Writers of the Renaissance

The Start of It All Realized that:

– Printing from woodcarvings couldn’t meet the huge demands for printed material

– Handwriting manuscripts just took too long

– A method for mass-production of books and printed material was needed

– Invented the printing press, which remained relatively unchanged until the 1900s

Johannes Gutenberg

-Invented the printing press.(c 1450)-Revolutionized the sharing of information.-Major contributor to the spread of the Renaissance

Setting The Text-First, dies had to be formed.-After a mold of a character was carved, it had to be cast into a die.-The dies were then arranged into words and columns of text.

The Final PrintingAfter the page had been formed on the

block: The block of characters was attached

to the press. The page was placed under the block. A screw was turned to press the block

onto the paper with consistent, high pressure.

The block was lifted, and out came a crisp, clean page of text.

The process was repeated asmany times as needed.

ImpactThe printing press made a huge impact on:

ÍThe spread of the RenaissanceÍThe sharing of ideas and informationÍLiterature (it caused people to write more)ÍThe Protestant Reformation, since everyone could have a copy of the Bible

Effect on Language

Many terms still remain from early presses such asÍ LeadingÍ GutterÍ Serif and sans-serif

Spelling was standardizedUpper- and lower-case letters were

developed

Desidarius Erasmus

The most influential humanist

Backround Information A humanist or someone

who studies grammar, rhetoric, history, and clasical texts.

Friends with Thomas More who wrote Utopia

Entered a monastary as a teen and left after being ordained to go back to classical studies

Saddened that christian scholars made the religion more complicated and cermonial and less spirtual.

Died of syphillis so severe his doctor had to treat him from the door

Letters, One of the

thousands of letters he wrote to people of different countries.

, People from kings to ordinary clerks.

, Only 3,000 of the 20,000 remain.

The Praise of Folly, A soft attack on

the abuses in the church and elsewhere.

, Tribute to the simple christian faith of children.

, Making fun of foolish behavior like believing in superstitions.

Other Works, The Adages - a

book on ethical behavior

, The Education of the Christian Prince - in the same genre as Machiavelli’s The Prince.

, Edition of the Greek New Testament

The Life of Sir Thomas More

, Born in 1478., 1516 published

Utopia., Became a close

friend of Desidarius Erasmus.

, Beheaded in 1535 by Henry VIII.

Utopia

, Published in 1516

, A book that criticized society

, Created imaginary society

, Utopia- “an ideal place or society”

"The King's good servant, but God's First"

, Resigned in 1532, citing ill health, but the reasons was probably his dislike of Henry's stance toward the church.

, 1534, More refused to swear to the Act of Succession and the Oath of Supremacy, and was committed to the Tower of London on April 17.

St. Thomas More, More was found

guilty of treason and was beheaded on July 6, 1535.

, More was canonized by the Catholic Church as a saint by Pope Pius XI in 1935.

Shakespeare’s Life

, Born April 23, 1564 in Stratford.

, Father was a merchant and mother came from a well-to-do family.

, Was fluent in Latin and Greek.

, In 1582, William Shakespeare married Anne Hathaway. He was 18.

, Ann Hathaway was eight years older then him.

His Life, 1585 they had twins,

Hamnet and Judith., No one knows of his

whereabouts between 1586 and 1592.

, In 1592 he lived in London and was both an actor and dramatist.

, Moved to Italy in 1594 because the Black Death, or plague, was disrupting theater life in London.

, Died April 23, 1616.

Shakespeare and his work, William Shakespeare wrote a great amount

of plays in his lifetime. Of these plays they were separated into three different categories.

, The first, being comedies, were meant to portray a humorous feeling to the audience.

, The second, being tragedies, were created with a sense of sadness and pain. In these particular plays, many of the actors died by the end of the story.

, The third, being histories, were stories that told of someone who really existed. An example of this would be Shakespeare’s play Julius Caesar, (which he wrote in 1599). Many famous plays of his today are tragedies.

TheTragedies, All tragedies are written within the

same plot idea., The “hero” never appears until later

in the play, but you hear of him from the other characters.

, The “hero” is always strong and brave but has some kind of flaw.

, They all end in marriage.

A Midsummer Night’s Dream

, Written in 1596., Poked fun at “love at first sight”., Considered some of Shakespeare’s best

work.

The Taming of the Shrew

, Written in 1592, Different from any of his

other comedies with short tempered characters and verbal wit.

, The Taming of the Shrew, was another tragedy that can be seen in the movie, 10 things I hate about you. This is not an exact replica of Shakespeare’s story by any means. However, the ideas are alike.

William Shakespeare: Tragedies

Hamlet

, Hamlet, was one of Shakespeare’s greatest tragedies.

, It was written in and is a twisting story of devious actions, murder, and most of all emotional pain.

Romeo and Juliet, Romeo and Juliet,

was another famous tragedy.

, This particular story demonstrates a sense of passion.

, In this play, a couple that is forbidden to be together, is forced to adapt to the cruelty of reality.

Renaissance Art in Northern Europe

, Should not be considered an appendage to Italian art.

, But, Italian influence was strong. Painting in OIL, developed in Flanders, was

widely adopted in Italy., The differences between the two

cultures: Italy change was inspired by humanism

with its emphasis on the revival of the values of classical antiquity.

