The European Renaissance

AP World HistoryMr. CharnleyThe Early Modern Era, 1450 – 1750 CE

The Renaissance

Italy 14th

through 16th centuries

Artistic and literary movement

Italian Renaissance

Themes humanism

Art Realism Classical

themes Da Vinci Michelangelo

Renaissance Artwork Exercise

Look at each of the following images. You will be shown works of art in pairs, each about the same subject. Write down who/what the painting is of. Write down what the focus of the

artwork is (what is the viewer’s gaze first attracted to?)

What are the major styles/themes of each?

How does the second image differ from the first?

Italian Renaissance

Literature Promotion of

classical Greco-Roman themes

Secular topics Vernacular language Boccaccio

(Decameron, On Famous Women)

Machiavelli (The Prince)

Petrarch (Canzoniere)

Italian Renaissance

Politics Emphasis on state improvement and

glorification Patronage of the arts Permanent, professional militaries Diplomacy

Economics Banking Profit-seeking

Northern Renaissance

15th through 17th centuries France, Netherlands, Holy

Roman Empire, England, Hungary, Poland

Decline of Italy▪ Spanish and French invasions

in 16th century▪ Renaissance artists and

writers left the Italian city-states to work for other Western European rulers

▪ Exploration opened new Atlantic trade routes that bypassed Mediterranean trade routes

Northern Renaissance

Art and literature Combined religious

and secular subjects Blended realism

with classical styles Classical and

vernacular languages

Shakespeare (Hamlet)

Erasmus (The Praise of Folly)

Northern Renaissance

Politics State rulers

consolidated power

Interest in exploration and military conquest

Move away from religious and feudal influence on government

Renaissance

Social Changes Nuclear family = family unit centered

around parents and children People married at later ages Greater emphasis on individual property

rights Technology

Printing press: Johannes Gutenberg (Gutenberg Bible)

Renaissance

Legacy Greatest effects were on social elites Lower social class life was not improved

(peasants, artisans) State rulers were still limited by feudal

system Women’s roles in society were further

reduced and restricted