Download Unit 9 Renaissance Notes - East Penn School District

Renaissance Unit 9
I.
Renaissance- 1350-1700
What is the Renaissance?
a. Background- French word for rebirth or revival
Beginning of the Modern Era (timeline)
Renewed interest:
Literature- revival in Greek and Roman Classics (antiquity)
Humanism- Philosophy of life, man’s appreciation of nature and the
life on earth.
Science-Man looking past the church for answers
Art- way they did the art
b. Where did it begin and why there?
It began in the territory of Italy.
1. A lot of trading
Trading different ideas from all ports (center of European
trade)
Wealth (Renaissance very expensive, involved the upper
crust of society)
2. Close to Greece, Rome, and Constantinople (original documents
of Greece).
3. City-state system stimulated competition
c. Inventions help end the medieval Times.
1. Johann Gutenburg-1454 invented Printing Press or
movable type
1. increase the volume of material
2. decrease copying errors
3. reduce the costs of books
The printing press had a major impact on the spread of the
Renaissance.
2. Gunpowder, probably brought from China, meant the
end of the feudal castle, and increased the ability of the
monarch to wage war against feudal barons.
3. Compass, brought from China through Spain, plus
geographical knowledge gained from Arab cartographers
made possible the discovery of the new world during the
1500’s and the commercial revolution in Europe.
d. How did the Church feel about the Renaissance?
1. Church still strong in Italy
2. Church had beliefs and did not want to change
3. Did not want them to believe in new Science (Astronomy)
4. Churches believes were around for 1000 years
5. Many scientists were forced to keep their believes hidden.
What is the Renaissance all about?
1. Humanism
2. Literature
3. Science
4. Art
1. Humanism
- Philosophy of the Renaissance that focused on humanity and life on
earth. It also stressed the talents of each person (freedom of mind
and expression).
- Impact on the Church
Humanism stressed living fuller lives in this world and do not
worry about the afterlife. Life at this time was seen as a
stopping ground before one went to the afterlife.
Humanism asks man to live life to its fullest. They stressed
that there are other things important in life and you can still
be a good Christian.
It was a Secular (non-religious) movement.
2. Literature figures
a. Petrarch (1304-1374)
“Father of humanism.”
Great poet—wrote his Sonnets about Laura
Talks about earthy love and physical beauty rather then the glory of God.
b. Boccaccio (1313-1375)
Author of the Decameron- about 10 people trying to escape the
Black plague each telling stories.
Italian vernacular and he criticized the church
c. St. Thomas More (1478-1535)
Author who wrote Utopia
He wrote about what the perfect world and society should be like
by indirectly criticizing his world.
Utopia means perfect world.
d. Erasmus (1466-1536)
“Prince of Humanism.”
Author of In Praise of Folly- satire, making fun of superstitions of
the clergy and Christians.
Applied humanist believes to the Bible
e. Machiavellia (1459-1522)
Author of The Prince- described a gov’t as it actually should work
The quality of being a great leader with the lack of morality>>By
what ever means necessary
Casare Borgia was the leader that he pictured. Lorenzo de
Medici was admired by Machiavellia and patron to many artists.
f. Dante (1265-1321)
Wrote a poem called the Divine Comedy which had three smaller
poems in it (Inferno, Purgatory, Paradise) about Dante going
through the after life to find his love.
3. The Scientific Revolution
a. What was the Scientific Revolution?
The Scientific Revolution was a movement brought about by man’s
desire for new knowledge and a better way of doing things.
Previously, man had accepted as truth the teachings of the Catholic
Church (Dogma) and writings of ancient scholars.
b. Ptolemy’s ideas and church teachings before the Revolution.
-Ptolemy was an ancient Greek astronomer that believed the earth
was the center if the universe. He said the sun, stars, and
planets traveled around the earth. People did not conduct
experiments or question traditional beliefs. These ideas were
accepted for more then 1500 years.
-The Catholic Clergy then used religion to justify Ptolemy. God
made the Universe with the Earth in the middle.
-This thinking changed in the 1500 and 1600 as people began to
doubt. Their desire for the truth led to careful research,
experimentation, and the important new discoveries. These
truths led to our understanding of the universe, nature, and man
himself.
C. Famous Scientists that rocked the world at this time.
1. Nicholas Copernicus (1473-1543) of Poland.
Copernicus disputed the Ptolemaic theory, which stated that the
sun revolved around the earth.
2. Johannes Kepler (1571-1630) of Germany
Kepler carried Copernicus’ theory further and discovered that
the planets orbit the sun in an oval rather than circular.
Discovered the Laws of Planetary Motion.
3. Galileo Galilei (1564-1642) of Italy
In 1609, Galileo built one of the first telescopes, confirmed the
Copernican theory, and suggested that planetary bodies were
made of the same substance as the earth. Galileo’s work
threatened existing church teachings, and he was forced to
recant by the Catholic Church.
4. Isaac Newton (1642-1727) of England
a. Law of Motion ere the same for the earth and all other parts
of the universe.
b. Law of Gravity causes objects to fall to the earth. Gravity
also causes planets to revolve around the sun instead of
flying off into space.
c. Law of Inertia - a object will remain in the same place until a
force causes it to move.
-a moving object will continue to move until a
force causes it to stop.
4. Art- Differences between Medieval Art and Renaissance Art
Artists got paid and did it for themselves
a. Medieval Art
-Figures flat and unstylish
-Lacked expression and dealt with Religion (Blank Expression)
Why? Church focus on life and 1000AD
-Stained Glass
-Statute Columns
b. Renaissance Art
-Colors used better, made it look real
-Showed the expressions in the face
-Introduced 3-D perspective
-Light and shading
Artists of the Renaissance
a. Donatello: First great sculptor
David- First actual real size nude person since classics
Very accurate and studied Anatomy
b. Michelangelo: Studied anatomy and was concerned about sin.
He secretly cut up dead bodies to see how
they were put together. He was a great
Sculptor, painter, and poet.
La Pieta
David (16ft tall)
Ceiling of the Sistine Chapel & its’ wall called the
Last Judgment
Architect- St. Peter’s Cathedral in Rome
c. Leonardo Da Vinci
He was well rounded and self-taught. He was a Renaissance
man. He was interested in how birds flew. He studied anatomy.
Last Supper
Mona Lisa- Wife of a local merchant
He took it to France with him where he died.
Francis I had it and Napoleon had it in his bedroom.
d. Raphael
Portraits of wealthy Merchants
Leo X
Madonna’s Famous
School of Athens