Download The Renaissance - Western Civilization II

The
Renaissance
Images and Concepts.
The Rebirth of
art, learning, &
classical culture
(Greek and
Roman)
Where & When
1300-1600 A.D.
Started in Northern Italy
Ideas spread throughout
the rest of Europe
Italy
Advantages
Heritage of Greece and
Rome
Trade Routes develop in
Northern Italy after Crusades
Thriving Cities
Merchant Class develops
Heritage
Return to Greek and Roman
Looked down on Middle Ages
Inspired from Ruins to
recreate greatness
Ethnocentrism
Merchants
Wealthy, powerful class
Politically Involved
“Made” – not born into it
Rise of the Nation
The School of Europe
Florence:
Medici Family ruled Florence for over sixty-five
years. Influential in the woolen mills and baking
industries of Florence.
Cosimo de Medici gained authority after the uprising
of the woolen workers. Cosimo was able to appease
the workers and appeared to be a man of Republican
virtue. Many compared him to the Emperors of
Greece.
Lorenzo de Medici was a patron of the arts. He was
neglectful of family business and is considered
responsible for the loss of the Medici family
authority. Lorenzo failed take care of business
responsibilities and caused the fail of the Medici
Bank.
The Medici Family
Florence, Italy
Successful Traders &
Bankers
Wealthiest family in Italy
Control Florence for ~40
years
Who made it possible?
Johann
Gutenberg’s
Printing
Press
A Chain Reaction
Humanism
+ Printing Press
4 major events…
1) Renaissance: Rebirth of
classical ideas & learning
2) Reformation: leads to challenge
of Church authority
3) Exploration: now they’ll
explore, expand, get rich
4) Literacy Rates Increase in
Europe
Renaissance Culture
Individualism – The belief that the
individual is most important
Humanism – The concept that one
should focus on the concerns of the
secular (human) world.
Realism – portraying everyday
people and everyday events
Dress Styles
Dress styles
reflect the
Individualism.
Women had very
complex gowns.
(Until 1600’s,
women wore head
dresses frequently)
Bodices
A bodice (front piece
of renaissance gowns)
was intended to
showcase the chest &
suck in the belly.
Undergarments
The dreaded corset,
originating in
England, was used to
make women’s
gowns fit right.
Men's Fashions
Men’s clothing was
varied.
Men of high class
wore hats
(left) Tudor style,
with the long robes
(right) Italian dress
was more common
Renaissance Art
Revolutionized
A massive shift in art: Perspective
Makes images appear on
different levels (3-D)
New theme: Humanism
Painters portray secular themes
over religious ones.
Medieval Style
Painting
Used no
perspective
Very flat
and bland.
Early Renaissance
The First Three
Hall-of-Famers
Masaccio
1401-1428
Founder of early
Renaissance Painting
Painted human figure as a
real human being
(3D)
Used perspective
Consistent source of light
(accurate shadows)
#2 Donatello 1386-1466
The sculptor’s
Masaccio
David (1430-32)
First free standing,
life-size nude since
Classical period
Contrapposto
Sense of Underlying
skeletal structure
The Penitent
Magdalen
(Donatello)
real
gaunt
“Speak, speak
or the plague tak
you!”
#3 Boticelli
1482
Rebirth of Classical
mythology
Fully Pagan
THE BIRTH OF
VENUS
Their accomplishments
were made possible by…
Patrons of the Arts
Wealthy merchants
donated to the arts to
show how worldly and
generous they were
Renaissance
Painters/Artists
Raphael
Michelangelo
Leonardo Da
Vinci
Donatello
Michelangelo
Born 1475.
Lived/worked in
Florence.
Sculptor,
architect, and
painter
Most talented?
Michelangelo Buonarroti Simoni
Lived to be 89
Thinks of himself mainly as a sculptor but was a
painter, architect and poet too
If da Vinci is the scientist, Michelangelo is the
poet/thinker/emotionalist
Architecture of Michelangelo
Designed the
Dome on the
Cathedral of
St. Peter in
the Vatican.
c. 1500 [date to remember]
- Monumental (13’ 5”)
- Distortion (big hands, big
long arms)
- Florence
head, extra
Sprezzatura & terribilita
Sprezzatura - a studied carelessness
Terribilita – awe-inspiring power
Renaissance ideals
Sprezzatura
Master Work (Cont.)
He began in
1508 at the
behest of Pope
Julius II.
Created the
Ceiling paintings
that are famous.
Took 4 years to
complete.
Leonardo Da Vinci
Born April 15,
1452.
Gifted as a painter
at a young age.
Left-handed (in this
time that was “the
devils work”)
Da Vinci’s famous works
The Last Supper
The Mona Lisa
De Vinci and Perspective
DaVinci and Invention
DeVinci was a
visionary.
First to examine
the human body,
envisioned
manned flight
and parachutes.
The Renaissance
Man
DaVinci had so much talent and
intelligence that he embodied the
spirit of the Renaissance
He was a man for all ages
A pioneer and visionary
He was a RENAISSANCE MAN
Raphael
Born April 6, 1483
painter and
sculptor.
