The Renaissance: An Introduction

Why did the Renaissance start in Italy?

• Europeans still looked to Rome for cultural and intellectual guidance

• Italian merchants prospered even during the Middle Ages; these merchants valued education and flaunted wealth through art

• The Church’s wealth and power was based in Italy

Florence• Renaissance centered on the

Italian city of Florence• Home to the powerful

Medici family– wealthy bankers (banking had

become too profitable and important to the economy to leave in the hands of Europe’s Jews)

– Controlled the Florentine government as “doge”

– spent vast amounts of money on art

What was the Renaissance?• Three Parts:

1. A shift in thought:• A focus is on the secular

(or “worldly”), rather than the religious

• Focus of life changed from “How do I get into Heaven?” to “How do I enjoy success here and now?”

• New emphasis on individual achievement over communal needs

What was the Renaissance?2. An openness to

experimentation:– a willingness to explore

the world (Columbus)– a willingness to engage in

scientific inquiry (Galileo, Copernicus)

– a willingness to try new techniques in art (Michelangelo)

– a willingness to challenge religious doctrine (Luther)

What was the Renaissance?3. A renewed interest in

education:– Often defined by

“Humanism,” or the idea that rational thought is superior to unquestioning faith

– Heavy focus on the humanities (history, philosophy, & literature)

– Revival of the classical learning of the Greeks & Romans

Greek & Roman Ideas That Humanists Focused On:

• 1. Individual worth: humans can improve themselves through study & effort

• 2. One should show a strong commitment to public service

• 3. Humans can impact history, not just God

Humanism in the Arts• Humanist artists:

– studied Greek and Roman artistic forms

– often portrayed religious figures in a more realistic (or human) way

– painted portraits of the “rich and famous” people of the time

– mastered the trick of perspective, or the ability to give a painting dimensional depth

– Rejected medieval Gothic architecture in favor of classical Greek forms (columns, arches, & domes)

Patronage in the Arts• Art is a luxury good, and as

such, is expensive• Most Renaissance artists

depended on wealthy patrons (or “sponsors”), such as the Medici family or the pope, who kept them employed

• In the end, while many artists had humanist ideals, they also had to keep their patrons happy and produce art that would sell!

The Four “Masters” of the Italian Renaissance

Donatello• 1386 – 1466• Name: Donato di

Niccolo di Betto Barti • Master sculptor• Created the first life-size

statue of a rider on horseback since Roman times

• Masterworks include his version of “David”

Leonardo da Vinci• 1452 – 1519• Only 15 paintings survive,

but 2 of them are the most famous of all time – the “Mona Lisa” & “The Last Supper”

• Master engineer & inventor

• Dissected human corpses to learn anatomy

Mona Lisa

The Last Supper

Michelangelo• 1475 – 1564• Name: Michelangelo di

Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni • Master sculptor – the

“Pieta” & “David”• Painted the ceiling of the

Sistine Chapel - mural depicting the Biblical stories of Genesis

• Architect – designed the dome of St. Peter’s cathedral in Rome

The Sistine Chapel

The Sistine Chapel

David

The Pieta

Raphael• 1483 – 1520• Name: Raffaello Sanzio • Studied works of Leonardo

and Michelangelo• Painted many “Madonnas” of

Mary and the baby Jesus• Most famous work, “The

School of Athens,” depicts an imaginary meeting of history’s greatest thinkers and artists and is a masterpiece of perspective

The School of Athens

Italian Literature• Baldassare Castiglione →

– Author of The Book of the Courtier, which told how to be a proper gentleman at the royal court

• Petrarch– Poet, essayist,

philosopher; famous for publishing his own letters to friends on various topics; called the “Father of Humanism”

Niccolo Machiavelli• Author of The Prince• Told how to gain and

maintain power through ruthlessness

• Taught that rulers should do whatever was necessary to achieve their objectives: “the ends justifies the means”

• His writings still affect how governments and political campaigns are run even today

The Renaissance Spreads• Renaissance ideas

(especially humanism) carried into the Netherlands by the Roman Catholic priest Erasmus

• Later spread to England, France, Spain, & Germany

Northern Renaissance Art• Many new painters

flourished, including van Eyck, Bruegel, & Rubens

• Used newly invented oil paints which were brighter, allowed greater detail to be painted, and stood up better over time

Erasmus• Wrote a new translation of

the Bible in Greek (violating Church law) and began to call on the Church to translate it into common languages so that more people could read it

• Erasmus also openly criticized the hypocrisies of the Church in his book In The Praise of Folly

Northern Renaissance Authors• ← Thomas More – wrote

Utopia, which described an ideal society

• Francois Rabelais – wrote Gargantua and Pantagruel, a comic social satire

• William Shakespeare – author of 37 plays including tragedies, comedies, and histories (Romeo & Juliet, Hamlet, McBeth)

• Cervantes – wrote Don Quixote, which mocked feudalism & the nobility

The Printing Press• 1456: Johann Gutenberg printed

the first book in the west, using technology imported from East Asia

• Within 20 years, moveable type had been invented, making printing even easier

• By 1500, 20 million books had been printed in Europe– made books much cheaper– more access to books = more

people learning to read– new discoveries and ideas can

spread more quickly