The Renaissance

Stepping out of the Dark Ages by the light of the past

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Important Concepts Humanism: The reading and

understanding of writings and ideals of the classical past. Rhetoric, poetry, history, politics and

philosophy

Individualism: Renaissance emphasized the experience of the individual.

Virtu: Excellence or Virtue displayed in: Speech, art, politics, warfare, elsewhere

Giotto (1266-1336) Father or

Renaissance Painting.

Used technique of chiaroscuro to create illusion of Depth and greater realism.

Marriage at Cana

Changes in Art Painting

Not only religious themes 3-D

Sculptures Not only religious themes Idealized forms

Architecture Moved away from Gothic to more

classical rounded arches and square angles.

Andrea Mantegna. The Lamentation over the Dead Christ. C. 1490

Optics, Perspective, Mirror Image of Baptistery

HorizonVanishing Point

Perspective

Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519)Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519) typified the Renaissance man – painter, sculptor, engineer, musician and scientist.

Leonardo da Vinci

Da Vinci’s handwriting Handwriting “translated”

Leonardo da Vinci

Mona Lisa (1505)Face of Leonardo

Raphael (1483-1520)

School of Athens (1510)

Master of grace, style and theory and technique. All represented here in School of Athens.

Raphael

The Transfiguration (1520)

Immediately before his death, Raphael set his sights on heaven and painted possibly his most beautiful work, this heavenly face of Jesus. Raphael died of a fever on his 37th birthday, which was on a Good Friday. The fever may have been from overwork, and he died after ten days of high temperatures. He died by his unfinished painting, The Transfiguration. His best pupil, Giulio Romano, finished the painting.

Michelangelo (1475-1564)Universal man. Produced masterpieces in architecture, sculpture and painting.Michelangelo was perhaps the greatest painter and sculptor of all time. He was a prodigy by age 15. He believed that genius came not from careful planning but divine inspiration. He only worked when inspired, and then would work in a frenzy.

MichelangeloSistine Chapel ceiling• The Sistine Chapel is the

pictorial culmination of the Renaissance.

• At 10,000 square feet and taking four years to complete, it chronicles Creation to the Last Judgment.

• More than 343 figures

not only tell the story, but add up to a unified, rhythmically pleasing composition.

Michelangelo

Sistine Chapel (1510)

• In April 1508, Michelangelo was summoned to Rome by the Pope.

• Julius II had a job for him: painting twelve figures of apostles and some decorations on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel.

• Buonarroti Michelangelo, who had always regarded himself as a sculptor, would now have to perfect the art of fresco.

The creation of Adam and the Fall of Man and the Expulsion from the Garden of Eden

1508-1512

The Sistine Chapel is the pictorial culmination of the Renaissance. At 10,000 square feet and taking four years to complete, it chronicles Creation to the Last Judgment. More than 343 figures (Michelangelo estimated 400+) not only tell the story, but add up to a unified, rhythmically pleasing composition.

Michelangelo

Sistine Chapel

The project was physically and emotionally torturous for Michelangelo.   Michelangelo recounts its effect on him with these words:

"After four tortured years, more than 400 over life-sized figures, I felt as old and as weary as Jeremiah. I was only 37, yet friends did not recognize the old man I had become.“

Michelangelo

Sistine Chapel

video on david

MichelangeloDavid (Marble)1501-1504

Michelangelo

Piet`a1498-1499

Marble

From models…

…to quarry …to final “coloring”

The Proces

sStep #1

Step #2Step #5

Step #3

Step #4

So what did he carve with?

Basic: Hamme

r Chisels

Michelangelo even designed

clothes! Michelangelo

designed the Papal guard at the Vatican, that is still used today….

…maybe he should have stuck with painting and sculpture!

Architecture: Gothic. Renaissance.

Scholars Middle ages: sought to know good

and practice it. Renaissance: sought practical results

and did not judge things by religious standards.

All scholars were active politicians in their cities.

Major Scholars Leonardo Bruni (1370-1444): Civic

humanist served as chancellor of Florence. First to use the term humanism.

Lorenzo Valla (1407-1457) Among many achievements proved that the Donation of Constantine, which gave cast lands to papacy, was a forgery

Machiavelli (1469-1527): Wrote The Prince. Emphasized Expediency over morality.

End of Italian Renaissance

Northern Renaissance Outside of Italy the Renaissance

Took its form from religion Was less influenced by the Classics Was marked by Christian Humanism

Advances in the Northern Renaissance led to many significant world events: The Reformation Exploration

Art of the Northern Renaissance

Jan Van Eyck, Wedding (1434))

The Northern Renaissance was more an improvement on medieval art than a return to classical forms. Northern artists loved details.

Jan van Eyck (b. before 1395 -1441) was a Flemish painter who perfected the newly developed technique of oil painting. His Wedding shows the characteristic medieval attention to detail and bright colors. Apparently women used to wear pillows to their weddings, believing it would improve their chances of becoming pregnant.

