Italian RenaissanceHumanism

INDIVIDUALISMINDIVIDUALISM

CLASSICISMCLASSICISM

SECULARISMSECULARISM

In the Renaissance a new philosophy, HUMANISM,

emphasized:

Why the change in philosophy?

•Fatalism reflected realities of medieval Europe

•Manors were isolated & life was hard

•Manorial life was traditional, pre-determined & inflexible

•Change is only possible if God willed it

•God created the world so it was logical to assume whatever you were doing was decided for you

Since most people were serfs and impoverished…

…it’s not difficult to understand obsession with the afterlife

By the Renaissance (c. 1350-

1660) life changed…at least in the towns and cities

•Wealth increased

•A new middle class developed

•Trade increased & new products appeared

•New skills could be learned

•New occupations were created

•Prosperity spread

An individual could now:

•Leave the manor

•Learn an occupation different from his parents

•Improve his status and economic standing

•Acquire nice things and enjoy some of life’s pleasures

By no means did this mean rejecting Christianity or

questioning the basic teachings of the Roman

Catholic Church.

But it did mean possibility for individual achievement and pleasure in the secular

world on the way to the afterlife.

Humanism in Art

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Medieval Art Refresher• Religious Subject

Matter & Symbolism

• Focus on Afterlife

• No Individualization/ Emotion

• Anatomical Inaccuracies

• Lack of Single Scene

• Two-Dimensional

• Untrained Artists

Renaissance art clearly depicts the philosophy of humanism in its emphasis

on:

INDIVIDUALISMINDIVIDUALISM

CLASSICISMCLASSICISM

SECULARISMSECULARISM

Renaissance art also includes new or reborn

artistic techniques…

Alessandro Botticelli, Venus and Mars c. 1483

Symmetry

Piero della Francesca, Ideal City, c. 1470

The triangular organization suggests stability and order, values held by the ancient Greeks & Romans

It also suggests the Trinity, a basic Christian belief

God the Father

God the Son God the Holy Spirit

Chiaroscuro (shading)

Chiaroscuro

Creates a sense of realism of individual

Leonardo da Vinci: The Madonna of the Carnation, c. 1478-1480

How does this painting reflect Humanism?

INDIVIDUALISMINDIVIDUALISM

Mary is a real person, not a medieval “zombie”

Why does she look “real?”

SECULARISMSECULARISM

“3-D” landscape

Concern with details

Emphasizes the “real world” setting

But this is still a religious painting

Renaissance Europe is still a very religious society

The Church is still a major patron of the arts

But the art is now done in a realistic style by professionally trained artists, not untrained monks

Leonardo da Vinci : Lady with an Ermine c. 1485

How does this painting reflect Humanism?

Portraits: What could be a better expression of…

INDIVIDUALISMINDIVIDUALISM

CLASSICISMCLASSICISM

No portraits in the Middle Ages…but lots during Roman times!

Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore Florence, Italy

Roman Architecture Reborn

VS.

The Renaissance cathedral is more down to earth & more human in scale

Appropriate for the focus on man & life in the secular world

Italian Renaissance art clearly reflects Humanism in its emphasis on:

1. INDIVIDUALISMINDIVIDUALISM: glorifying potential, talents and accomplishments of individual human beings.

2. CLASSICISMCLASSICISM: Re-discovery and appreciation of ancient Greek & Roman culture

3. SECULARISMSECULARISM: emphasis on this world (the “here & now”) and its material pleasures rather than the afterlife (“hereafter”) or spiritual world.