THE RENAISSANCE: AN

INTRODUCTION
WARM UP
WRITE YOUR OWN DEFINITION OF
THE RENAISSANCE USING
EVERYTHING YOU HAVE LEARNED
UP TO NOW.
WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU WOULD
BE IF YOU LIVED IN THE
RENAISSANCE.
Why did the Renaissance start
in Italy?

EUROPEANS STILL LOOKED

TO ROME FOR CULTURAL
AND INTELLECTUAL
GUIDANCE
ITALIAN MERCHANTS
PROSPERED EVEN DURING
THE MIDDLE AGES; THESE
MERCHANTS VALUED
EDUCATION AND FLAUNTED
WEALTH THROUGH ART
THE CHURCHS WEALTH
AND POWER WAS BASED IN
ITALY
FLORENCE
RENAISSANCE CENTERED
ON THE ITALIAN CITY OF
FLORENCE
HOME TO THE POWERFUL
MEDICI FAMILY
WEALTHY BANKERS (BANKING
HAD BECOME TOO
PROFITABLE AND IMPORTANT
TO THE ECONOMY TO LEAVE
IN THE HANDS OF EUROPES
JEWS)
CONTROLLED THE
FLORENTINE GOVERNMENT AS
DOGE
SPENT VAST AMOUNTS OF
MONEY ON ART
WHAT WAS THE
RENAISSANCE?
THREE PARTS:
1. A SHIFT IN THOUGHT:
A FOCUS IS ON THE
SECULAR (OR
WORLDLY), RATHER
THAN THE RELIGIOUS
FOCUS OF LIFE CHANGED
FROM HOW DO I GET
INTO HEAVEN? TO HOW
DO I ENJOY SUCCESS
HERE AND NOW?
NEW EMPHASIS ON
INDIVIDUAL ACHIEVEMENT
OVER COMMUNAL NEEDS
WHAT WAS THE
RENAISSANCE?
2. AN OPENNESS TO
EXPERIMENTATION:
A WILLINGNESS TO
EXPLORE THE WORLD
(COLUMBUS)
A WILLINGNESS TO ENGAGE
IN SCIENTIFIC INQUIRY
(GALILEO, COPERNICUS)
A WILLINGNESS TO TRY
NEW TECHNIQUES IN ART
(MICHELANGELO)
A WILLINGNESS TO
CHALLENGE RELIGIOUS
DOCTRINE (LUTHER)
WHAT WAS THE
RENAISSANCE?
3. A RENEWED INTEREST IN
EDUCATION:
OFTEN DEFINED BY
HUMANISM, OR THE
IDEA THAT RATIONAL
THOUGHT IS SUPERIOR
TO UNQUESTIONING
FAITH
HEAVY FOCUS ON THE
HUMANITIES (HISTORY,
PHILOSOPHY, &
LITERATURE)
REVIVAL OF THE CLASSICAL
LEARNING OF THE GREEKS & ROMANS
 GREEK & ROMAN IDEAS THAT HUMANISTS
FOCUSED ON:

1. INDIVIDUAL WORTH: HUMANS

CAN IMPROVE THEMSELVES
THROUGH STUDY & EFFORT
2. ONE SHOULD SHOW A STRONG
COMMITMENT TO PUBLIC SERVICE
3. HUMANS CAN IMPACT HISTORY,
NOT JUST GOD
HUMANISM IN THE
HUMANIST ARTISTS:
ARTS STUDIED GREEK AND ROMAN
ARTISTIC FORMS
OFTEN PORTRAYED RELIGIOUS
FIGURES IN A MORE REALISTIC
(OR HUMAN) WAY
PAINTED PORTRAITS OF THE RIC
AND FAMOUS PEOPLE OF THE
TIME
MASTERED THE TRICK OF
PERSPECTIVE, OR THE ABILITY T
GIVE A PAINTING DIMENSIONAL
DEPTH
REJECTED MEDIEVAL GOTHIC
ARCHITECTURE IN FAVOR OF
CLASSICAL GREEK FORMS
PATRONAGE IN THE ARTS

ART IS A LUXURY GOOD, AND

AS SUCH, IS EXPENSIVE
MOST RENAISSANCE ARTISTS
DEPENDED ON WEALTHY
PATRONS (OR SPONSORS),
SUCH AS THE MEDICI FAMILY
OR THE POPE, WHO KEPT
THEM EMPLOYED
IN THE END, WHILE MANY
ARTISTS HAD HUMANIST
IDEALS, THEY ALSO HAD TO
KEEP THEIR PATRONS HAPPY
AND PRODUCE ART THAT
WOULD SELL!
THE FOUR MASTERS OF
THE ITALIAN RENAISSANCE
DONATELLO
1386 1466
NAME: DONATO DI NICCOLO
DI BETTO BARTI
MASTER SCULPTOR
CREATED THE FIRST LIFE-
SIZE STATUE OF A RIDER ON
HORSEBACK SINCE ROMAN
TIMES
MASTERWORKS INCLUDE
HIS VERSION OF DAVID
LEONARDO DA VINCI

