Download The Intellectual and Artistic Renaissance

The Intellectual and Artistic
Renaissance
Italian Renaissance Humanism
• Humanism was a key intellectual
movement of the Renaissance
– Based on the study of literary works of the
ancients Greeks and Romans
• Humanists studied the “humanities”
– grammar, rhetoric, poetry, philosophy, and
history
Italian Renaissance Humanism
• Petrarch is
considered the father
of Italian Renaissance
humanism
– He emphasized the
use of pure classical
Latin
• Latin as it was used by
the ancient Romans
Italian Renaissance Humanism
• In the early 1400s, humanists shifted from
being a secluded group, to being very
proactive
– believed intellectuals should be active in the
community
– Also believed the humanities should be used
to serve the state
Vernacular Literature
• Because of the emphasis on classical
Latin, scholars, lawyers, and theologians
used it
• But some writers used the vernacular
– language spoken in their own regions
• In the 14th century, the works of Dante and
Chaucer made vernacular popular
Dante
• Dante (Italian) wrote the Divine Comedy
Chaucer
• Chaucer (English) wrote The Canterbury
Tales
Education in the Renaissance
• Humanists believed that education could
change people
• Believed that the liberal studies (history,
moral philosophy, grammar, logic, poetry,
math, astronomy, etc) helped people
reach their full potential
Education in the Renaissance
• Humanists also stressed physical
education
– Sound mind and sound body
• The purpose of liberal education was not
to create a great scholar, but complete
human beings
New Techniques in Painting
• Masaccio’s frescoes were the first
masterpieces of Renaissance art
– A painting done on fresh, wet plaster with
water-based paints
• He created a 3D perspectives which
allowed his works to be very realistic
Masaccio’s Frescoes
Sculpture and Architecture
• The sculptor
Donatello spent time
studying and imitating
statues of the Greeks
and Romans
– He created realistic
free-standing figures
Sculpture and Architecture
• The buildings of
classical Rome
inspired the architect
Filippo Brunelleschi.
The Masters of the High
Renaissance
• The final stage of Italian Renaissance
painting is called the High Renaissance
(1490-1520)
• Three artistic giants are associated with
this period
– Leonardo da Vinci
– Raphael
– Michelangelo
da Vinci’s Work
• He focused on realistic painting
Raphael’s Work
• Known for his paintings at the Vatican
palace
Michelangelo’s Work
• Known for his
work on the ceilings
of the
Sistine chapel
The Northern Artistic Renaissance
• Artists of northern Europe typically painted
illustrations for books and wooden panels
for altarpieces
– Masters of detail
• The most important northern school of art
in the 15th century was in Flanders.
The Use of Oil Paint
• Jan van Eyck was
one of the first to use
oil paint.
• Allowed artists to use
a wide variety of
colors and to create
fine details.