes
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Botticelli. Time-Life, 10 minutes
Leonardo da Vinci: Giant of the Renaissance. Encyclopaedia Britannica, 25 minutes
Venice: The Great Renaissance Merchant State. Benchmark Films, 20 minutes
Michelangelo and the Sistine Chapel. View Video, 35 minutes
Florence: Cradle of the Renaissance. View Video, 30 minutes
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