The Renaissance

The Quick Version

What is the Renaissance?

• We have an idea of what the Renaissance is (and it’s the one your book uses) but our modern definition leads to questions (especially for historians)

• How did the people involved feel about this period?– Yes we have to break this down into the wealthy

and really everyone else– Periodization of history: Do people just wake up and

go huh, I think it’s a good day for a Renaissance?

What Historians are Saying• The term Renaissance was created historians about

300 years after the “Renaissance” happened– This same thing happened with the term “Dark Ages”– Jacob Burckhardt

• There were institutions that were vital for the “Renaissance” that came out of the High Middle Ages– Most important, Humanism – the study of the Latin and

Greek classics and of the Church Fathers both for their own sake and to promote ancient norms and values

What Historians are Saying Con’t

• Most of the people in Europe at this time (especially in Italy) still called themselves Roman which is why it’s a bit strange to say it was a return to the Greek and Roman….– Granted you had people who were “Franks” and

“Venetians” and “Sicilians” but those were considered city identifiers, a lot of people (especially the leadership) still called themselves Romans

All that being said…

• There were still significant changes that came out of the “Renaissance” which started in about 1400s– This happened all over Europe but Italy becomes the

focal point for it– Probably because they had been the center of the

Roman Empire for sooooo long…– And this happened in specifically Northern and

Central Italy (at least that’s the modern interpretation)

Why Italy?

• There are a few reasons why Italy became such a focal point:– Natural gateway: you have to go past Italy in order

to get to the rest of Europe (larger reason for this is that its significantly easier and cheaper to transport things over water)

– City-States: the trading power of Italy led to these large city-states which are always good places for intellectual pursuits (universities, libraries)

Why Italy con’t– Merchants and the Medici: Merchants dominated

politics in these city-states because they became extremely wealthy from the trade• This allowed them to sponsor artists and writers because those

people do not work without having someone to pay their bills (unless they are themselves wealthy)• Most famous of these families was the Medici family out of

Florence – They were a banking family that had branches throughout Italy and the

rest of Europe– They were huge supporters of the Renaissance artists, including

Michelangelo and Donatello

More of Italy

– Heritage of Rome (and Greece): the ruins of Rome were still very visible in these places • The aqueducts were still being used by most of these places• The roads that the Romans had constructed for trading were

still in use• So it was easy to look at this and say yah we should be looking

to them • Also Constantinople fell in 1453 which forced many scholars

out of the city and many brought the Greek and Roman “classics” with them– This gave the “Renaissance” scholars something to look at

Classical and Worldly Values• Let me set something straight right away: many people like to

think that the Renaissance was in some way, non-religious (Secular) – It is important to keep in mind that these people were still devout

Catholics and intersected religion and politics all the time– Multiple Medici family members went from political holding to the

office of pope!• Did usher in the wide-spread use of the concept of Humanism

– the study of the Latin and Greek classics and of the Church Fathers for their own sake– And you had to read these works in the original language or you

weren’t doing it right– Today we call history, literature, the arts, the humanities or liberal

arts

Patrons of the Arts• With all the wealth that is being built up in Italy, the leaders

of the city-states are looking for something to do with it so they start supporting artists– Some of this to is city-states competing with each other

• What better way to show off the wealth of your city (and your family) than paying people tons of money to paint and design buildings within your city?

• The Medici’s were one of the most important patron families– Sponsored famous artists and Lorenzo di Medici collected rare manuscripts that

would have otherwise been lost

• Church leaders did the same thing – St. Peter’s Basilica was the largest church in the world during the

Renaissance and even today is the second largest church in the world

– Sistine Chapel was at this time to by Michelangelo painted between 1508-1512

The Ideal Man and Woman • Ideal man:– Strove to master almost every area of study– Baldassare Castiglione – The Courtier (1528)

• The ideal man should sing, dance, play music, write poetry, be a skilled rider, be able to wrestle, and be an accomplished swordsman

• Ideal Woman:– According to Castiglione, they should know the classics and be

charming but not expected to seek fame– They were expected to inspire art but not create it– Exceptions:

• Isabella d’Este – Born into the ruling family of Ferrara– Married the leader of Mantua where she patronized many Renaissance artists

and built a famous art collection

Revolutions in Art• Realistic painting and sculpture

– Donatello• Carved his statues in natural poses, that had expression and personality• The David is his most famous piece, at least today because it was the first free-standing statute

since the Romans

– Leonardo• Painter, sculptor, inventor, scientist • Mona Lisa is one of his most famous works but he also painted the Last Supper

