Italy: The Birthplace of the Renaissance

History•After the war & plague, the people who

survived wanted to celebrate life▫Started questioning life▫Started questioning the church

Italy’s Advantages•Started in Italy•Explosion of creativity in art, writing and

thought •Lasted from 1300-1600•THE RENAISSANCE

▫REBIRTH!!▫The revival of art and learning ▫Wanted to bring back Greece and Rome

•The Renaissance spread started in Northern Italy then to the rest of Europe

•3 Advantages making Italy the birthplace of the Renaissance ▫1. thriving cities▫2. a wealthy merchant class▫3. classical heritage of Greece and Rome

City States•Overseas trade•Italy was urban – most of Europe still

rural •Cities were a place to exchange ideas,

they were an ideal breeding ground for an intellectual revolution

•Bubonic plague – killed 60% of people▫Fewer people to work – could demand more

$$▫No more business – expand interests in art

Merchants and the Medici•Merchants dominated politics •Unlike nobles, merchants did not inherit

social rank – so to succeed they had to use their wit

•Believed they deserved power and wealth because of their individual merit

•VERY IMPORTANT

•Florence, Italy▫Was democratic until Renaissance▫One powerful banking family the MEDICI ▫Cosimo Medici – wealthiest European &

dictator ▫Died in 1464 but family continued to

control Florence▫Lorenzo de Medici – Lorenzo the

Magnificent

Greece & Rome•Looked down on the art of the Middle

Ages•Wanted to return to the learning of

Greece & Rome•First, artists and scholars from Italy were

inspired by the ruins of Rome that surrounded them

•Second, Western scholars studied ancient Latin manuscripts that had been preserved

•Third, Christian scholars in Constantinople fled to Rome with Greek manuscripts

•When they studied the manuscripts, they became more influenced by classical ideas

•Helped them create a new outlook on life and art

Classics lead to Humanism •Humanism – an intellectual movement

that focused on human potential and achievements

•Instead of trying to make classical; texts agree with Christian teaching as medieval scholars had, humanists studied them to understand Greek values.

•Humanists influenced artists and architects to carry on classical traditions

•Popularized the study of subjects common to classical education, such as history, philosophy and literature. HUMANITIES

Worldly Pleasures•Middle Ages – people demostrated their

piety by wearing rough clothing and eating plain foods

•Humanists – suggested a person enjoy their life without offending God

•The wealthy enjoyed material luxuries, good music and fine foods.

•Basic spirit of Renaissance society was SECULAR – worldly rather than spiritual, cared about their “here and now”

Patrons of the Arts•Beautified Rome•Financially supporting artists •Wealthy families – having their pictures

painted by artists •Donating art•The wealthy demonstrated their own

importance

The Renaissance Man•The ideal individual strove to master almost

every area of study•“Universal Man”•Baldassare Castiglione – wrote “The Courtier”

that taught how to become this man•“A young man should be charming, witty, and

well educated in the classics. He should dance, sing, play music, and write poetry. In addition, he should be a skilled rider, wrestler and swordsman.

The Renaissance Woman•According to “The Courtier” upper-class

women also should know the classics and be charming, yet they were not expected to seek fame. They were expected to inspire art but rarely create it. ▫Better educated▫Little influence in politics

Isabella d’Este•Born into the ruling family of the city-

state Ferrara, she married the ruler of another city-state Mantua.

•Brought many Renaissance artists to her court and built a famous art collection

•Skilled in politics

Renaissances Revolutionizes Art•Medieval Art – religious subjects to

convey spiritual ideal•Renaissance Art – portrayed religious

subjects but used a realistic style copied from classical models

•Technique of perspective – which shows three dimensions of a flat surface

Michelangelo •Artists•Sculptor•Poet•Architect•Painter •Used a realistic style when depicting the

human body

Donatello •Made sculpture more realistic by carving

natural poses and expressions to show personality

•Statue of David

Leonardo da Vinci, Renaissance Man•Painter, sculptor, inventor, scientist•Interested in how things worked•Mona Lisa – so real•The Last Supper

Raphael•Learned from Leonardo and Michelangelo•Favorite was Madonna and the Child•Portrayed expressions as gentle and calm•Famous for perspective •Filled the walls of Pope Julius II’s library

with paintings ▫School of Athens

Renaissance Writers Change Literature•Reflected their time•Medieval time writer – Dante•Vernacular – native language

Petrarch•Francesco Petrarch – earliest and most

influential humanists•Father of Renaissance Humanism•Great poet•Wrote in Italian and Latin•Sonnets – 14 line poems, mostly about

Laura

Boccaccio •Known for the Decameron

▫Series of realistic sometimes “off-color” stories

▫Tragic and comic views of life▫Used humor to illustrate human condition▫Presents characters individually

Niccolo Machiavelli • “The Prince” 1513

▫Examines the imperfect conduct of humans▫Political guidebook▫How a ruler can gain power and keep it▫Most people are selfish, fickle and corrupt▫To succeed in a wicked world, a prince “must be

strong as a lion and as shrewd as a fox”▫Not morally right, but politically effective ▫To accomplish great things “he must be crafty

enough to not only overcome the suspicions of others but also gain the trust of others”