The Renaissance

1450 -1600

THE RENAISSANCE

•What does “renaissance” mean?

•A re-birth of what?

The Early Renaissance1400s – 1490s

Where did the Renaissance begin?

Why did it begin there?

What were the driving factors behind the Renaissance?

The Italian City-States

What is a City-State?

The Italian City-States

What were the advantages?

The Italian City-States

What were the disadvantages?

The Italian City-States

Florence and Milan were ruled by rival families, the

Medici’s and the Sforza Family respectively.

The Italian City-States

Venice was a Republic, ruled by a Senate which elected a Doge to head the government. The

Doge remained in power for life but the position

was not hereditary.

The Italian City-StatesThe Papal states were run

by the Pope elected by the Bishops for life. The

power of which was diminishing as the

Renaissance ideas of humanism and secularism

were expanding.

Western Schism

Florence, Italy The Cultural Center of Europe in the Early

Renaissance

Art Commerce Banking

The Social Structure

POPULO GROSSO: “fat people” – 5% of the population – elite/nobles, wealthy merchants, and manufacturers.

MEDIOCI: middle – smaller merchants and master artisans. SKILLED WORKERS

POPULO MINUTO: “little people” – bulk of the urban population. UNSKILLED WORKERS

The Social Structure

There was some social mobility – Why?

The Medici FamilyCosimo de’ Medici

Carlo di Cosimo de’Medici

Piero de’Medici

Giuliano de’Medici

Giulio de’Medici [Pope Clement

VII]

Lorenzo “The Magnificent”

Piero de’Medici

Lorenzo de’Medici

Catherine de’Medici [Queen of France]

Giovanni de’Medici [Pope

Leo X]

Cosimo established the Medici Bank and

“unofficially” ruled Florence from 1434-

1464He was a patron of the

humanities and supporter of

Bunelleschi and Donatello among

others

Lorenzo de’Medici was known as

The Magnifient. He was also a

patron of humanities and

supported Botticello, da

Vinci, and Michelangelo

Piero lost control of Florence in

1492. He died in exile

Piero’s son Lorenzo gained

control of Florence back

and ruled at the height of the

Medici’s power over Florence

Catherine de’Medici married Henry of Navarre and became the Queen of France

The Medici Family

Wealthy Banking Family – provided stability

Banished rival clans

Manipulated electoral process

Cosimo’s Grandson – survived an assassination attempt – hours later enemies of the family were hanging upside down from a government building – including the archbishop of Pisa

Botticello was commissioned to paint them as they swung.

The Beginning of the Modern

Banking System The Medici’s set up the first modern

banking system with branches in England and Bruges as well as throughout the Italian peninsula

The Gold Florin became the standard currency in European trade

WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF BANKING?

WHAT ARE THE RISKS?IN

DIVID

UALISM

HUMANISM A transition from the scholasticism of the

Middle Ages

Revival of Greek and Roman beliefs

Appreciation of physical beauty

Emphasis on man’s own achievements

Secularism

PETRARCH – considered the first humanistINDIV

IDUALIS

M

Science and Technology

Influenced by Humanism which encouraged curiosity and questioning of accepted beliefs

Experimentation and observation

Define and understand the laws of nature and the physical world.

INDIV

IDUALIS

M

THE EARLY RENAISSANCE

1400-1490s

Patronage of the Medici family made:

Florence the center of the Early Renaissance

Allowed artists to become successful celebrities

Brunelleschi 1446-1461

8 sided dome of Santa Maria del Fiore Cathedral

The symbol of Florence

Brunelleschi Devised a way

to draw and paint using linear perspective

“chiaroscuro” – the illusion of 3DIN

DIVID

UALISM

Donatello David, de Donatello

1430 – commissioned by Cosimo de Medici

Humanism – first free standing nude statue since ancient times

Civic-humanism

Titian & Giorgione

Developed method of painting with oil directly on canvas

Allowed artists to reword an image which they couldn’t do with fresco painting

Transitioning into the Northern RenaissanceIN

DIVID

UALISM

DESIDERIUS ERASMUS

Erasmus of Rotterdam

promoted religious toleration

wanted the Church to reform

The High Renaissance

1490s – 1527

Rome replaced Florence as the center of culture

Pope Leo X – he was the son of Lorenzo de Medici

Michelangelo David 1501- 1504–

became the symbol of Florence

Dominant sculptor of the Renaissance

Humanism – reflected the ideals of the Greek Gods

Michelangelo Pieta, 1498 - 1499

INDIV

IDUALIS

M

Michelangelo The Ceiling of the Sistine

Chapel, 1508 - 1512

Leonardo da Vinci

Mona Lisa, 1503-1506

“Renaissance Man” Artist Scientist Architect Philosopher Engineer

Leonardo da Vinci The Virgin of the

Rocks, 1483

Unparalleled ability to portray light and shadow

And to portray the physical relationship between figures and the landscape

Leonardo da Vinci

The Last Supper, 1494 - 1498

Raphael The School of Athens,

1509-1511

Learned from Michelangelo and da Vinci

Humanism – expressed classical ideals of beauty, serenity and harmony

Northern Renaissance

Northern “Christian” Humanism – applied the Classical beliefs and ideals to the traditional understandings of the gospel.

Art was more detailed and more focused on color than in the Italian Renaissance

Sir Thomas More - Utopia

Jan Van Eyck

Arnolfini Portrait – 1434

Netherlands

Techniques allowed for deeper and more vibrant color

Considered one of the first painting of “everyday life”

Albrecht Durer Self Portrait, 1500

Germany

INDIV

IDUALIS

M

Hans Holbein the Younger

Portrait of Henry VIII, 1536

German

Became the Court Painter for Henry VIII

Humanist

Pieter Bruegel, the Elder

The Peasant Wedding, 1567

Flemish (Belgian)

Transitions of the Renaissance

SCHOLASTICISM HUMANISM

RELIGIOUS SECULAR

IDEALISM REALISM