Simpler style than
DaVinci
Raphael Sanzio 1483-1520
Youngest of the 3
He synthesizes what he learns from
both
He began painting in Florence
Called to Rome by Pope
“Art responds to Art”
School of Athens
One point perspective
All the important Greek philosophers
Located in the papal apartments library
Working on this commission same time
Michelangelo is working on the Sistine
chapel
No Christian themes here
Great variety of poses
Uses well known figures
Da Vinci is Plato
Herakleitos is Michelangelo
Raphael as himself
Euclid is Bramante
Renaissance Literature
Moved away from church
oriented work.
Drama, poetry, and
philosophy.
Influenced by humanism.
Printing, Thought and Literature
1.
Language
a.
2.
Many different versions of language. The most common of educated men was Latin. Most,
but not all, books would have been written in Latin.
Writers
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
Dante Allegerhi: Divine Comedy: Traces a journey from Hell into the light of Heaven. Dante
is lead on this journey by Virgil, a Roman poet who embodies all knowledge.
Petrarch: Known for his sonnets of love. Particularly to his love Laura. His work is
considered to be the "perfected" Italian sonnet.
Erasmus: He is considered the one who best reflects the humanist desire to draw on all
wisdom to create his works. The Praise of Folly (see class handout) is one of his best-known
works. In this work his mocks the monks of the church.
Machiavelli: The Prince: Political satire. Brings to issue the ethics of politicians. The
question "Do the ends justify the means"?
Chaucer: Made use of the English vernacular in his book The Canterbury Tales. Tells the
stories of people traveling to Thomas a Becket's grave in Canterbury. It is important because
the book allows us to see the spectrum of classes in England during the fifteenth century.
Philosophy
Nicolo
Machiavelli –
(1469-1527)
Political
advisor to the
Medici family.
The Prince
Drama
William
Shakespeare
1564 to 1616.
English poet
& playwright.
Wrote 37
plays
Why was the Renaissance Art
and Culture Important?
1. Developed
western culture
beyond the
church
2. Allowed for
creation of
individualistic
works for the
first times.
3. Created new
literature styles
4. Created a new
world view
possibility.
5. Allowed
Europe to
accept different
styles of learning
(ie, Muslim)
6. Gave us the
Ninja Turtles!!!
Renaissance Art in Northern Europe
Should not be considered an appendage to Italian art.
But, Italian influence was strong.
Painting in OIL, developed in Flanders, was widely adopted in
Italy.
The differences between the two cultures:
Italy  change was inspired by humanism with its emphasis
on the revival of the values of classical antiquity.
No. Europe  change was driven by religious reform, the
return to Christian values, and the revolt against the authority
of the Church.
More princes & kings were patrons of artists.
Characteristics of Northern
Renaissance Art
The continuation of late medieval
attention to details.
Tendency toward realism & naturalism
[less emphasis on the “classical ideal”].
Interest in landscapes.
More emphasis on middle-class and
peasant life.
Details of domestic interiors.
Great skill in portraiture.
Jan van Eyck (1395 – 1441)
More courtly and
aristocratic work.
Court painter to the
Duke of Burgundy,
Philip the Good.
The Virgin and
Chancellor Rolin,
1435.
Quentin Massys (1465-1530)
Belonged to the
humanist circle in
Antwerp that
included Erasmus.
Influenced by
da Vinci.
Thomas More
called him “the
renovator of the old
art.”
The Ugly Dutchess,
1525-1530 
Albrecht Dürer (1471-1528)
The greatest of German artists.
A scholar as well as an artist.
His patron was the Emperor
Maximilian I.
Also a scientist
Wrote books on geometry,
fortifications, and human
proportions.
Self-conscious individualism
of the Renaissance is seen in
his portraits.
 Self-Portrait at 26, 1498.
Dürer
The Last
Supper
woodcut, 1510
Durer – The Triumphal Arch, 15151517
The Triumphal Arch, details
The Triumphal Arch, details
Dürer
Four
Horsemen
of the
Apocalypse
woodcut, 1498
Hans Holbein, the Younger (14971543)
One of the great German artists
who did most of his work in
England.
While in Basel, he befriended
Erasmus.
Erasmus Writing, 1523 
Henry VIII was his patron from
1536.
Great portraitist noted for:
Objectivity & detachment.
Doesn’t conceal the weaknesses
of his subjects.
Pieter Bruegel the Elder (1525-1569)
One of the greatest artistic geniuses of his age.
Worked in Antwerp and then moved to Brussels.
In touch with a circle of Erasmian humanists.
Was deeply concerned with human vice and follies.
A master of landscapes; not a portraitist.
People in his works often have round, blank, heavy faces.
They are expressionless, mindless, and sometimes malicious.
They are types, rather than individuals.
Their purpose is to convey a message.
Domenikos Theotokopoulos (El
Greco)
The most important Spanish artist of this
period was Greek.
1541 – 1614.
He deliberately distorts & elongates his
figures, and seats them in a lurid, unearthly
atmosphere.
He uses an agitated, flickering light.
He ignores the rules of perspective, and
heightens the effect by areas of brilliant
color.
Conclusions
The artistic production of Northern
Europe in the 16c was vast, rich, and
complex.
The Northern Renaissance ended
with a Mannerist phase, which lasted
a generation longer in the North than
it did in Italy, where it was outmoded
by 1600.