No. Europe change was driven by religious reform, the return to Christian values, and the revolt against the authority of the Church.

, More princes & kings were patrons of artists.

Characteristics of Northern Renaissance Art

, The continuation of late medieval attention to details.

, Tendency toward realism & naturalism [less emphasis on the “classical ideal”].

, Interest in landscapes., More emphasis on middle-class

and peasant life., Details of domestic interiors., Great skill in portraiture.

Jan van Eyck, Flemish painter

who was a contemporary of Ghiberti

, Used oil base paint to create subtle colors in clothing and jewelry

, Exceptionally realistic

, Influenced other northern European artists

“Ghent Altarpiece”

Details from the altarpiece

Jan van Eyck (1395 – 1441)

, More courtly and aristocratic work. Court painter to

the Duke of Burgundy, Philip the Good.

, The Virgin and Chancellor Rolin, 1435.

, Painted with oil

Giovanni Arnolfini and His

Wife(Wedding Portrait)

Jan Van

Eyck

1434

Jan van Eyck - Giovanni Arnolfini & His Wife

(details)

Rogier van der Weyden (1399-1464)

The Depositio

n

1435

van der Weyden’s Deposition (details)

Quentin Massys (1465-1530)

, Belonged to the humanist circle in Antwerp that included Erasmus.

, Influenced by

da Vinci., Thomas More

called him “the renovator of the old art.”

, The Ugly Dutchess, 1525-1530

Massys’ The Moneylender & His Wife, 1514

Renaissance Art in France, A new phase of Italian influence in

France began with the French invasions of the Italian peninsula that began in 1494.

, The most important royal patron was Francis I.Actively encouraged humanistic

learning. Invited da Vinci and Andrea del Sarto

to France.He collected paintings by the great

Italian masters like Titian, Raphael, and Michelangelo.

Matthias Grünewald (1470-1528)

, Converted to Lutheranism.

, Possibly involved in the Peasants’ Revolt on the peasants side.

, Depictions of intense emotion, especially painful emotion.

, The Mocking of Christ, 1503

Albrecht Dürer (1471-1528)

, The greatest of German artists.

, A scholar as well as an artist.

, His patron was the Emperor Maximilian I.

, Also a scientist Wrote books on

geometry, fortifications, and human proportions.

, Self-conscious individualism of the Renaissance is seen in his portraits.

, Self-Portrait at 26, 1498.

Albrecht Durer (1471-1528)

, A German artist and humanist, Best known for his woodcuts and paintings

which emphasized realism, Traveled to Italy , He produced and sold thousands of copies

of his work which spread renaissance styles and inspired German artists

Early Self

portrait

Durer’s self portraitsage 26 and age 28

The Praying Hands

Dürer

The Last Supper

woodcut, 1510

Durer – The Triumphal Arch, 1515-1517

The Triumphal Arch, details

The Triumphal Arch, details

Dürer

FourHorsemen

of theApocalyps

e

woodcut, 1498

Hans Holbein, the Younger (1497-1543)

, One of the great German artists who did most of his work in England.

, While in Basel, he befriended Erasmus. Erasmus Writing, 1523

, Henry VIII was his

patron from 1536., Great portraitist noted

for: Objectivity &

detachment. Doesn’t conceal the

weaknesses of his subjects.

Artist to the Tudors

Henry VIII (left), 1540 and the future Edward VI (above), 1543.

Holbein’s, The Ambassadors, 1533

A Skull

Multiple Perspectives

The English Were More Interested in Architecture

than Painting

Hardwick Hall, designed by Robert Smythson in the 1590s, for the Duchess of Shrewsbury [more

medieval in style].

Hieronymus Bosch (1450-1516)

, A pessimistic view of human nature., Had a wild and lurid

imagination. Fanciful monsters &

apparitions., Untouched by the

values of the Italian Quattrocento, like mathematical perspective. His figures are flat. Perspective is ignored.

, More a landscape painter than a portraitist., Philip II of Spain was an admirer of his work.

Hieronymus

Bosch

The Garden

of Earthy

Delights

1500

Hieronymus

Bosch

The Garden

of Earthy Delights(details)

1500

Pieter Bruegel the Elder (1525-1569)

, One of the greatest artistic geniuses of his age.

, Worked in Antwerp and then moved to Brussels.

, In touch with a circle of Erasmian humanists.

, Was deeply concerned with human vice and follies.

, A master of landscapes; not a portraitist. People in his works often have round, blank,

heavy faces. They are expressionless, mindless, and

sometimes malicious. They are types, rather than individuals. Their purpose is to convey a message.

Bruegel’s, Tower of Babel, 1563

Bruegel’s, Mad Meg, 1562

Bruegel’s, The Beggars, 1568

Bruegel’s, Parable of the Blind Leading the Blind, 1568

Bruegel’s Proverbs, (The Blue Cloak)1559

Children’s Games

Peasant’s Wedding

Bruegel’s, The Triumph of Death, 1562

Bruegel’s, Hunters in the Snow, 1565

Bruegel’s, Winter Scene, 1565

Bruegel’s, The Harvesters, 1565