Chapter 13.2: The Northern
Renaissance
Ch.13.2 Essential Questions:
• What were the origins and characteristics of the
Northern Renaissance?
• What was the impact of the Renaissance on
German and Flemish painters?
• Who were some of the key Northern
Renaissance writers?
• What were the origins of the Elizabethan Age?
• How did printing and publishing affect social
reforms?
Where are we talking about?
• Northern Europe;
specifically-
– England
– France
– Germany
– Flanders (present day
Netherlands and part
of northern France)
When are we talking about?
• By about the mid to
late 1400s, the
Renaissance had
begun to spread from
Italy northward.
• There are several
reasons for this.
Why did it spread?
• Travelling artists brought
their ideas and innovations
with them.
• Wars between France and
Italy, though destructive,
allowed northern Europeans
to view the explosion of
creativity going on in Italy
• The invention of the
printing press quickened
the spread of ideas
Why did it spread? (continued)
• Population grew quickly
now that the bubonic
plague had passed (for
the most part!)
• The Hundred Years War
ended in 1453; as a
result, cities grow rapidly
• No war means more
money is available for
other goods and luxuries
(like artwork)
The tone of the Northern Renaissance, however, is different from what was seen in Italy.
While wealthy merchants and rich, independent city-states led the way in Italy, this was not the case in the north.
• Due in part to the plague and the Hundred Years War, northern Europe had strong centralized power structures in the form of monarchies. They didn’t have uppity city-states.
• Thus, it was mainly the kings and some nobles who were responsible for the Renaissance’s spread there,
• It’s also more religious there.
Art
Art followed the Italian techniques and used a lot of perspective and realism.
• German Artists:
• Albrecht Durer- known for woodcuts; engravings; religious subjects and classical myths
• Hans Holbein the Younger- portrait painter in photographic detail (patrons included Henry VIII)
Flemish Artists:
• Jan van Eyck- used oil paints/main layers, a technique still used today; use of realistic detail
• Pieter Breugel the Elder- known for realistic detail and portrayal of the individual even in large crowds; painted everyday scenes of life.
• Albrecht Durer- Self Portrait
Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse
• Hans Holbein (the Younger)The Ambassadors
Look at
the detail:
Sir Thomas More
• Jan van Eyck
The Ghent Altarpiece- A tryptic (3 panels)
The Arnolfini Wedding
Pieter Breugel the ElderPeasant Wedding
Tower of Babel
Fall of Icarus
Census at Bethlehem
Compare and Contrast
Flemish and German Painters
Venn-diagram Activity
Literature
• Writing also goes humanist, but, like with the rest, with a Christian bent, giving rise to Christian Humanism.
• Human freedom and individualism are compatible with Christianity.
• Human existence isn’t valued merely in itself.
• The main idea was to reform society
• Education was important- schools for boys and girls were founded
Christian Humanists
• -Erasmus (the “Father
of Humanism”); wrote
The Praise of Folly-
pokes fun at corrupt
priests and greedy
merchants.
Christian Humanists
• Thomas More, author
of Utopia- tried to
portray a model
society, free of greed
and vice
Women’s Reforms
• Christine de Pizan
called for women to
be educated. Spoke
out against different
treatment for boys
and girls
The Elizabethan Age
mid-1500s England• Named after the reign
of Queen Elizabeth I
(1558-1603)
• Patron who did much
to support English art
and literature
William Shakespeare
• Greatest playwright of all
time
• Revered the classics and
used them in his plots
(ex: Julius Caesar)
• Cleverly revealed human
nature in scenes of
dramatic conflict by
exposing the human flaw
• Macbeth, Hamlet, Romeo
and Juliet
Gutenberg and the printing press
• The printing press is one of the greatest inventions in history.
• Invented by Johann Gutenberg in 1440
• Previously, literary works had to be transcribed by hand, usually by monks.
• It was tedious, time-consuming work and made books very expensive.
• The printing press allowed works to be cheaply mass-produced. Suddenly the written word could be accessible to the masses.
Legacy of the Renaissance
1.Changes in the Arts
• Imitated art techniques/styles from classical
Greece and Rome
• Painting/sculptures become more realistic/lifelike
• Artists incorporate both religious and secular
subjects into their work
• Writers write in the vernacular
• Arts once again praised individual achievement
Legacy of the Renaissance,
continued2. Changes in Society
• Impact of the printing press similar to modern
day impact of the internet and world-wide web
• Published works of new discoveries, maps and
charts led to further discoveries in a variety of
fields
• Published laws and court records made the
people much more aware of their rights
• Christian humanists attempted reforms in society
• People began to QUESTION political structures
and religious practices
Which of these events do you
believe were the most
important? Why?
List your top 10 events with your
rationale.
10 being the least important and 1
being the most important
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