Download What was the Renaissance?

ITALY AND THE
RENAISSANCE
The Birth of Venus, Botticelli (1485)
What was the
Renaissance?
• The term means “rebirth”
– in this case, the term
refers to a revival of art
and learning.
• The Renaissance
originated in Northern
Italy and then spread
throughout Europe.
Why Italy?
• Italy had 3 advantages that
made it the birthplace of the
Renaissance.
• 1. thriving cities
• 2. a wealthy merchant class
• 3. the classical heritage of
Greece and Rome.
City-States
• Overseas trade led to the growth of
many large city-states in Northern
Italy, making this part of the
country predominately urban.
• The bubonic plague caused labor
shortages which pushed up wages.
With few opportunities to expand
business, merchants began to
pursue art.
Merchants
• A wealthy merchant
class developed in
each Italian citystate.
• In Florence, a
powerful banking
family called the
Medici came to
power.
Cosimo de Medici
Dictator of Florence, 1434-1464.
Lorenzo de Medici
Followed his grandfather as
ruler of Florence.
Heritage of Greece &
Rome
• 1. Artists drew inspiration from
the ruins of ancient Rome.
• 2. Scholars studied ancient Latin
manuscripts.
• 3. Greek manuscripts were also
in Rome after being relocated
from Constantinople.
Renaissance Values
• Humanism: an intellectual
movement that focused on
human potential and
achievements.
• Represented a move away
from the exclusively Christian
values of the Medieval era.
Renaissance Values (cont’d)
• Secularism: a focus on the
worldly rather than the
spiritual and concerned
with the here and now.
• Led to an emphasis on
worldly pleasure, such as
material luxuries, music
and food.
Renaissance Values (cont’d)
• The Renaissance Man:
• All educated people
were expected to
master almost every
area of study, such as
dancing, music, art,
poetry, horseback
riding, wrestling, the
classics, etc.
Renaissance Values (cont’d)
• The Renaissance Woman:
• Well-educated but nonpolitical.
• Expected to inspire rather
than create art.
Renaissance Art
• Renaissance art involved
stylistic change.
• 1. Emphasized realism.
• 2. More of a secular focus,
utilizing Greek and
Roman rather than
spiritual subjects.
• 3. Used perspective, or 3-D
painting.
Michelangelo
• Painter, sculptor, architect
and poet.
• Most famous for the way
he portrayed the human
body as influenced by
classical art.
David
The Pieta, St. Peter’s Cathedral
The Sistine Chapel
Leonardo da Vinci
• Painter, sculptor, inventor
and scientist.
• Ergo, often considered the
quintessential Renaissance
man.
Mona Lisa
The Last Supper
Adoration of the Magi
da Vinci
Raphael
1483-1520
The School of Athens
Renaissance Literature
• Writers produced works that were
secular as well as religious.
• Writers began to use vernacular
languages to express their ideas.
This refers to their native language,
rather than Latin.
• Writers focused on the individuality
of their subjects.
Dante
• Wrote The Divine Comedy.
• Widely considered the central epic
poem of Italian literature, the first
great work of the Renaissance and one
of the greatest works of world
literature.
• Tells the story of visiting hell from the
first person.
Dante as depicted by Michelangelo
Petrarch
• One of the earliest and
most influential
humanists.
• Great poet known for
writing sonnets (or 14 line
poems) to an unknown
woman named Laura.
Machiavelli
• Most famous for writing The
Prince.
• This book gives advice on
how a ruler can gain and
maintain power.
• Argues that most people are
selfish and corrupt.
• Focuses on what was effective
rather than moral; advocated
lying if effective.
Printing Spreads Ideas
• The Chinese first used block printing and
the Europeans would expand on this
• This process worked, but too slow to keep
up with the demand for ideas
• About 1440 Johann Gutenberg invented a
printing press with movable type
• Books could now be made fast and cheap
• The fist book printed was the Gutenberg
Bible
• Before the
press  5
months to
copy a
book by
hand
• After the
press  5
months to
print 500
books
Review: Humanism
• What are the main characteristics of
humanism?
• Affirmed the worth of the human.
• Emphasized the self and
individuality.
• Valued the secular rather than the
spiritual.
• Optimistic about the potential for
social improvement.
The Northern Renaissance
• Merchants, artists, scholars came to
Italy from northern Europe and were
impressed with what they saw from
the Italian Renaissance
• As a result, the northern Renaissance
developed its own character, mainly
realism
Albrecht Dürer
• German
• Known for woodcarvings
and engravings
Pieter Bruegel and Jan van Eyck
• Flemish painters (from Netherlands)
• Van Eyck used oil-based paints to
show layers and subtlety (i.e. jewels)
• Bruegel showed scenes from
everyday peasant life (Peasant
Wedding)
Northern Writers:
Christian Humanists
• Critical of the Church and wanted to
reform society
• Erasmus (Netherlands) and Thomas
More (England) are two best examples
• Erasmus’ The Praise of Folly
• More’s Utopia
Legacy of the Renaissance
• Marked a break in religious focus of
Middle Ages
• Belief that the individual played a role in
the rise of democratic beliefs
• Arts: writers (vernacular) and painters
(realism and secularism)
• Society: learning and rise in literacy
• Church’s power declines and monarchs’
rises
• Paved the way for nation states