The Renaissance in Italy

“Rebirth”

1. From the Black Plague where 1/3rd to ½ of Europe’s population was killed

2. Of classical learning and a rediscovery of classical Greek and Roman culture

3. Of the human spirit and creativity. Man-Centered life, not God-Centered. People had lost faith in God and began to put more faith in themselves to solve their problems.

“The renaissance was a resurrection of old things discovered in a dead thing”

Why Italy?1. The Papacy of the Roman Catholic Church

moved from Rome to Avignon, France1. This left Italy free from the powerful politics

related to the church2. The Great Schism

1. Two popes were elected, one by France and one by anti-France factions

2. The people had to support financially and spiritually. How does a person know which one is the “true” source of ultimate salvation???

3. The Conciliar Movement- A church council that met to end the schism. All popes eventually stepped down and a new one was re-elected.

Why Italy?

2) The ruins of the Roman Empire were more visible in Italy

1) Heritage2) Urban life did not entirely disappear to

be replaced by feudalism as it had elsewhere

Why Italy?

3) Major trading center between Europe and India and China

1) A ruling elite of bankers and traders formed, it wasn’t just the church that was wealthy

2) Greater wealth led to a faster recovery from the economic downturn after the Black Plague

3) Larger wealthy class was able to finance and support the arts

Why Italy?

With your neighbor take turns summarizing the 3 reasons. Try to do this without looking at your notes.

Major Italian CitiesItaly failed to become united during the Ages.

Many independent city-states emerged in northern and central Italy that played an important role in Italian

politics and art. Milan Venice

Florence

Milan

One of the richest cities, it controls trade through the Alps.

Venice

Sitting on the Adriatic, it attracts trade from all over the

world.

Florence

Controlled by the De Medici Family, who became great patrons of the

arts.

Genoa

Genoa

Had Access to Trade Routes

Italy’s Ruling Families

The Medici Family of Florence- 1360-1429 Father: Giovanni (banker and

merchant)

1389-1464 Son: Cosimo: Became a sort of “ruler” of Florence

1449-1492 Grandson: Lorenzo “The Magnificent”A poet, connoisseur, lavish benefactor of art

Well Established Family until 1737: Numerous Cardinals, Two popes and Two Medici women became queens of France.

Secular Conception of LifeWas a quiet cloistered or celibate life on a higher plane and would it get a greater reward in the afterlife than an active gregarious life of promiscuity and adventure?

Was there really a stern divine judgment waiting for people at the end?

Were human beings really weak, fragile, flawed creatures who depended on God’s grace and salvation?

Could a paid indulgence to an equally flawed clergyman really lead to salvation?

Individualism

Renaissance individualism emphasized the outstanding attainments of extraordinary men. A great man could shape his destiny in a world of free will governed by fortune.

Men had “VIRTU”: In art, war, or statecraft a man with “virtu” knew what he was doing and HE made the most of the opportunities presented to him. He excelled in all he did.

What about women? Two ViewsTHE BOOK OF THE COURTIER By Castiglione (1478-1529)

The Magnifico: Although some qualities are common to both and are as necessary for a man as for a woman, there are yet others that befit a woman more than a man, and others that befit a man to which a woman ought to be a complete stranger. I say this of bodily exercises; in her ways, manners, words, gestures, and bearing, a woman ought to be very unlike a man; it is seemly for a woman to have a soft delicate tenderness,. . . . And I do think that beauty is more necessary to her than to the Courtier (a man), for truly that woman lacks much who lacks beauty. . .

Gasparo: Women are imperfect creatures, and consequently have less dignity than men, and that they are not capable of the virtues that men are capable of. . . . Very learned men have written that, since nature always intends and plans to make things most perfect, she would constantly bring forth men if she could; and that when a woman is born, it is a defect or mistake of nature, and contrary to what she would wish to do: . . . Thus, a woman can be said to be a creature produced by chance and accident. Nevertheless, since these defects in women are the fault of nature that made them so, we ought not on that account to despise them, or fail to show them the respect which is their due. But to esteem them to be more than what they are seems a manifest error to me.

Political Ideas of the Renaissance

Niccolò Machiavelli

The PrinceMachiavelli believed:

“One can make this generalization about men: they are ungrateful, fickle, liars, and deceivers, they shun danger and are greedy for profit”

Machiavelli observed city-state rulers of his day and produced guidelines for the acquisition and maintenance of power by absolute rule.

