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Chapter 17: Sections 1 and 2
Italy: Birthplace of the
Renaissance
and
The Northern Renaissance
Meaning of Renaissance
• Comes from the French word meaning
“rebirth”
• A restoration of classical arts and learning
of Rome and Greece, which had almost
been extinct during the Middle Ages
• A time of creativity and change in Europe,
began in the mid-14th century
• A time of rebirth after the disorder and
disunity of the medieval world
Why Italy?
• Italy was center of Roman history
• Also cities were prosperous centers of
trade and manufacturing
• Wealthy merchant class there promoted
the cultural rebirth by stressing education,
individual achievement, and spending
money to support the arts
The Renaissance Moves North
• The Renaissance moved north to France,
Belgium, Germany, Spain, and England 100
years after it began in Italy.
• Why?
– The plague reduced the population in Europe and
recovery was delayed in the north, recovering from
the Hundred Years’ War
– Only after 1450 did the north enjoy economic
growth to support the Renaissance
• How?
– Cities like Flanders grew rapidly, supporting wealthy
patrons
– Monarchs hired Italian artists and architects
Renaissance v. Middle Ages
• People changed their thinking in the
Renaissance and this fostered development
(modernization) in many areas of life– from
government to science to the arts to religion
• Renaissance: reawakened interest in classical
learning, Middle Ages: some preservation of
classical heritage, but not a focus
• Renaissance: think about here and now, Middle
Ages: think about what happens when you die
• Renaissance: More focus on achievement of the
individual
Petrarch’s Contributions
• Humanism- intellectual movement at the heart
of the Italian Renaissance that focused on
worldly subjects like human potential and
achievement rather than on religious issues
• A Florentine poet and early Renaissance
humanist (“father of Renaissance humanism”)
• Assembled a library of Greek and Roman
manuscripts
• His sonnets (14-line poems) were written in
both Italian and Latin
“Renaissance Man”
• Renaissance thinkers were eager to
explore richness and variety in human
experience
• The Renaissance ideal was the person
with talent in many fields
• A Renaissance man is a well-rounded
person with many talents and interests
• Examples: Leonardo da Vinci,
Michelangelo, Lorenzo de Medici
Leonardo, Michelangelo, Donatello, and Raphael
• Leonardo da Vinci:
Painted Mona Lisa,
sketched nature/models,
inventor, anatomy,
engineering, music, etc.
• Michelangelo: Sculpture
of David, Also painted
Sistine Chapel ceiling
•Raphael: Paintings
and altar wall
blending Christian and
• Donatello: His statue of Classical ideals, School
of Athens was a painting
David was the first large of a gathering of famous
free-standing nude
thinkers, also painted
tender pictures of the
since ancient times
madonna
Renaissance Art v. Medieval Art
• Reflected humanist concerns
• Did portray religious figures, but with a Greek or
Roman background
• Pictures of well-known figures
• Tried to make art look more realistic with use of
perspective
• Perspective– artistic technique used to give
drawings and paintings a 3-D effect on a flat
surface
• Oil Painting– allowed painters to build layers on
their work and also had more vibrant colors
• Human body portrayed more accurately than
before
Christ Giving the Keys to St. Peter: Fresco in
Sistine Chapel…PERSPECTIVE AT WORK!
Medieval or Renaissance and why?
•Medieval Italy, 1300s
•Religious, no use of
perspective
•Lack of accuracy in
human form
•Renaissance Italy,
1450
•Religious, but with a
Greek background
•Use of perspective
Which came first?
Botticelli, Italy, c. 1500
This one!
Berlinghiero, Italy, 1230s
Byzantine or Renaissance?
Portrayal of Humans
• More accurate
with use of
perspective
• Studied human
anatomy and
drew from live
models to look
more realistic
David
Sistine Chapel
God Creates Adam
The Last
Judgment
(On Altar
Wall)
• Helping People
Climb to Paradise
St. Bartholomew
with Flayed Skin
Self-Portrait of
Michelangelo
Trying to Go
to Paradise…
• Being Pulled Toward
Hell
The Medici Family
• The Medicis were a family in
Florence who were among the
richest bankers and merchants in
Europe
• Uncrowned rulers of the city of
Florence
• Lorenzo represented the
Renaissance ideal: politician,
financial supporter, poet
• A generous patron of the arts
• Patron- person who provides
financial support for the arts
Machiavellian Politics
• Machiavelli: Wrote of the ideal ruler and
how to gain and maintain power in The
Prince
– Stressed that end justified means
– Provided a realistic view of politics
Francois Rabelais,
Shakespeare, and Cervantes
• William Shakespeare
– Towering figure of Renaissance literature
– Wrote poems and plays
– A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Richard III,
Romeo and Juliet, Hamlet, King Lear,
Macbeth, Othello, Tue Taming of the Shrew
• Writing Style
– Master of the English language: invented
words like bedroom, heartsick, sneak, hurry
– Drew from classics for inspiration and plots
– Revealed souls of men, examined human
flaws
Accessibility of Literature
• New works were written in the vernacular:
everyday languages that people spoke
and understood
• For this reason, they appealed to many
people
• Others besides the clergy and nobility
could enjoy literature, and write it
The Conflict of Erasmus
• Greek humanist
• Translation of Biblical works
– Made Greek edition of the New Testament,
Improved the Latin translation
– Translation of the Bible into the vernacular
• Felt that even the uneducated should be able to read the
Bible
• Called for Church reforms
– Challenged Church worldliness
– Wrote The Praise of Folly, a humorous look at the
immoral behavior of the clergy
– Taught that chief duties were open-mindedness and
good will toward others
Sir Thomas More
• Utopia: an ideal place
• Sir Thomas More described the ideal
society in Utopia
– Men and women live in harmony
– Private property does not exist
– No one is lazy or uneducated
– Justice is used to end crime
Johann Gutenberg
• His printing press was breakthrough technology
• Printed a complete edition of the Bible using movable
metal type
• Changes with the printing revolution
– Books were cheaper and easier to produce
– More people learned to read and write as their were more
books printed
– Gained access to broad base of knowledge
– Changed religion
• “The preaching of sermons is speaking to a few of mankind, but
printing books is talking to the whole world”
• People could read the Bible for themselves
• Will be a cause of the Protestant Reformation