Renaissance

Renaissance (1400 AD to 1600 AD)
 means REBIRTH
 rebirth or revival of the Greco-Roman classics or the antiquities
 officially marked the end of the Middle Ages

Geography
 city-states of Italy, positioned on the Mediterranean Sea, were centers for trade and commerce,
the first port of call for both goods and new ideas
Refuge of Scholars
 Byzantine Empire collapsed then became refuge for the intellectuals of Constantinople
 Brought with them many great works of ancient Greeks and Romans that had been lost during
the Middle Ages

Political
 Roman Empire lost its power in northern Italy
 States were governed by leading families within each region
 City of Naples dominated the South

Influence of the Church
 Concentration of wealth, power and intellect is in the Church
 Gathered most of the best minds, wealthiest men, and most powerful leaders unto itself in
Rome at one time or another

Characteristics: Making of the Renaissance Society
 Scholars focused on HUMANISM – an emphasis on the humanities and on humanism
Humanism: looking at society through the eyes of humanity by following the ideas of ancient Greeks
and Romans
Humanities: interest in worldly matters particularly on human life and its accomplishments; fields of
study are literature, art, architecture, and schools of thought.

 Economic Recovery: Mediterranean trade routes and parts were revived after the Black Death
The Hanseatic League
 commercial and military association
 during the 1500s, the league included more than 80 cities from England, Denmark, Norway and
Sweden
 all of commercial bases

House of Medici
 a noble family, political dynasty, and later royal house that first began to gather prominence in
the Republic of Florence during the late 14
th
century in the field of banking, commerce and real
estate

 Societal Changes
The royalty and nobility (2% - 3% of society) were patrons of Renaissance art and architecture
(hastened the cultural change)

 Possible Interactions between the East and the West
Influx of Islamic intellectual advancements such as Avicenna (“Canon of Medicine” based on
Aristotle’s writings), Averroes(commentaries on Aristotle’s writings) and Ibn-Khaldun
(historiography)

Humanism
 an outlook or system of thought attaching prime importance to human rather than divine or
supernatural matters
 stresses the potential value and goodness of human beings, emphasizes common human needs,
and seeks solely rational ways of solving human problems
 emphasis on individualism, humanity and the affairs of human life applied to politics, the arts,
and the humanities
 intellectual movement based on the humanities (study of classical civilization), eagerly seeking,
studying and publicizing ancient Greek and Roman manuscripts
 revived interest, chiefly among educated people, in literature, arts, and writing
 focused on human potential and achievements
 instead of trying to make classical texts agree with Christian teaching as medieval scholars had,
humanists influenced artists and architects to carry on classical traditions
Medieval Perspective Humanist Perspective
 Faith is the ultimate virtue  Reason is the ultimate virtue
 Religion is the way and goal of life  Human living is the main goal of life
 Church is the supreme ruler  Human development runs people’s lives
 People must learn from the life of Christ  People learn what people experience

Renaissance Arts and Architecture
 religious subjects (topics)
 consisted mainly of religious icons painted on church screens and altars
 are flat with lifeless expressions on the faces of the characters
Characteristics of Renaissance Arts
1) The Renaissance was a rebirth of the value of the individual.
 reflected humanist concerns
 portrayed religious figures but often set these figures against Greek/Roman
backgrounds
 artists began to portray the individual characters with real expressions on their faces
2) The Renaissance also saw the rebirth of naturalism.
 there was greater emphasis on anatomically correct human bodies
 used shading to make objects look round and real
 studies human anatomy and drew on live models
3) Renaissance artists added the perspective of depth to their art.
 artists developed new techniques for representing both human and landscapes
realistically
4) Renaissance artists gave importance to non-religious themes.
 Renaissance art still focused on religious subjects and Bible characters, but there began
a trend toward painting scenes that were not religious.
 With the renewed interest in classical Roman culture, Renaissance art often portrayed
scenes from Greek and Roman mythology
5) Renaissance art was often privately-owned.
 With the rise of the Italian banking families (the Medici family is the best known),
individuals started commissioning art for private ownership which started patronage
 One unique characteristic was that the painter would sometimes insert members of the
patron family right into the biblical scenes
6) Renaissance art expanded into sculpture and architecture
 Adopts the columns, arches and domes that had been favored by the Greeks and
Romans
7) Renaissance artists became as famous as their works.
 Medieval artists were considered to be simple craftsmen. That’s why the names of many
of them are lost.
 Renaissance artists became celebrities in their lifetimes. They enjoyed the special parts
of their celebrity statuses.
Renaissance Science and Literature
 Written for self-expression
 Written to portray individuality of their subjects
 Written in vernacular language instead of Old Latin to give more chance for people to
understand their writings

Impact of Printing
 Printing – one of the most important technology of the Western civilization in the Renaissance
 Hand-carved wooden blocks printing to repeatable printing with movable metal type (50%
religious)
 Longest industry
 It encouraged scholarly research and the desire to attain knowledge
 Ideas not developed without the printing press

Renaissance Writers and Their Works
1) Baldassare Castiglione
 wrote “Book of Courtier” – a courtesy book
 a book dealing with issues, etiquette, behavior and morals with a particular focus on the
life at princely courts
 changed the Renaissance greatly in many ways such as the behavior expectations of the
courtier
2) Niccolo Macchiavelli
 Italian diplomat who wrote “The Prince” a handbook for unscrupulous politicians
 “Father of Modern Political Theory”
 urged rulers to use whatever means were necessary to achieve their goals
 saw himself as an enemy of oppresional corruption