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The Renaissance
Italy and the rebirth of learning and the arts
Madonna and Child in
Glory By Jacopa di Cione
(1360/65)
A very early example of Renaissance
painting, containing many of the
characteristics of paintings from
the Middle Ages.
•
Notice the halos around the heads
of the figures in the paintings.
•
Notice that the pairs of saints and
angels around the upper border of
the painting are smaller than the
Madonna and child in the center.
This is called hieratic scale, which
means making the most important
figures in a work of art larger than
less important figures.
QUESTION
1. How does this painting reflect the
values of the Middle Ages?
The Virgin of Chancellor Rolin by Jan van Eyck
(1434)
This painting shows Jesus and
his mother, Mary, in 15th
Century Europe.
• Notice the recreation of distance
and the appearance of three
dimensions. This technique,
called “perspective,” existed in
the Classical period of Greece
and Rome, but had not been used
during the Middle Ages.
QUESTIONS:
2. What differences do you
notice between this depiction
of Mary and Jesus and the
previous one?
3. What does showing Mary
and Jesus in “present day” tell
us about the role of religion in
Renaissance society?
David
by Michelangelo
(1504)
Michelangelo was influenced by
the classical statues of Greece
and Rome. David shows the
Biblical hero in the moments just
before his battle with Goliath.
• Notice that his posture is graceful,
yet he also displays strength.
QUESTION:
4. David is also an example of
Renaissance art that borrows
ideals from the Classical age of
Greece and Rome. What values of
those earlier cultures does this
statue display?
Madonna and Child with
St. John
By Guiliano Bugiardini
(1523/1525)
Yet another painting of Mary
and Jesus, this time also with
St. John.
• Notice the landscape and use of
perspective.
QUESTIONS:
5. Do these religious figures
wear halos? If so, how do they
differ from the ones in the first
painting?
6. Is the landscape Heavenly or
Earthly? What does this tell us
about religion in the
Renaissance?
The Bean Eater By Annibale Carracci
(1582/83)
This painting was
made later in the
Renaissance than
any of the others
we’ve shown.
QUESTIONS:
7. What is the main
difference you see
between this
painting and the
other works we’ve
looked at?
8. This painting
reflects the value of
“humanism.” What
do you think that
means?
Renaissance = Rebirth
If you were one of the lucky ones to survive
the bloodshed of The Crusades and the
suffering of The Plague, wouldn’t you want
to live it up?
 The Renaissance was a period in Europe
when people questioned the Church and the
structures of Medieval society that blocked
social advancement. Why?
 Out of this came an explosion of creativity,
which began in Italy in the early 1300s.

Renaissance/ Change over Time
How does this painting reflect the
values of the Middle Ages?
Is the landscape heavenly or earthy,
what does this reveal about religion
during the Renaissance?
What is the major difference between
this painting and the other two?
1.Give one example of hieratic scale from
these paintings {Cornell notes}
2. Give one example of perspective from
these paintings {Cornell notes}
3. Which painting would best symbolize
humanism? Figure it out!
Why Italy?
Why, really?
Northern Italy had many large city-states as the
result of overseas trade, and also many large
towns. Cities are breeding grounds for new
ideas.
 The Plague hit these cities hard, killing up to
60% of their populations. Business suffered, so
many wealthy merchants turned to art. Also,
because there were fewer laborers, those left
could demand higher wages.
 Italians also drew inspiration from the ruins of
Rome that surrounded them.

City-States. . . Where have we heard
that term before?


Just as in ancient Greece, the city-states in
Italy (Milan, Florence, etc.) were very
independent and ran their own affairs.
Because they were relatively small, a high
percentage of citizens could participate in
political life.
Merchants became the wealthiest, most
powerful class. Unlike nobles, merchants did
not inherit their power. Individual
achievement was to become an important
Renaissance theme.
A return to the classics
Renaissance scholars looked down on the
art and literature of the Middle Ages. They
instead looked to the Classical era of
Greece and Rome.
 Scholars studied ancient Latin manuscripts
that had been preserved in monasteries.
 And Byzantine scholars preserved Greek
manuscripts before Constantinople fell to
the Muslim Turks.

In their shoes: Write It Up

Analyze the words on the previous slide
and explain how the attitudes of the poor
in the Middle Ages changed during the
period know as the Renaissance,
particularly those who survived the Black
Death.
Printing Press
Allowed for fast
reproduction of Humanist
ideas during the
Renaissance period
Allowed for materials to be
produced in numerous
languages at a fast rate
Machiavelli:
1.
2.
According to The Prince, what is
the best way for political leaders
to obtain and hold power?
Based on his own words, what
was Machiavelli’s view of human
nature?