Download File - AP European history Mr. trombetta

Brooklyn Tech
A.P. European History
Alberti, Leon Battista
Brunelleschi, Filippo
Bruni, Leonardo
Castiglione, Baldasare
City-States
The Courtier
Mr. Trombetta
The Renaissance
The Courtier
David
Durer, Albrecht
Erasmus
Gutenberg
Humanism
Renaissance
Petrarch
Machiavelli
The Prince
Medici Family Raphael
Mona Lisa
School of Athens
Oligarchies
daVinci
Perspective
Botticelli
“The whole glory of man lies in activity”
- Leonardo Bruni
Chancellor and Historian
Florence, 1433
The sentiment in the simple statement above reflects some important changes in European attitudes that began to take
place during the 15th century. Although important economic changes had taken place during the late Middle Ages, most
people of that era still saw themselves as humble servants of God we were in need of salvation from a shameful and sinful
world. To refer to the “whole glory” of frail humans was virtually unthinkable, and contemplative life focused on
thoughtful prayer and passive acceptance of God’s will was considered to be the best of all possible approaches to life. In
contrast, Bruni’s statement above suggests that human activity, not meditative withdrawal, was to be treasured, and so
cultural and social values were clearly changing by the early 15th century.
These cultural and social changes in Europe continued throughout the era from 1450 to 1648, and they were sparked
almost certainly by economic changes late in the previous era. The Crusades of the 12th and 13th centuries started a
movement between the Middle East and Europe. Two Italian city-states, Genoa and Venice, grew wealthy from the new
interactions, so it is not surprising that cultural changes began in Italy and worked their way north.
The word “renaissance”, which is French for “rebirth”, was first used in the 16th century to refer to a revival of interest in
the poetry, prose, and art of Classical Greece and Rome. The first reference to this movement was actually the Italian
word rinascita, used by Italian painter and architect Giorgio Vasari in this Lives of the Most Excellent Italian Architects,
Painters, and Sculptors in 1550. Vasari explained that much classical art and literature was lost after the fall of the
Western Roman Empire in 476, and interest in it did not revive until the 14th century, when the “most excellent” Italian
artists began the rediscovery. Gradually, the term “renaissance” came to define a broader consciousness that caused 14th
century northern Italians to think of themselves as living in an age distinct from the Middle Ages, with values influenced
by, but different from, those of Ancient Greece and Rome.
One important change that shaped the Renaissance as a new era distinct from the Middle Ages, is the emphasis on
secularism, or an interest in matters of the material world rather than the spiritual world. The secular writer was more
interested in day-to-day activities and thoughts of human beings, and the secular sculptor was more likely to glorify the
beauty of the human body. Renaissance secularism did not entirely desert its interest in religion, but often blended secular
and religious themes. For example, Michelangelo carved his masterpiece “David” as a symbol of civic independence and
resistance to oligarchic tyranny, two very secular topics. However, he chose the biblical figure of David to celebrate
youthful physical perfection and to convey his civic message. In doing so, he blended the religious with the secular to
create the piece of art that has come to embody the Renaissance.
College Board Themes:
- Italian Renaissance humanists promoted a revival in classical literature and created new philological approaches to
ancient texts. Some Renaissance humanists furthered the values of secularism and individualism.
- Humanist revival of Greek and Roman texts, spread by the printing press, challenged the institutional power of
universities and the Roman Catholic Church and shifted the focus of education away from theology toward the study of
the classical texts.
- Admiration for Greek and Roman political institutions supported a revival of civic humanist culture in the Italian citystates and produced secular models for individual and political.
- Princes and popes, concerned with enhancing their prestige, commissioned paintings and architectural works based on
classical styles and often employing the newly invented technique of geometric perspective.
- A human-centered naturalism that considered individuals and everyday life appropriate objects of artistic representation
was encouraged through the patronage of both princes and commercial elites.