European Renaissance

and the Reformation

Chapter 1

Section 1: Italy: Birthplace of the Renaissance

Italy’s Advantages

During the middle ages, Europe suffered much war and plague

Renaissance-means “rebirth”

The long period of suffering caused people to want to celebrate life and the human spirit

Renaissance in this context refers to a revival of art and learning

Educated men & women of Italy hoped to bring Italy back to the culture of classic Rome and Greek eras

Italy’s Advantages

The Renaissance led to innovative styles of art and literature-also stressed importance of individual

So why Italy??

Italy’s Advantages

First, Italy boasted many large city states

Most of Europe was still rural but Northern Italy was urban

So what?

Well, cities are where people exchange ideas

Plague meant smaller labor pool, which meant laborer could demand more money

Business owners had few opportunities to expand so they pursued other interests- like art

Italy’s Advantages

Second, Italy had Merchants and the Medici

In smaller Florence and Milan, merchants were able to dominate politics

Merchants were not of nobility so they had to work for social rank

Many believed power could come from politics

Cosimo de Medici-wealthy and powerful merchant from Florence; Medici family became most powerful in the region

Italy’s Advantages

Looking to Greece and Rome

Renaissance scholars looked down on art and literature of the Middle ages

They wanted to return to the learning of the Greeks and Romans

They drew inspiration from Roman ruins, ancient Latin manuscripts, and ancient Greek manuscripts

Classical and Worldly Values

Classics lead to humanism-intellectual movement that focuses on human potential and achievements

Humanists influenced artists and architects to carry on ancient Greek vlaues

Humanists popularized the study of humanities- like history, literature, and philosophy

So thank the Italians for being in this class!!

Classical and Worldly Values

During the Middle Ages people showed piety by wearing rough clothing and eating plain food

Renaissance spirit was to be secular-worldly rather than spiritually-live in here and now

Eventually church leaders began living in lavish mansions and wore expensive clothes

Classical and Worldly Values

Church leaders beautified Rome by becoming patrons of the arts by financially supporting art

Renaissance leaders and wealthy families were also patrons. Donating art showed wealth and importance

Classical and Worldly Values

Renaissance man- One who excelled in many fields (universal man)

Educated men expected to create art

Renaissance Woman-Expected to inspire art but not create

Upper Class women more educated than lower class, but had no political influece

Exception-Isabella d’Este

Renaissance Revolutionizes the Art

Artists often portrayed religious subjects, but used a realistic style copied from classical models

Renaissance painters used the technique of perspective-shows 3 dimensions on a flat surface

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

Michelangelo used realistic style to paint human body

Emphasis on individual meant painters began to paint citizens

Donatello made sculpture more realistic by carving realistic human poses

Created David- first large scale nude statue since ancient times

Heroes in a Half Shell

Leonardo da Vinci- Renaissance man painted, sculpted, invented, and was a scientist.

Painted the Mona Lisa and the Last Supper

Raphael studies works of Leonardo and Michelangelo

Created many works of art dealing with Madonna and child

Turtle Power

Not TMNT, but women

Sofonsiba Anguissola was first women to gain international acclaim as an artist

Painted Spanish royal family

Artemisia Gentileschi-trained with her father and created art of strong heroic women

Renaissance Writers

Dante-Italian writer who wrote in vernacular-his native language-rather than Latin

Francesco Petrarch-father of Renaissance humanism

Giovanni Boccaccio-used humor to illustrate the human condition

Niccolo Machiavelli- wrote “The Prince”, to advise rulers how to gain power and then stay in power

Vittoria Colonna- woman writer, wrote about personal subjects

Section Two: The Northern Renaissance

The Northern Renaissance Begins

The bubonic plague and Hundred Years War caused population to decline in France and England

As urban areas began to grow, they began to look to the arts

The Renaissance mingled with northern traditions and developed its own character

Renaissance plants the seeds for social reform

Artistic Ideas Spread

As France and Italian city states engaged in war, Italian artists moved to safety in N. Europe.

German painters Albrecht Durer studied in Italy and influenced Hans Holbein.

Flanders focused on becoming the artistic center of Northern Europe.

Jan van Eyck became famous for oil painting, Pieter Bruegel painted scenes from everyday life

Northern Writers Want to Reform Society

Italian humanist ideas inspired northern Europeans to question the Church.

Northern humanists were critical of the failure of the Church to inspire people to live like Christians

These people became known as Christian humanists-focused on reforming society-esp. education for all children

Northern Writers Want to Reform Society

Desiderius Erasmus and Tomas More-Most famous Christian humanists

More wrote Utopia- means “no place” in Greek, means ideal place in English. Book is about place where there are no wars, greed, or corruption. Money is irrelevant

Christine de Pizan wrote about the difference in treatment of boys and girls-advocated schools for girls

Elizabethan Age

Period of time of Queen Elizabeth’s Reign

Queen Elizabeth was well educated, wrote poetry and music and supported the development of art and literature

William Shakespeare-most famous writer of this era.

Printing Spreads Renaissance Ideas

Johan Gutenberg developed the first printing press in Germany in 1440.

Chinese developed numerous presses in 1000s but their language was to big to use-press was not practical

First thing printed was a full size Bible.

Printing presses created many copies of a single work. Made books cheap.

The Legacy of the Renaissance

A period of great artistic and social change

It marked a break with the medieval period ideas focused around the church

Renaissance ideas of dignity of individuals played a key role in the rise of Democracy

The printing press helped leterature spread to the masses

Section 3: Luther Leads the Reformation