Ch. 1.1 - Italy: Birthplace of the

Renaissance

a rebirth of learning and the arts

Medieval Europe…

was a time of great superstition and fear. European civilization seemed to deteriorate despite earlier advances.

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1. Thriving cities

urban centers grew with the overseas trade that developed during the Crusades. The Northern part of Italy was urban while most of southern Italy was still rural. These trading centers in the north not only exchanged goods but ideas and technologies. When the bubonic plague killed more than 60% of the population, labor forces shrunk and as a result wages increased for the survivors. Wealthy merchants also began to seek other interests such as art because of the economic changes.

2. Wealthy merchants

Milan, Florence and other Italian city-states ran their own affairs by collecting taxes and having armies. Wealthy merchants (such as the Medici) were the most powerful class and controlled politics. Rank was not inherited but earned in this class. Many successful merchants believed they deserved power and wealth because of their individual merit. It was this belief in individual achievement that became an important Renaissance theme.

3. Classical Heritage

Rome and Greece were highly influential to the Renaissance. Scholars looked down on the art and literature of the Middle Ages and wanted to return to the learning of the Greeks and Romans. One reason that the Renaissance began in Italy is that artists and scholars drew inspiration from the ruins of Rome that surrounded them. The great mass of ancient Latin manuscripts preserved in monasteries provided many forgotten ideas. The fall of Constantinople in 1453 to the Ottoman Turks brought many Byzantine scholars to Rome with ancient Greek manuscripts that were assumed to have been lost forever.

Humanism developed through the study of the

classical texts and it focused on human potential and achievements. Humanism is a broad category of active ethical philosophies that affirm the dignity and worth of all people, based on the ability to determine right and wrong by appeal to universal human qualities—particularly rationalism. Humanists studied the texts in order to understand the ancient Greek values and not try to make them agree with Christian teachings. Humanism entails a commitment to the search for truth and morality through human means in support of human interests.

Classical and Worldly Values

In focusing on the capacity for self-determination, Humanism rejects transcendental justifications, such as a dependence on faith, the supernatural, or divinely revealed texts. Humanists endorse universal morality based on the commonality of human nature, suggesting that solutions to our social and cultural problems cannot be parochial. The study of subjects such as history, literature and philosophy are called the humanities.

Enjoyment of worldly pleasures was something that the Renaissance scholars suggested was possible without offending God. The wealthy openly enjoyed luxuries, fine music and tasty foods. Most people remained devout Catholics but the basic spirit of Renaissance society was secular (meaning worldly and concerned with the here and now-not religion.)

The arts flourished during this period. Renaissance popes beautified Rome by spending huge amounts of money for art. They became patrons of the arts by financially supporting the arts and artists. Merchants and wealthy families also donated to the arts by commissioning portraits or donating public art to the city. This helped show how powerful and important they were.

Innovations in Art