The Renaissance

Ohio Academic Content Standard #6 The Renaissance in Europe introduced

revolutionary ideas, leading to cultural, scientific and social changes.

The Renaissance

Renaissance means “Rebirth” Started in Northern Italy in the

1300’s and lasted into the 1600’s During this period there was a

reawaking of interest in art, literature, and science, as well as in the classical civilizations of Greece and Rome

Compared to the Middle Ages

Feudal and Manor Systems Wars Plague Church

Italy – The Launching Point Centrally located

between Eastern and Western Europe and the Middle East.

Surrounded and captivated by remnants of Greek and Roman culture.

Italians had wealth to build libraries and acquire and restore art.

Italian City-States

Cities that were both cities and independent states

Had their own governments and were not closely controlled by nobles or the Church

Wealthy families or wealthy merchants held power.

Center of Trade

Italian merchants controlled European trade with Asia

Italian merchants brought back precious goods such as silk and spices from trading centers around the Mediterranean Sea

They transported these goods throughout Europe, reselling them at high prices

New Ideas

Being at the center of this lively international trade exposed the Italian city-states of other cultures and ideas

Since trade brought them wealth, many northern Italians had more time to think, read and create and enjoy art

The wealthy became great patrons (financial supporters) of scholarship and the arts

The Medici (Me-duh-chee) Family

Lorenzo de Medici The Magnificent

Ruled the city of Florence

He was a generous and powerful patron of the artists, poets and philosophers.

Invited others to use his large collection of art and literature

Ancient Greece and Rome In the 1300’s,

scholars and artists in Italy began to look at life in a new way

First they looked back, not to the Middle Ages, but to the literature, science, and art of Ancient Greece and Rome.

Ruins of fine architecture and realistic statues were all around them, especially in the city of Rome.

These works inspired study and curiosity as well as a new focus on the achievements of individual people.

Humanism

Renaissance scholars and artists developed a new focus on the nature, ideals, and achievements of human beings, rather than on the divine

Middle Age vs. Renaissance Art

MIDDLE AGES ART

Artists of the Middle Ages had not painted people or nature realistically

Their goal had been to celebrate God, the saints, and the Church

RENAISSANCE ART

Artists of the Renaissance studied and copied the more realistic art of Ancient Greece and Rome

While they continued to do religious paintings, they often used the architecture and clothing of their own time for these biblical scenes

Art Meets Science

To better understand how to portray people, Italian painters and sculptors studied the bones and muscles of the body

Some artists even dissected corpses to learn about anatomy

Use of Perspective

Perspective made objects and landscapes look more realistic

By making distant objects smaller, artists could create scenes that appeared three-dimensional

They also used light to make objects look solid

Michelangelo (1475-1564) He worked in Florence and

Rome; he was talented as a painter, sculptor, poet, and architect.

Famed for the biblical scenes he painted on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican. c. As a sculptor - he is best known for his Pieta, David, and Moses.

Michelangelo also designed the dome of St. Peter's Basilica in Rome.

Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519) He worked in Florence, Milan,

and Rome. He was a skilled painter,

sculptor, architect, musician, engineer, and scientist.

In military engineering - he improved the method of loading cannons and devised equipment for scaling walls.

He devised the possibility of a parachute and a flying machine.

In painting he is best known for his Self Portrait, The Last Supper, and the Mona Lisa.

Raphael (1483-1520)

Worked in both Florence and Rome.

Known for the Frescos he painted in the Papal Library at Rome.

He also painted the Sistine Madonna and School of Athens

Donatello (1386-1466)

Florentine sculptor best known for his life size statue of St. George and Gattemelata on Horseback

Sculpted in bronze, wood and marble

The Printing Press

Invented by the German printer Johann Gutenberg

Printing press used moveable type

He printed the Bible in 1455

The Printing Press

Making books is cheaper More people reading Literacy increases

More books published Scholars had access to

one another's work (past and present)

Printing carried the Renaissance north into France, England, Germany and the Netherlands

Niccolo Machiavelli

Machiavelli was a Florentine diplomat

He drew on his experience of politics and his study of Roman history to write The Prince. Which he dedicated

to Lorenzo de Medici

Niccolo Machiavelli’s The Prince This book was a guide for

gaining and keeping power

Machiavelli said rulers should use whatever methods were necessary to accomplish their goals

He advised rulers that getting results was more important than keeping promises

The Prince Today

The Prince became famous and controversial

Today, the term Machiavellian still refers to cynical dishonesty in politics Machiavellian: using

clever lies and tricks in order to get or achieve something