Renaissance=rebirth

→ European movement which emerged from the rediscovery of classical texts of Ancient Greece and Rome

→ Upper-class movement

Renaissance produced a significant change in the political, economic, and cultural fabric of Europe.

Petrarch: father of the Renaissance

→ developed concept/belief of Humanism

Humanism: philosophy of the Renaissance

→ focuses on the strong potential of human beings

Other main beliefs of the Renaissance: secularism, individualism, classicism, virtue

→ Secularism: separating religious belief from society

→ some Renaissance humanists continued to believe in God

→ Individualism: emphasis upon the individual’s uniqueness, genius, abilities, potential, and accomplishments, along with showcasing the talents of the individual

Renaissance begins in Italy:

→ most advanced society

→development of secular education

→ Black death served as a catalyst

Marindola:

→ writes book on the potential of man: “Oration on the dignity of man”

Renaissance ideas spread widely and quickly because of the printing press

→ ideas began to challenge the power of universities and more

As a result, education goes under changes and becomes more important

In order for an individual to reach their full potential they must be educated, specifically in liberal studies

→ liberal studies/arts: rhetoric, grammar, logic, history, and moral philosophy

→ studying these arts would lead the individual to think virtuously and be able to express these virtuous ideas

Civic Humanism: all the work and studies an individual did in order to think virtuously should be applied to the politics and economics of the state

Castiglione:

→ wrote a book known as the Courtier

• served as a guide for how an educated young man should behave in courtly society

• argued that an educated man should be educated in all humanistic disciplines, and write and speak with eloquence

Bruni:

→ wrote new cicero

• argued that the intellectual man was required to apply his education in the service of the state

Machiavelli:

→ wrote The Prince

• argued that a rulers goal was to preserve power at all costs

• ruler must ensure order and stability

• argued / believed that humans were selfish

  • if ruler had to be harsh, so be it

  • if ruler had to be kind, so be It

Medici family:

→ wealthy and using money to excersie power over common folk

• Italy is divided during this time period and trying to progress as best as they can

Northern Renaissance:

Renaissance ideas spread because of the printing press

→ Renaissance thinkers in northern Europe retained a more religious framework/basis for their thought

→ Northern Renaissance art was still naturalistic but human centered

• considered ordinary objects and people as subjects for art

Northern Renaissance artists depicted religious scenes like Italian artists but also applied an emphasis upon the ordinary people in their depictions.

Rembrandt:

• northern renaissance artist that depicted scenes from ordinary life

Christian Humanism:

• Blend of Christianity and Humanism

• when Humanism reached the low countries, France Germany, and England, people began to synthesize humanistic thought with Christian traditions

  • world seek out classical text along with early Christian writings

  • discovered a Christianity that was simpler and more pure than the complexity of their own days

    • seeked to return to simplicity

Christian humanism taught that human beings were more capable than previously believed

Christian humanism led to an urge for reform in Northern Europe

Erasmus:

• ideas more well known because of the printing press

• wrote “In Praise of Folly”

  • undermined political institutions and social institutions

  • criticized corrupt aspects of religious hierarchy

    • believed that education in the classics and the bible was a step in lasting societal reform

Printing press:

→ created by Johannes Gutenberg

• prior to the printing press books were copied down by ahdn

  • made them extremely expensive

  • only elite had access to ideas within books

• Growth in literacy because of the printing press

  • demand in books also increased

• ideas were able to spread faster and wider

• without printing press, Renaissance ideas probably wouldn’t have spread as quickly to the rest of Europe

• people can now discuss ideas within the books because of the development of identical copies of books

• Demand for Vernacular literature

  • vernacular=language of the people

  • ancient books were typically in latin or other ancient languages , now with the printing press , there is a demand for ancient text in English, german, french, Italian, etc.

    • Vernacular literature allowed people to gain a sense of who they were and how they were from other people

Reniassance art:

→ artists during the Middle ages portrayed religious themes

→ Reniassance artitist did religious themes with personal, political, and classical themes as well

Renassance artists emphasised Naturalism

Naturalism: style that portrayed the world as is

Geometric Perspective :

• new technique developed and used by Reniassance artists

• applied depth to Renaissance art

→ Medeival art was flat, no depth

• during Renaissance oil on canvas is used

  • mixing pigments with oil allowed artists to develop a greater range of colors

→ Many used depth perspective

• linear perspective

→ light and shadow used in paintings to emphasize paintings

• Chiaroscuro: light and dark

Massacio:

• renaissance artist

• brought emotion to paintings

Northern Renaissance artist:

• Van Eyck used incredible detail in his paintings

• Albrecht Durer

Rise of New Monarchs:

→ during middle ages, nobles had the most power

• power begins to shift from the nobles to the centralized monarchy