the renaissance. renaissance: historical period in europe from about 1300-1600 where a renewed...
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Renaissance (French for rebirth) This time period is seen as a distinct passing from medieval to modern society. A rebirth from the “Dark Ages” aka the Middle Ages – approximately 1,000 years between the fall of the Roman Empire and the Renaissance.TRANSCRIPT
THE RENAISSANCE
RENAISSANCE: Historical period in Europe from about 1300-1600 where a renewed interest in the classical culture of Greece and Rome led to changes in art, learning, and worldviews.
Renaissance (French for rebirth)
This time period is seen as a distinct passing from medieval to modern society.
A rebirth from the “Dark Ages” aka the Middle Ages – approximately 1,000 years between the fall of the Roman Empire and the Renaissance.
Some Ways to Describe It…
A time of creativity and great change
A rebirth from the disorder of the Middle Ages (Black Death, wars, etc…)
Why did the Renaissance begin in Italy?
1.) History – ruins from ancient Rome provided inspiration;
Italians wanted to revive greatness.2.) Thriving City-States – key location;
crossroads for trade; great wealth.3.) Wealthy merchant class –
dominated politics in Italian city-states; were patrons of the arts
Themes of the Renaissance Individualism:
In contrast to Christian humility of the Middle Ages.
Uniqueness, Personality Confidence in ability to achieve
greatness Genius, development of full potential Quest for glory
Humanism Education centered around the
study of the Latin classics. Studied these classics to
understand human nature rather than only to understand God.
Focus on the humanities – grammar, rhetoric, poetry, history, etc…
Secularism A basic concern with the material world
instead of the spiritual world. “Worldly” Attention on improving life in the here
and now, but did not abandon religion. More focus on education, business,
wealth More leisure time, art patronage, etc…
Introduction to Art (handout!)Medieval Period 500-1500 AD Feudalism Catholic Church Purposes of Art:
To teach religion to illiterate people
Forms of Art: Stained glass windows,
sculptures, manuscripts, paintings, tapestries
Renaissance 1400-1650 Rediscovery of works
of Greeks and Romans Purposes of Art
To show the importance of people and nature, not just religion
Forms of Art Sculptures, murals,
drawings, paintings
Characteristics of ArtMedieval:
Religious Figures look flat and stiff Fully clothed Solemn faces, no
emotion Vibrant colors 2 dimensional Backgrounds often a
single color--gold
Renaissance: Both religious and non-
religious scenes Figures look perfect,
idealized Bodies may be nude or
clothed Real people doing real tasks Expressive faces, emotion Lots of interest in nature,
detail Use of perspective in
backgrounds and symmetry (balance)
Classical, Medieval and Renaissance Art http://www.slideshare.net/MrsHelle
r/classical-medieval-and-renaissance-art
New TechniquesNew Techniques Perspective: The linear
representation of distance and space on a flat surface.
How? By making distant objects smaller than those close to the viewer. Gives the illusion of depth.
Examples of Perspective
Techniques Shading Illumination
The Geniuses of The Geniuses of Renaissance ArtRenaissance Art
1. Leonardo da Vinci2. Michelangelo3. Raphael 4. Donatello
Leonardo da Vinci Painter, sculptor,
inventor, scientist
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lFN5hRukDlo Mona Lisa The Last
Supper
The Last Supper
Why so famous?? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=
IitbJszd1kM http://www.monalisamania.com/fa
qmain.htm http://www.npr.org/2011/07/30/13
8800110/the-theft-that-made-the-mona-lisa-a-masterpiece
MichelangeloMichelangelo Famous works
include: Pieta statue of David ceiling of the
Sistine Chapel in Rome
Pieta
Statue of David
Ceiling of the Sistine Chapel
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_u8LDXhFzPo
RaphaelRaphael
A student of Leonardo and Michelangelo
Famous painting: The School of
Athens
The School of Athens
How it embodies the themes of the Renaissance http://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=Hh1YGIyn-ok
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u-9G0Ndxopg
Who is in the School? http://www.phschool.com/
atschool/california/webcodes/history_interactive/mwp-5153/common_player.html
Donatello
Most famous for his sculptures
Most famous is his bronze statue of David
Important Writers/Literature
Francesco Petrarch (1304-1374) “Father of Humanism” Poet Famous for writing sonnets – 14 line
poems to Laura
Other Humanists… Desiderius Erasmus (1469-1536)
Orphan; joined a monastery Most famous work: The Praise of Folly
(1509) – used humor to expose immoral behavior of clergy
Key Beliefs: Education is key to moral/intellectual
improvement Christian attitude/study of the Bible
Other Humanists… Thomas More (1478-1535)
Lawyer, writer, counselor to Henry VIII Most famous work: Utopia (1516)
“nowhere” Ideal, nearly perfect society Very radical for its time
Beheaded in 1535
Dante (1265-1321) From a noble family in Florence Wrote the Divine Comedy between
1313-1321. Journey of the soul through afterlife;
Inferno, Purgatory, Paradise Written in the Italian vernacular;
helped develop the language.
Writing in the Vernacular
Writing in the Vernacular Geoffrey Chaucer
(c. 1340-1400) Wrote The
Canterbury Tales in the English vernacular language.
Shakespeare
Renaissance Guidebooks The Book of the Courtier (1528)
Guide to becoming a Renaissance gentleman
The ideal Renaissance man should be: Educated in many subjects Know how to sing, dance, play an instrument Able to compose a sonnet, wrestle, ride
expertly, and speak and write eloquently.
The Prince (1513) by Niccolo Machiavelli
About political power How the ruler should gain,
maintain, and increase it “Machiavellian” – use of deceit in
politics “the end justifies the means”
Renaissance Guidebooks
Renaissance Renaissance ArchitectureArchitecture
Return from the Gothic style of the Middle Ages to the Classical styles of Early Greece and Rome.
Architecture became simpler, more symmetrical: columns, arches, domes