He felt that a ruler should be willing to do anything to maintain control without worrying about conscience.

• Better for a ruler to be feared than to be loved• Ruler should be quick and decisive in decision making

• Ruler keeps power by any means necessary• The end justifies the means

• Be good when possible, and evil when necessary

How did classical knowledge of the ancient Greeks and Romans foster humanism in the Italian Renaissance?

Humanism- “A system of thought that rejects religious beliefs and centers on humans and their values, worth and capacities.”

• Celebrated the individual

• Stimulated the study of Greek and Roman literature and culture

• Was supported by wealthy patrons

“ISMS”

• Individualism:– An emphasis on the outstanding achievements of ordinary men.

A belief that a great man can shape his own destiny.• Secularism:

– Dealing with non-religious subject matter; Art that deals with human topics, emotions, life, death, politics

• Humanism: – System of thought that focuses on humans, their value, worth

and capacities• Classicism:

– Having an interest in the art and learning of the Greek and Romans;

The School of Athens

Pythagoras (Pythagorean

theorem)

Socrates

Plato and Aristotle

Euclid (Greek Mathematician)

Zoroaster (prophet who said a monotheistic deity would win the battle of good and evil)

& Ptolemy (Sun is center of universe)

Raphael (back)

Video

Crash Course in Historyhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vufba_ZcoR0

PetrarchSonnets, humanist

scholarship

Francesco Petrarch 1304-1374

Assembled Greek and Roman writings.

Wrote

Sonnets to Laura,

love poems in the Vernacular

Northern Renaissance

• Growing wealth in Northern Europe supported Renaissance ideas.

• Northern Renaissance thinkers merged humanist ideas with Christianity.

• The movable type printing press and the production and sale of books

(Gutenberg Bible) helped disseminate ideas.

Northern Renaissance writers

• Erasmus—The Praise of Folly (1511)

• Sir Thomas More—Utopia (1516)

Northern Renaissance artists portrayed religious and secular subjects.

Literature flourished during the RenaissanceThis can be greatly attributed to Johannes

GutenbergIn 1455 Gutenberg printed the first book

produced by using moveable type.

The Bible

Erasmus Dutch humanist

Desiderius Erasmus

Pushed for a Vernacular form of the Bible

“I disagree very much with those who are unwilling that Holy Scripture, translated into the vernacular, be read by the uneducated . . . As if the strength of the Christian religion consisted in the ignorance of it”

The Praise of Folly

Used humor to show the immoral and ignorant behavior of people, including the clergy. He felt people would be open minded and be kind to others.

Sir Thomas MoreEnglish Humanist

Wrote: Utopia

A book about a perfect society

Believed men and women live in harmony. No private

property, no one is lazy, all people are educated and the justice system is used to end crime instead of executing

criminals.

The Renaissance produced new ideas that were reflected in the arts, philosophy, and literature.

Patrons, wealthy from newly expanded trade, sponsored works which glorified city-states in northern Italy. Education became increasingly

secular.

Medieval art and literature focused on the Church and salvation

Renaissance art and literature focused on individuals and worldly matters, along with

Christianity.

Renaissance Artists embraced some of the ideals of Greece and Rome in their art

They wanted their subjects to be realistic and focused on humanity and emotion

New Techniques also emerged

Frescos: Painting done on wet plaster became popular because it gave depth to the paintings

Sculpture emphasized realism and the human form

Architecture reached new heights of design

Born in 1475 in a small town near Florence, is considered to be one of the most inspired men who ever lived

David

Michelangelo created his

masterpiece David in 1504.

Sistine ChapelAbout a year after creating

David, Pope Julius II summoned Michelangelo to Rome to work on his most famous project, the

ceiling of the Sistine Chapel.

Creation of Eve Creation of Adam

Separation of Light and Darkness

The Last Judgment

La Pieta 1499Marble Sculpture

Carved when he was 24

Moses

1452-1519

Painter, Sculptor, Architect, Engineer

Genius!

Mona Lisa

The Last Supper

Notebooks

RaphaelPainter

1483-1520

Jan Van Eyck

Portrait of Giovanni

Arnolfini and his Wife (1434)

Northern Renaissance

Van Eyck

Portrait of Giovanni

Arnolfini and his Wife (detail)

Bibliography

Images from:

Corbis.com

Web Gallary of Artwww.wga.hu