Italy The Birthplace of the Renaissance History After

Italy: The Birthplace of the Renaissance

History • After the war & plague, the people who survived wanted to celebrate life ▫ Started questioning the church

Italy’s Advantages • Started in Italy • Explosion of creativity in art, writing and thought • Lasted from 1300 -1600 • THE RENAISSANCE ▫ REBIRTH!! ▫ The revival of art and learning ▫ Wanted to bring back Greece and Rome

• The Renaissance spread started in Northern Italy then to the rest of Europe • 3 Advantages making Italy the birthplace of the Renaissance ▫ 1. thriving cities ▫ 2. a wealthy merchant class ▫ 3. classical heritage of Greece and Rome

City States • Overseas trade • Italy was urban – most of Europe still rural • Cities were a place to exchange ideas, they were an ideal breeding ground for an intellectual revolution • Bubonic plague – killed 60% of people ▫ Fewer people to work – could demand more $$ ▫ No more business – expand interests in art

Merchants and the Medici • Merchants dominated politics • Unlike nobles, merchants did not inherit social rank – so to succeed they had to use their wit • Believed they deserved power and wealth because of their individual merit • VERY IMPORTANT

• Florence, Italy ▫ ▫ Was democratic until Renaissance One powerful banking family the MEDICI Cosimo Medici – wealthiest European & dictator Died in 1464 but family continued to control Florence ▫ Lorenzo de Medici – Lorenzo the Magnificent

Greece & Rome • Looked down on the art of the Middle Ages • Wanted to return to the learning of Greece & Rome • First, artists and scholars from Italy were inspired by the ruins of Rome that surrounded them • Second, Western scholars studied ancient Latin manuscripts that had been preserved

• Third, Christian scholars in Constantinople fled to Rome with Greek manuscripts • When they studied the manuscripts, they became more influenced by classical ideas • Helped them create a new outlook on life and art

Classics lead to Humanism • Humanism – an intellectual movement that focused on human potential and achievements • Instead of trying to make classical; texts agree with Christian teaching as medieval scholars had, humanists studied them to understand Greek values.

• Humanists influenced artists and architects to carry on classical traditions • Popularized the study of subjects common to classical education, such as history, philosophy and literature. HUMANITIES

Worldly Pleasures • Middle Ages – people demostrated their piety by wearing rough clothing and eating plain foods • Humanists – suggested a person enjoy their life without offending God • The wealthy enjoyed material luxuries, good music and fine foods.

• Basic spirit of Renaissance society was SECULAR – worldly rather than spiritual, cared about their “here and now”

Patrons of the Arts • Beautified Rome • Financially supporting artists • Wealthy families – having their pictures painted by artists • Donating art • The wealthy demonstrated their own importance

The Renaissance Man • The ideal individual strove to master almost every area of study • “Universal Man” • Baldassare Castiglione – wrote “The Courtier” that taught how to become this man • “A young man should be charming, witty, and well educated in the classics. He should dance, sing, play music, and write poetry. In addition, he should be a skilled rider, wrestler and swordsman.

The Renaissance Woman • According to “The Courtier” upper-class women also should know the classics and be charming, yet they were not expected to seek fame. They were expected to inspire art but rarely create it. ▫ Better educated ▫ Little influence in politics

Isabella d’Este • Born into the ruling family of the city-state Ferrara, she married the ruler of another citystate Mantua. • Brought many Renaissance artists to her court and built a famous art collection • Skilled in politics

Renaissances Revolutionizes Art • Medieval Art – religious subjects to convey spiritual ideal • Renaissance Art – portrayed religious subjects but used a realistic style copied from classical models • Technique of perspective – which shows three dimensions of a flat surface

Michelangelo • • • Artists Sculptor Poet Architect Painter Used a realistic style when depicting the human body

Donatello • Made sculpture more realistic by carving natural poses and expressions to show personality • Statue of David

Leonardo da Vinci, Renaissance Man • • Painter, sculptor, inventor, scientist Interested in how things worked Mona Lisa – so real The Last Supper

Raphael • • • Learned from Leonardo and Michelangelo Favorite was Madonna and the Child Portrayed expressions as gentle and calm Famous for perspective Filled the walls of Pope Julius II’s library with paintings ▫ School of Athens

Renaissance Writers Change Literature • Reflected their time • Medieval time writer – Dante • Vernacular – native language

Petrarch • Francesco Petrarch – earliest and most influential humanists • Father of Renaissance Humanism • Great poet • Wrote in Italian and Latin • Sonnets – 14 line poems, mostly about Laura

Boccaccio • Known for the Decameron ▫ ▫ Series of realistic sometimes “off-color” stories Tragic and comic views of life Used humor to illustrate human condition Presents characters individually

Niccolo Machiavelli • “The Prince” 1513 ▫ ▫ ▫ Examines the imperfect conduct of humans Political guidebook How a ruler can gain power and keep it Most people are selfish, fickle and corrupt To succeed in a wicked world, a prince “must be strong as a lion and as shrewd as a fox” ▫ Not morally right, but politically effective ▫ To accomplish great things “he must be crafty enough to not only overcome the suspicions of others but also gain the trust of others”