The Intellectual and Artistic Renaissance

Italian Renaissance Humanism Humanism was a key intellectual movement of the Renaissance Based on the study of literary works of the ancients Greeks and Romans Humanists studied the “humanities” grammar, rhetoric, poetry, philosophy, and history

Italian Renaissance Humanism Petrarch is considered the father of Italian Renaissance humanism He emphasized the use of pure classical Latin Latin as it was used by the ancient Romans

Italian Renaissance Humanism In the early 1400s, humanists shifted from being a secluded group, to being very proactive believed intellectuals should be active in the community Also believed the humanities should be used to serve the state

Vernacular Literature Because of the emphasis on classical Latin, scholars, lawyers, and theologians used it But some writers used the vernacular language spoken in their own regions In the 14th century, the works of Dante and Chaucer made vernacular popular

Dante Dante (Italian) wrote the Divine Comedy

Chaucer Chaucer (English) wrote The Canterbury Tales

Education in the Renaissance Humanists believed that education could change people Believed that the liberal studies (history, moral philosophy, grammar, logic, poetry, math, astronomy, etc) helped people reach their full potential

Education in the Renaissance Humanists also stressed physical education Sound mind and sound body The purpose of liberal education was not to create a great scholar, but complete human beings

New Techniques in Painting Masaccio’s frescoes were the first masterpieces of Renaissance art A painting done on fresh, wet plaster with water-based paints He created a 3D perspectives which allowed his works to be very realistic

Masaccio’s Frescoes

Sculpture and Architecture The sculptor Donatello spent time studying and imitating statues of the Greeks and Romans He created realistic free-standing figures

Sculpture and Architecture The buildings of classical Rome inspired the architect Filippo Brunelleschi.

The Masters of the High Renaissance The final stage of Italian Renaissance painting is called the High Renaissance (1490-1520) Three artistic giants are associated with this period Leonardo da Vinci Raphael Michelangelo

da Vinci’s Work He focused on realistic painting

Raphael’s Work Known for his paintings at the Vatican palace

Michelangelo’s Work Known for his work on the ceilings of the Sistine chapel

The Northern Artistic Renaissance Artists of northern Europe typically painted illustrations for books and wooden panels for altarpieces Masters of detail The most important northern school of art in the 15th century was in Flanders.

The Use of Oil Paint Jan van Eyck was one of the first to use oil paint. Allowed artists to use a wide variety of colors and to create fine details.