Download Renaissance

Renaissance (1300s – 1600s)
… or how Italy kick started the
entire world into the Modern Era
Italy



Birthplace
Renaissance
means “rebirth”
Began in Italy and
later spread north
Italy’s three advantages

Thriving cities


Overseas trade helped the growth
Population shrank due to bubonic plague
Advantages cont’d

A wealthy merchant class



Patrons
Universities founded
Medici family ruled Florence
Advantages cont’d

Classical Heritage


Wanted to return to the learning of the Greeks
and Romans
Scholars drew from ruins of Rome
3 cultural philosophies that epitomize
the Renaissance
1- Classicalism
2- Secularism
3- Humanism
Classicalism
•
•
A greater understanding of and admiration
for Greek and Roman literature and
learning
Europe was exposed to these writings
through the translations done by Jews and
Arabs
Secularism


Worldly
The view that consideration for the present
well-being of mankind should predominate
over religious consideration in civil affairs,
public education, and cultural expressions.
HumanismThe most important philosophy to come out of the
Renaissance


The concept that to be human is, in and of
itself, worthwhile- that to be alive as a
human being is something to celebrate
and rejoice. (this is counter to the
religious teachings of the Church)
It was taken from the study of ancient
Greek and Roman texts
What Humanism really
means…
….the seeking to balance
worldly pleasure (secularism)
with religious piety
A Renaissance Man

The epitome of the
Renaissance ideals:



Highly educated
A variety of interests
Worldly
The Northern Renaissance
Started in the late 1400s
Artistic Spread of Ideas



War broke out between southern and
northern Italy
As safe haven, many artists fled to
northern Italy
Many artists studied in Italy also traveled
up north
The “flavor” of the Northern
Renaissance

Christian Humanist


Spiritual/religious
themes and ideas
Looked at the
relationship between
humanity and the
divine
The Northern Renaissance


By 1450, population was recovering from
plague
As Renaissance spread out of Italy, it
mingled with northern traditions
Famous Northern Artists




German painter- Durer
Flemish painters- Jan van Eyck, Pieter
Bruegel the Elder
Christian Humanists- Thomas More,
Desiderius Erasmus
William Shakespeare
Most Important Invention for the
Renaissance





The Printing Press by
Johann Gutenberg
Based on the idea of
Chinese movable printing
Allowed ideas to spread
faster
Literacy increased
Opened the door for the
Reformation
Renaissance Art



What the Renaissance is really known
for…
To explain why the names Leonardo,
Michelangelo, Donatello and Raphael are
important…
And it is NOT because of the Teenage
Mutant Ninja Turtles….
Characteristics of Renaissance
Art



Decrease use of religious subjects and increase
use of real world subjects (people, places,
landscapes, even nudity)
Use of “perspective”, a technique to show 3
dimensions (3D) or give depth to the picture
These characteristics were not limited to visual
art but was used in literature and other art forms
Change of subject matter from Religious to Secular
Perspective (and depth)
Different mediums of Renaissance Art
"Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?"
Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?
Thou art more lovely and more temperate:
Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May,
And summer's lease hath all too short a date:
Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines,
And often is his gold complexion dimm'd;
And every fair from fair sometime declines,
By chance, or nature's changing course, untrimm'd;
But thy eternal summer shall not fade,
Nor lose possession of that fair thou owest;
Nor shall Death brag thou wander'st in his shade,
When in eternal lines to time thou growest;
So long as men can breathe, or eyes can see,
So long lives this, and this gives life to thee.
Renaissance Artists


Painters
 Leonardo da Vinci
 Raphael
 Rembrandt
 Sofonisba Anguissola
Sculptors


Donatello
Michelangelo

Writers
 William Shakespeare
 Thomas More
 Niccolo Machiavelli

Musicians




Guilliaume Dufay
Giovanni de Palestrina
Orlando Di Lasso
William Byrd
Pick a Renaissance Man/ Woman
The End
….now you can go to an Art
museum and understand what is
going on or you can go impress
Mr. Wodzainski with your deep
knowledge of Art
Leonardo da Vinci







The ultimate “Renaissance
Man”
Inventor, artist, scientist
Epitome of experimental
tradition
Regarded as a genius
Began modern scientific
method
Best works occurred during
1496- 1506
Designs of inventionsparachutes, flying machines,
etc.
Mona Lisa
Do you see any commonalities between the two????
The Last Supper
…from his sketchbook
“Michelangelo” Buonarroti





Pupil of Donatello
Considered himself a sculptor
above all
Worked on Sistine Chapel for
4 years
Seems to be ultimate
embodiment of the
achievements of his age
Each one of his works has his
distinct signature on it (sense
of striving)
David
Sistine Chapel
Raphael





Most famous work- “School of
Athens”
For his patrons, he painted
Madonnas and flattering
portraits
Paintings give impression of
pure relaxation
Combined religious art with a
Renaissance spirit
Used perspective to create a
sense of spaced and balance
in his paintings
School of Athens
A Madonna
Donatello




Made free-standing statues
like those of ancient Greeks
and Romans
First European sculptor since
ancient times to make a large,
free-standing human figure in
the nude
Wanted his figures to seem
real and alive
Wanted to show strength and
grace of human form
David
Sofonisba Anguissola



One of the 1st women
to gain an
international
reputation as a
painter
Prolific painter- 50
works to her credit
An inspiration for
many young women
to become painters
A Double Portrait
Rembrandt van Rijn





A Northern Renaissance Artist
meaning he was a Christian
Humanist
Greatest Dutch artist of the
period
Works realistically captured
moments of drama
Most famous group painting
“The Night Watch”
Fascinated with human
character
The Night Watch
William Shakespeare



Shared interest in
ancient world
Master at revealing
nature in all its formsgood, evil, wise, etc.
People doubt that one
man could produce
this amazing body of
works
Thomas More



Central figure in
English humanism
Implies that a society
based on Christian
principles can attain a
greater good
Idea of “Utopia”
Niccolo Machiavelli



Served Florence (born
there) as a diplomat
Tried to understand why
one ruler succeeded
while another failed
“The Prince” is about
power- ruler might have
to trick enemies and even
his own people