The AnnunciationJan van Eyck, c 1434

Northern Renaissance

Grünewald , Isenheim Altarpiece (1515)

• Matthias Grünewald (GROON-uh-vald) 1470-1528 was a great but mysterious artist (experts aren’t even sure that’s his name – many think it’s actually Mathis Gothart.

• Different from High Renaissance idealism and humanism, however, are Grünewald's uses of figural distortion to portray violence and tragedy, thin fluttering drapery, highly contrasting areas of light and shadow (CHIAROSCURO) “key-air-oo-skur-oh”. “Key-air-oo” clear and light; “o-skur-oo – means dark and obscure.

It is one of Europe’s most powerful masterpieces.

Rembrandt

Self Portrait, 1658, a masterpiece of the final style, "the calmest and grandest of all his portraits".

The Storm on the Sea of Galilee is a 1633 painting by the Dutch master Rembrandt van Rijn that was in the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum prior to being stolen on March 18 , 1990.

Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn (July 15, 1606 – October 4, 1669) was a Dutch painter and etcher. He is generally considered one of the greatest painters and printmakers in European art history and the most important in Dutch history.

His contributions to art came in a period that historians call the Dutch Golden Age.

Pieter Bruegel the Elder (c. 1525 – September 9, 1569) was a Netherlandish Renaissance painter and printmaker known for his landscapes and peasant scenes

Netherlandish Proverbs, 1559, with peasant scenes illustrating over 100 proverbs.

Germany Johannes

Guttenberg invented the printing press, making books (and the knowledge they contain) accessible to a far greater number of people. Revolutionary!

Albrect Durer gave realism and individuality to the art of the woodcut.

Albrecht Dürer (1471-1528)

Dürer, Self-Portrait (1500)

• German painter, printmaker and art theorist he is generally regarded as the greatest German Renaissance artist.

• Dürer came from a Hungarian family of goldsmiths, his father having settled in Nuremberg in 1455.

• Dürer combined the Italian painter’s law of perspective and human anatomy with the German’s attention to detail.

• Convinced his personal life and thoughts were as important as his art, he kept journals and wrote books. His famous self-portraits (a first) portray him as elegant, confident and an even arrogant man of the world.

Lamentation for Christ, oil, 1500-1503

France Many Italian artists

and scholars were hired.

Castles of the Loire Valley and the writings of Rabelais reflected the tastes of the Renaissance.

England The Renaissance did not appear in England until th 16th century.

Drama, which culminated in the age of Shakespeare was the biggest accomplishment of Renaissance England.

Spain Wealth from New

World Conquests helped fund: Architecture and

art.

Founded as a royal palace in 1563 by King Phillip II of Spain, El Escorial is the burial place of several Spanish monarchs. In addition to the burial vault, the complex also contains a monastery, church, school, and library.

View of Toledo (c. 1596–1600, oil on canvas, El Greco

The Assumption of the Virgin (1577–1579, oil on canvas, El Greco.

Christian Humanism Italian Humanists studied ancient

writings, languages and style. Christian Humanists were more

interested in providing guidance for personal behavior and faith.

This Christian work done between 1450-1530 led to many criticisms of the Catholic church which eventually led to the Reformation.

A Few Notable Figures Desiderius Erasmus (1466-1536) A

Dutchmen and arguably the most notable Christian Humanist. Translated Greek and Latin versions of

the New Testament. Emphasized virtue, tolerance, restraint

and education. Many of his thoughts contributed to the Reformation.

It has been said that “Erasmus laid the egg that Luther hatched.”

Thomas More (1478-1536)

English Lawyer, politician and humanist.

Wrote Utopia (Greek word for nowhere) Mixed civic humanism with religious

ideals Described perfect society

No war, poverty, religious intolerance or other problems.

More was also an outspoken critic of the church and clergy. Moore was put to death when he refused

to accept Henry VIII’s break with the Pope.

Jacques Lefevre d’Etables (1454-1536)

Leading French humanist. Wrote 5 versions of the

Psalms D’Etables expressed the

view that Holy Scripture is the only rule of doctrine, and that justification is by faith alone.

Set the stage for Martin Luther.

Francesco Ximenes de Cisneros (1436-1517)

Led Spanish Church as Grand Inquisitor.

Founded a University. Produced the

Complutensian Polglot Bible Hebrew, Greek and Latin

versions in parallel columns.

Reformed the Spanish Clergy before the Reformation.

Scientific Revolution at the time of the Renaissance

Science and Learning…. The basis of the Scientific Revolution was also laid

during this time. But we will get to that later. Nicholas Copernicus (1473-1543) Astronomer Tycho Brahe (1546-1601) Danish Astronomer Johannes Kepler (1571-1630) Astronomer/

Mathematician Galileo (1564-1642) Italian Astronomer and Scientist Francis Bacon (1561-1626) Formalized Scientific Method. Rene Descartes (1596-1650) Mathematician and

Scientist

Comparing the Italian and Northern Renaissance With a Partner…

On large Paper… Venn Diagram Comparing the

Italian and Northern Renaissance.

Use Notes, reading, and Textbook Pages 160-170

After considering the effects… Statement explaining which

part of Renaissance you think is the most important.