– Michelangelo• Painter, sculptor, inventor, scientist • Heavily influenced by classical art and created figures that are heroic and powerful looking• Sistine Chapel is one of his most famous works

– Raphael• Madonna and Child was one of his favorite topics • The School of Athens is one of his most famous

– Sofonisba Anguissola• One of the few woman to gain prominance • She is known for painting portraits of her sisters and King Philip II of Spain

– Artemisia Gentileschi• Painted strong heroic women and worked with her father, who was also her teacher

Changes in Literature• Writing in the vernacular – native language

– Petrarch:• One of the most influential humanists • “Father of the Renaissance”• Wrote sonnets about a mysterious woman (this is taken from Catullus – Roman poet

who wrote about a Lesbia)

– Boccaccio:• Wrote the Decameron which was a collection of off color-stories• About a group of people who were living in a rural villa to avoid the plague• Presents quite a lot of personality and flaws

– Machiavelli:• Terribly annoying • Wrote The Prince which was a way for him to gain favor with the Medici’s after they

had run him out of Florence (they took it over and kicked him out)• “The ends justify the means”• “Its better to be feared than loved”

– Vittoria Colonna• She wrote to Michelangelo, exchanging sonnets• Helped Castiglione publish his The Courtier

The Northern Renaissance• This does not mean that the North was not already doing some of this

stuff! They were but the Italians did it on a bigger scale since they, you know, had the money

• But they did get stuff from the Italians as well• Spread of Artistic Ideas

– Dürer• Famous for woodcuts and engravings• Many portray religious subjects while still others are classical myths and realistic

landscapes

– Jan van Eyck• Flemish• One of the first to use the newly developed oil based paints with techniques that painters

today still use• Paintings display unusually realistic details and reveal the personalities of his subjects

– Peter Bruegel• Flemish• Skillful at portraying large groups of people• Used scenes from everyday life like weddings, dances, and harvests• Bright colors, vivid details, and balanced space

Northern Writers• One of the most famous is Erasmus from the Holy

Roman Empire (Germany)– He translated the New Testament from Greek and it

brought about so crazy changes because he found that the modern Bibles had translated some pretty important stuff wrong

– He taught at Cambridge where he wrote The Praise of Folly, a satirical examination of society in general and the various abuses of the Church

– Hugely important for the Reformation even though he never rejected the Catholic Church• Reason why the quote Martin Luther hatched the egg

Erasmus laid is being questioned.

Northern Writers • Christine de Pizan

– First woman to ever earn a living as a writer– Produced many books: short stories, biographies, novels, and manuals on military

techniques – One of the first Europeans to question the different treatment of boys and girls in

The Book of the City of Ladies• Thomas More

– Tried to model a better society using a term called “utopia” which by the way is taken from Plato (a Greek thinker)• Wanted policies governed by reason

– Canonized as a Catholic saint after he was killed by Henry VIII• “The king’s good servant, but God’s first” then he was beheaded

• Shakespeare– Loved using the classics in his plays (Henry VIII, Antony and Cleopatra, Julius

Caesar, Titus Andronicus)– Many of his plays exam human flaws– “She’s the man” is based on Twelfth Night

The Invention of the Printing Press• Johann Gutenberg– Never actually made any money off his printing press

because he decided to print a bible – Even though the Bible was revolutionary he was put

massively indebted to his partner, Johann Fust, (who was also his son-in-law) figure that one out

– His partner would sue him for his investment and when Gutenberg could not pay, Fust took the rights to the printing press

• However, this becomes amazingly important in history, especially for the Reformation and Scientific Revolution

Legacy of the Renaissance• Changes in the Arts

– Drew on techniques and styles of classical Greece and Rome– Paintings and sculptures portrayed individuals and nature in more realistic

and lifelike ways– Focus on classical literature and its imitation

• Changes in Society– Printing Press!– People began to question political structures and religious practices – Sets the stage for the Reformation – Changes the way people related to each other literarily with the availability of

vernacular works • Its important to note here that this does not just end

– The Renaissance has huge impacts on the Reformation and the world that will come after

– We still talk about the Humanities and the artists, if you go around the corner in the stairwell near my room, you will see a legacy of the Renaissance