CIV November 9, 2015 Class 32 The Early Renaissance: Return to Classical Roots, 1400–1494

Starts in Italy, then spreads: [circa--VERY ROUGH DATES] Germany: English: Spain: French: Northern Renaissance:

Urbanization. (We discussed this last time) Italian City-States and social organization – Esp. the rise of the signori, the patron Note how similar this is to the rise of Democracy and rhetoric (to educate the young to keep power) in ancient Greece. The Spirit and Style of the Early Renaissance

– Resurgence (short lived, but important) of the Papacy CENTERED IN ROME This concentrates the power and money – Leads to more artistic patronage – The papacy seeks to elevate the core spirit of the Church; uses ART to help. – Eventually, a centralized Roman Catholic hierarchy makes breaking away from the Church easier... Rome is a target again. The Spirit and Style of the Early Renaissance

What changes? – Humanism, Thought, Philosophy – Scholasticism came to it’s logical end a LONG time earlier Concept of individual worth – Both of people/person AND of their works Developing ways to “finesse” adherence to and loosening of, bonds with the Catholic Church – Notice how humanism does this... “well, God made us so we’re good... And we do X, Y, Z in the service of God/the Church so human works are ok too”

The Spirit and Style of the Early Renaissance What changes? – Schooling and Scholarship Exercising the body and mind – Recalls educational techniques of the ancient Greeks – Classicism: Rediscovery and spread of ancient literature Neoplatonism Ciceronianism Aristotle and logic and rhetoric Latin, then Greek, then the Vernaculars Full expression and development of the seven liberal arts Continued development of the University

Recovery of ancient texts – Aristotle 12 th to 13 th c., went from 2 to 42 extant texts. Often opposed by the Church – Petrarch, Coluccio Salutati Niccolò de' Niccoli and Poggio Bracciolini scoured the libraries of Europe in search of works by such Latin authors as Cicero, Lucretius, Livy and Seneca. – the Fall of Constantinople (1453) generated a wave of émigré Greek scholars bringing precious manuscripts in ancient Greek – Coluccio Salutati's invitation to the Byzantine diplomat and scholar Manuel Chrysoloras (c.1355–1415) to Florence to teach Greek. This legacy was continued by a number of expatriate Greek scholars, from Basilios Bessarion to Leo Allatius. Much of this work involved re-translating works preserved by the Arabs/Muslims The Spirit and Style of the Early Renaissance

The printing press (we discussed this last time) The Spirit and Style of the Early Renaissance

Petrarch – Begins Italian poetic humanism. Extends and develops classical literature The Northern Renaissance: Humanism via Erasmus yLerAsDNs4https:// yLerAsDNs4 – Critiques the corruptions in the Church, without proposing a break up – Extolls the virtues of moderate human works The Spirit and Style of the Early Renaissance

What changes? ALL of the arts – as well as the rest of the needed preparations for the sciences (toward the scientific revolution). Esp: – Linear and atmospheric perspective Brunelleschi – Chiaroscuro (light and shade) Masaccio – Perspectivism combined with humanistic and rhetorical thought Alberti – The importance of point of view and return to classical balance and elegance and nobility