The Renaissance

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The Renaissance
Primavera by Botticelli
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The Italian Renaissance

• Renaissance means rebirth
• Began in Italy
• Lasted from 1350-1600
• The classics from Greece and Rome were revived
• Spread throughout Europe

Palazzo Della Signoria in Florence, Italy
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Humanism

• Father Petrarch
• Interest in capabilities of the individual
• Focus on study of Classical Culture, secular
• Gender
• Men Well rounded Renaissance Man
• Women courteous, graceful, attractive

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Printing Press

• Humanism enhanced by printing
• Gutenbergs Moveable Type Press first printed the
  Bible in 1454
• Originally invented in China
• By 1500, 10 million printed books circulating
  Europe

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Characteristics of the Italian Renaissance

• Urban society
• Secular-worldly
• Recovery from the disasters of the 14th century
• Black Death
• Political disorder
• Economic recession
• New view of human beings and individual ability

Siena, Italy Piazza del Campo
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The Italian States

• During the Middle Ages, Italy had failed to
  develop as a monarchy
• Lack of single ruler made it possible for a
  number of city-states in northern and central
  Italy to remain independent
• Prospered from trade
• Exchanged good with the Byzantine and Islamic
  civilizations, England, and the Netherlands
• Obtained silks, sugar, and spices to take back to
  Italy

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The Italian States Milan

• 14th century-Visconti family established
  themselves as dukes of Milan and extend power all
  over Lombardy
• Last Visconti dies in 1447
• Francesco Sforza (condottiere-leader of a band of
  mercenaries) conquers Milan and becomes duke
• Built a strong, centralized state
• Efficient tax system

Duomo in Milan, Italy
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The Italian States Venice

• Grown wealthy from trading
• Small group of merchant-aristocrats ran the
  government on behalf of their own interests
• Trade empire brought enormous revenues
• Became an international power

San Marco in Venice, Italy
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The Italian States Florence

• Dominated the region of Tuscany
• In 1434, Cosimo de Medici took control of the
  city
• They were wool traders and bankers
• The Medici kept the republic form of government,
  but ran it behind the scenes
• Cosimo and Lorenzo put supporters in offices to
  carry out their policies
• Florence was the cultural center of Italy

Duomo in Florence, Italy
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Machiavelli and the New Statecraft

• Wrote The Prince
• Concerned with political power and how to get it
  and keep it
• Rejected the Middle Ages view that rulers ought
  to behave on Christian moral values
• Must be based on an understanding of human nature
• A ruler acts on behalf of the state, therefore,
  he should let his own conscience sleep
• Had a profound influence on political leaders in
  the Western world

Machiavelli
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The Making of Renaissance Society Nobility

• Around 3 of the population
• Held political posts and advised Kings
• Castiglione describe the perfect noble in his
  work The Book of the Courtier
• Born, not made
• Work to be a warrior
• Have a classical education
• Standards of conduct
• Serve his prince in an effective and honest way

Isabella dEste
Pietro Medici
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The Making of Renaissance SocietyPeasants and
Townspeople

• About 90 of the population
• Serfdom declined and more peasants were becoming
  free
• Townspeople were divided also
• Patricians-wealthy traders, industry, and
  banking-dominated communities
• Burghers-shopkeepers, artisans, guild
  members-middle class
• Impoverished-unemployed, pitiful wages, 30-40
  pop.

Moneychanger and his Wife by Quentin Massys
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The Making of Renaissance SocietyFamily and
Marriage

• Parents carefully arranged marriages to
  strengthen business or family ties
• Details were worked out when children were 2 or 3
  years old
• Legally binding
• Dowry-sum of the money given by the wifes family
  to the husband upon marriage
• Father was the center of family
• Children became adults when they were legally
  freed
• Mothers role was to supervise the household

The Marriage of the Virgin by Raphael
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Vernacular Language

• Vernacular-language spoken in their own regions
• Geoffrey Chaucers Canterbury Tales
• English
• Dantes Divine Comedy
• Italian
• Began to compete with Latin
• Eventually replaced it

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Canterbury Tales in the Vernacular

• Here bygynneth the Book of the tales of
  Caunterbury

• Here Begins the Book of the Tales of Canterbury

• When April with his showers sweet with fruitThe
  drought of March has pierced unto the rootAnd
  bathed each vein with liquor that has powerTo
  generate therein and sire the flowerWhen Zephyr
  also has, with his sweet breath,Quickened again,
  in every holt and heath,The tender shoots and
  buds, and the young sunInto the Ram one half his
  course has run,And many little birds make
  melodyThat sleep through all the night with open
  eye(So Nature pricks them on to ramp and
  rage)-Then do folk long to go on pilgrimage,And
  palmers to go seeking out strange strands,To
  distant shrines well known in sundry lands.And
  specially from every shire's endOf England they
  to Canterbury wend,The holy blessed martyr there
  to seek

• 1 Whan that aprill with his shoures soote2 The
  droghte of march hath perced to the roote,3 And
  bathed every veyne in swich licour4 Of which
  vertu engendred is the flour5 Whan zephirus
  eek with his sweete breeth6 Inspired hath in
  every holt and heeth7 Tendre croppes, and the
  yonge sonne8 Hath in the ram his halve cours
  yronne,9 And smale foweles maken melodye,10
  That slepen al the nyght with open ye11 (so
  priketh hem nature in hir corages)12 Thanne
  longen folk to goon on pilgrimages,13 And
  palmeres for to seken straunge strondes,14 To
  ferne halwes, kowthe in sondry londes15 And
  specially from every shires ende16 Of engelond
  to caunterbury they wende,17 The hooly blisful
  martir for to seke,

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Characteristics of Renaissance Art

• Influenced by classical Greece and Rome
• Emphasized realism, detail, perfection
• Religion got a lifelike approach

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The Artistic Renaissance in Italy
Branccaci Tributo fresco by Masaccio
Self Portrait by Leonardo da Vinci
Dome of the duomo in Florence by Brunelleschi
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The Artistic Renaissance in Italy

• Fresco-painting done on fresh, wet plaster with
  water based paints
• Figures had the illusion of being three
  dimensional
• Two major achievements
• Perspective
• Moverment and human anatomy
• Architects were inspired by the buildings of
  ancient Rome (San Lorenzo)

School of Athens by Raphael
Interior of San Lorenzo by Brunelleschi
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The Artistic Renaissance in Italy

• Mastery of techniques for a realistic portrayal
  of the world
• Da Vinci dissected human bodies to study anatomy
• Move from painting realistic forms to ideal forms
• Glorified the human body

Pieta By Michelangelo Rome, Italy
Ospedale degli Innocenti Designed by
Brunelleschi Florence, Italy
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The Artistic Renaissance in Italy
The Last Judgement By Michelangelo Sistine
Chapel Rome, Italy
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The Artistic Renaissance in Italy
The Sistine Chapel Ceiling by Micelangelo
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SCIENCE! The Scientific Revolution

• Built upon writings of Greeks and Romans (okay,
  we get it, they REALLY liked those guys!)
• Developed scientific method
• Challenged medieval superstition and acceptance
  of Aristotles theories
• Reduced importance of humans in universal scheme
  (heliocentric orbit)
• Considerable religious opposition
• Improved health and ability to control
  environment
• Firm foundation for modern scientific advances

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Science-y Guys

• Copernicus
• Sun is in center of solar system and earth is one
  of several planets orbiting the sun
• Versalius
• Disected human bodies, founded anatomy
• Francis Bacon
• philosopher, popularized the scientific method
  (some people think hes actually Shakespeare)
• Galileo
• astronomer and physicist, improved telescope,
  proved Copernicus
• Kepler
• Planets follow elliptical orbit (not circular)
• Harvey
• Blood, not air, circulates in the veins
• Boyle
• discovered law of gases, fundamental to modern
  chemistry
• Newton
• invented calculus, laws of motion, laws of gravity