The Renaissance

Beginning of the Renaissance

•Italian Cities

• Urban Societies

• Major Trading Centers

•Secular

• Moved away from life in the church

• Focuses more on material objects

and enjoying life

•Renaissance means “Rebirth”

• Europe was recovering from the

Plague

• People lost their faith in the church

and began to put more focus on

human beings

Northern RenaissanceRenaissance spreads to the rest of Europe

England

William Shakespeare

France

Jules Michelet

Holy Roman Empire

Johann Gutenberg

Netherlands

Hans Holbien

Jan van Eyck

Brings about the Age of Discovery

Literature - Humanism3 Main ideas:

Improvement through study &

reflection

Commitment to public service

Life long learning (Well Rounded)

Secular Movement

Focus on Classics- Greek and

Roman ideas

Human Nature

Famous Humanists

Erasmus

Sir Thomas More

Political IdeasNiccolò Machiavelli

The Prince

Machiavelli observed city-

state rulers of his day and

produced guidelines for the

acquisition and maintenance

of power by absolute rule.

“Is it better to be feared or

loved?” He felt that a ruler

should be willing to do

anything to maintain control,

he thought its better to be

feared.

ArtElements of Renaissance Art

Emphasis on individuals & interaction between people

Classicism: inspiration from Greece & Rome

Perspective

Realism and emotion

Light and shadows

Famous Artists

Donatello

Michelangelo

Leonardo Da Vinci

Raphael

Art ActivityDirections: In your notes write down whether or not you belief that the following pieces of art is Renaissance or not.