Part II September 17, 2009

 The mid 1400’s saw both chaos, and the flowering of new thoughts and ideas.  Europe was dealing with 3 major crisis;  Demographic  Black Death and Population Loss. Population is slowly recovering  Political  New and more able monarchs were imposing new political order  Religious issues are yet to be solved

  Not just a single event, but a culmination of 150 years of changing thought  Renaissance = French for rebirth  A time of transition from medieval to modern times.

 Humanism was a birth of more modern thought  Un-Christian  Stressed dignity of humankind, individualism, secular values  Not a philosophy or value system  It was an educational program built on rhetoric and scholarship

 Humanists advocated the studia humanitatis  Liberal arts  Grammar  Rhetoric  Poetry  History  Politics  Moral philosophy

 The first humanists were orators and poets  Their writings were inspired by newly discovered work of the ancients  Were not bound by tradition  When not teaching, often worked as speechwriters or diplomats

 Some important names to remember  (hint…you might want to put these one one of your cards you bought for the class…..right Lara?)  Petrarch: Father of Humamism  Dante: The Decameron, Dante’s Inferno  Boccaccio

 Educational Reforms  Humanists were always on the outlook for new sources of ancient information  Their goal was not only to have knowledge of good, but to inspire in others the desire to learn.  Humanists were especially drawn to the teaching of Plato, which had a good view of human nature.

 Civic Humanism  Humanists believed that education should stress:  Individual virtue  Public service

 Art  Renaissance art was different from medieval art  Medieval Art: Abstract and formulaic. Usually religious in nature  Renaissance Art: Embraced the natural world, stressed symmetry and order, used human emotion

 Art  Art was also helped by the discovery of new techniques  Shading (Chiaroscruo)  New Oil Paints  Linear perspective These all allowed for a more 3 dimensional representation of life

 Some famous renaissance artists:  Leonardo da Vinci (Mona Lisa)  Raphael  Michelangelo (Sistine Chapel)

Slavery  Slavery flourished in Italy  Was often looked at as a merciful act to save the life of a prisoner  Demand soared after the Black Death  In many cases, slaves were accepted into an household as family members, bore children to the master and were treated well.