Chapter 17.2: The Northern Renaissance

Ch.17.2 Essential Questions: What were the origins and characteristics of the Northern Renaissance? What was the impact of the Renaissance on German and Flemish painters? Who were some of the key Northern Renaissance writers? What were the origins of the Elizabethan Age? How did printing and publishing affect social reforms?

Where are we talking about? Northern Europe; specifically- England France Germany Flanders (present day Netherlands and part of northern France)

When are we talking about? By about the mid to late 1400s, the Renaissance had begun to spread from Italy northward. There are several reasons for this.

Why did it spread? Travelling artists brought their ideas and innovations with them. Wars between France and Italy, though destructive, allowed northern Europeans to view the explosion of creativity going on in Italy The invention of the printing press quickened the spread of ideas

Why did it spread? (continued) Population grew quickly now that the bubonic plague had passed (for the most part!) The Hundred Years War ended in 1453; as a result, cities grow rapidly No war means more money is available for other goods and luxuries (like artwork)

It’s also more religious there. The tone of the Northern Renaissance, however, is different from what was seen in Italy. But is it really a Renaissance (rebirth) in the true sense of the term? While wealthy merchants and rich, independent city-states led the way in Italy, this was not the case in the north. