Directions: On your Map draw the route that Vasco da Mama sailed to reach west India. Label: Italy, Cape of Good Hope, and India

The Rebirth of Learning and the Arts: Renaissance!

Warmup. Do this in Three minutes Warmup! Do this in Three minutes! In three to five sentences, explain a way that… …could lead to this being produced!

Definitions You Need To Know: What is a . . . A Merchant. . . A city-state. . . A business man who trades goods he doesn’t produce. A city that has its own local government.

Quick, Use your book turn to page 20 and tell me: What is the meaning of the word, Renaissance? When did it happen? Where did it happen? Fast, fast, write it down and tell me fast!

Part I: Why did the Renaissance Happen in Italy?

Map Exercise: Trade and the Renaissance

The Spice Trade (NOT the Spice Girls!) Black Pepper, Nutmeg, Cinnamon! Are these things expensive today? In the 14th and 15th Centuries, these items were VERY expensive! Why do you think this was the case?

Spices = $! There are many reasons why we are lucky to be living in the 21st Century! One is food: In the 14th/15th Centuries, there was no refrigeration and no chemical preservatives for food. So what happened to food? If you put black pepper on partially spoiled food, you could still eat it! So everyone wanted spices!

Good Fortune for Italy! Spices like pepper and cinnamon were only produced in the far east. The best way to get to Europe was by land through the middle east, then on ships to the Italian city-states. Merchants thus made tons of dough!

Trade Leads to Disposable Wealth The spice trade in particular made several Italian city-states extremely wealthy! Milan, Venice, and Pisa dominated trade for decades. In the late 14th Century the city of Florence conquered Pisa and became the most important city in the Spice Trade.

Part II: The Competition that Launched the Artistic Renaissance in Florence!

St. John’s Baptistery of Florence Hey, look over there! This is the Baptistery of Florence. Tell me, what is the purpose of a Baptistery? Not only children were baptized here, but the armies of Florence were blessed here before going into battle! With cash from the spice trade, Florence decided to make its baptistery the most opulent in Europe!

Civic Pride? The city decided to hang two huge doors on the Baptistery that would have a series of bible scenes in gold relief sculptures – a REALLY expensive project! Why would a city spend so much money on a decoration? Would we do this kind of thing today? Why or why not?

May the Best Artist Win! The competition began in 1401. The merchant’s guild, called the Calimala, served as the judges. What is a guild? Competitors had to produce a relief sculpture in bronze depicting a scene from the bible. Many artists entered the competition, but the three key competitors were Filippo Brunelleschi, Lorenzo Ghiberti, and Donatello de’ Bardi.

Architect of the Renaissance: Brunelleschi Filippo Brunelleschi is the greatest artist from the Renaissance that you’ve never heard of before! Brunelleschi used mathematics to invent the concept of perspective in painting – the key advance of the artistic renaissance. What do you think we mean by perspective in painting?

Which one shows things near and far the way your eyes really see things? School of Athens Apocalypse

How DO they do that? Brunelleschi began sketching and painting on paper with a grid background. He would set a point (the vanishing point) to serve as the horizon. He would use mathematics to set the height of different objects in relation to each other – creating the illusion of perspective!

A Common Man: Ghiberti! While Brunelleschi came from a solid artisanal background (his father had been a goldsmith), Ghiberti was an illegitimate child. What does it mean to be an “illegitimate” child? Is this a big deal today? Do you think it was a big deal in the 14th Century? Ghiberti became known as the finest goldsmith of Florence.

The Man Who Changed Sculpture: Donatello! One of the greatest and most innovative of the Renaissance artists. Donatello moved sculpture away from idealized forms toward more realistic depictions of human beings. Here are a few examples of Donatello’s realism:

John the Baptist and David

Mary Magdalene

Feast of Herod

Think of it as Artistic Survivor! The 34 members of the Calimala began eliminating competitors in late 1402. Donatello, unhappy with his piece, removed himself from the competition. This left only Brunelleschi and Ghiberti to produce the best relief. Brunelleschi had all the advantages: Son of a powerful man He was a sworn master of the goldsmith guild Good political contacts

Think/Pair/Share: Who wins Think/Pair/Share: Who wins? In pairs, look over each of these panels and decide which one should have won. On the back of the Think/Pair/Share sheet, explain WHY you picked one panel or the other! Then, prepare to share! Brunelleschi Ghiberti

Ghiberti, the illegitimate child with no political connections, won the competition!

Over a 20 Year Period, Ghiberti Created this:

Donatello Created the Main Sculpture Inside the Baptistery!

Interior Ceiling of the Baptistery!

Brunelleschi’s Revenge: Duomo!!!!!!! Brunelleschi, angered by his loss to Ghiberti, left Florence and traveled to Rome to study ancient architecture. There, he discovered how the ancient Romans had built massive structures by supporting their weight with small arches.

The Cathedral (Duomo) in Florence needed a roof…Brunelleschi built the largest Dome in the World!

Duomo!

By the 1430s, Florence was the wealthiest city in Italy – and it showed! Other cities tried to keep up with Florence by patronizing their artists, sparking the Renaissance!!!!!!!!!!

What do you think? Renaissance Man In a book called The Courtier (1528), Baldassare Castiglione argued that the ideal (or Renaissance) man should be charming, witty, and well educated in the classics. He should, according to Castiglione, dance, sing, play music, and write poetry. He should also be a skilled rider, wrestler, and swordsman. What qualities do you think the ideal man (or woman) should have? Why do you think that we Americans in the 21st Century view these qualities differently than Italians of the 16th Century? Write this up in a minimum of two paragraphs! 10 sentences total.