What was the Renaissance? Notes #39 Creation of Adam by Michelangelo

Sistine Madonna by Raphael The Renaissance was a period, from the 1300s to the 1500s, when artistic creativity was encouraged in Europe. David by Michelangelo Sistine Madonna by Raphael

The Renaissance began and flourished in Italy because Italian city-states had grown wealthy from trade between Europe and Asia . . .

Sistine Chapel ceiling by Michelangelo . . . and the region had a wealthy class that invested in the arts. Sistine Chapel ceiling by Michelangelo

The School of Athens by Raphael A major characteristic of the Renaissance was the development of a new way of thinking called humanism. The School of Athens by Raphael

Saint Mark by Donatello Primavera by Sandro Botticelli The idea of humanism emphasized the importance of an individual and encouraged people to pursue individual interests.  Othello by William Shakespeare Saint Mark by Donatello Primavera by Sandro Botticelli

As a result, an emphasis on individual worth increased in European society during the Renaissance.  Middle Age art vs. Renaissance art 

Famous Renaissance humanists include artists Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo . . . Mona Lisa by da Vinci Leonardo da Vinci Michelangelo

. . . and writers Niccolo Machiavelli and William Shakespeare.

A direct effect of the Renaissance on Europe was that the idea of humanism would later decrease the power of the Catholic Church. Martin Luther