1452 1519
ONLY 15 PAINTINGS SURVIVE,
BUT 2 OF THEM ARE THE MOST
FAMOUS OF ALL TIME THE
MONA LISA & THE LAST
SUPPER
MASTER ENGINEER &
INVENTOR
DISSECTED HUMAN CORPSES
TO LEARN ANATOMY
MONA LISA
THE LAST SUPPER
MICHELANGELO
1475 1564
NAME: MICHELANGELO DI
LODOVICO BUONARROTI
SIMONI
MASTER SCULPTOR THE
PIETA & DAVID
PAINTED THE CEILING OF

THE SISTINE CHAPEL -

MURAL DEPICTING THE
BIBLICAL STORIES OF
GENESIS
ARCHITECT DESIGNED THE
DOME OF ST. PETERS
CATHEDRAL IN ROME
THE SISTINE CHAPEL
THE SISTINE
CHAPEL
DAVID
THE PIETA
RAPHAEL
1483 1520
NAME: RAFFAELLO SANZIO
STUDIED WORKS OF
LEONARDO AND
MICHELANGELO
PAINTED MANY MADONNAS
OF MARY AND THE BABY JESUS
MOST FAMOUS WORK, THE
SCHOOL OF ATHENS, DEPICTS
AN IMAGINARY MEETING OF
HISTORYS GREATEST
THINKERS AND ARTISTS AND IS
A MASTERPIECE OF
PERSPECTIVE
THE SCHOOL OF ATHENS
ITALIAN LITERATURE
BALDASSARE CASTIGLIONE
AUTHOR OF THE BOOK OF

THE COURTIER ,
WHICH TOLD HOW TO
BE A PROPER GENTLEMAN
AT THE ROYAL COURT

PETRARCH
POET, ESSAYIST,
PHILOSOPHER; FAMOUS FOR
PUBLISHING HIS OWN
LETTERS TO FRIENDS ON
VARIOUS TOPICS; CALLED
THE FATHER OF
HUMANISM
NICCOLO MACHIAVELLI
AUTHOR OF THE PRINCE
TOLD HOW TO GAIN AND
MAINTAIN POWER
THROUGH RUTHLESSNESS
TAUGHT THAT RULERS
SHOULD DO WHATEVER
WAS NECESSARY TO
ACHIEVE THEIR
OBJECTIVES: THE ENDS
JUSTIFIES THE MEANS
HIS WRITINGS STILL
AFFECT HOW
GOVERNMENTS AND
POLITICAL CAMPAIGNS ARE
RUN EVEN TODAY
THE RENAISSANCE
SPREADS

RENAISSANCE IDEAS
(ESPECIALLY HUMANISM)
CARRIED INTO THE
NETHERLANDS BY THE ROMAN
CATHOLIC PRIEST ERASMUS
LATER SPREAD TO ENGLAND,
FRANCE, SPAIN, & GERMANY
NORTHERN
RENAISSANCE ART

MANY NEW PAINTERS

FLOURISHED, INCLUDING
VAN EYCK, BRUEGEL, &
RUBENS
USED NEWLY INVENTED OIL
PAINTS WHICH WERE
BRIGHTER, ALLOWED
GREATER DETAIL TO BE
PAINTED, AND STOOD UP
BETTER OVER TIME
ERASMUS
WROTE A NEW
TRANSLATION OF THE BIBLE
IN GREEK (VIOLATING
CHURCH LAW) AND BEGAN
TO CALL ON THE CHURCH
TO TRANSLATE IT INTO
COMMON LANGUAGES SO
THAT MORE PEOPLE COULD
READ IT
ERASMUS ALSO OPENLY
CRITICIZED THE
HYPOCRISIES OF THE
CHURCH IN HIS BOOK IN
THE PRAISE OF FOLLY
NORTHERN
RENAISSANCE AUTHORS

THOMAS MORE WROTE

UTOPIA, WHICH DESCRIBED
AN IDEAL SOCIETY
FRANCOIS RABELAIS WROTE
GARGANTUA AND
PANTAGRUEL, A COMIC
SOCIAL SATIRE
WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE
AUTHOR OF 37 PLAYS
INCLUDING TRAGEDIES,
COMEDIES, AND HISTORIES
(ROMEO & JULIET, HAMLET,
MCBETH)
CERVANTES WROTE DON
QUIXOTE, WHICH MOCKED
FEUDALISM & THE NOBILITY
THE PRINTING
PRESS
1456: JOHANN GUTENBERG
PRINTED THE FIRST BOOK IN
THE WEST, USING TECHNOLOGY
IMPORTED FROM EAST ASIA
WITHIN 20 YEARS, MOVEABLE
TYPE HAD BEEN INVENTED,
MAKING PRINTING EVEN EASIER
BY 1500, 20 MILLION BOOKS
HAD BEEN PRINTED IN EUROPE
MADE BOOKS MUCH CHEAPER
MORE ACCESS TO BOOKS =
MORE PEOPLE LEARNING TO
READ
NEW DISCOVERIES AND IDEAS
CAN SPREAD MORE QUICKLY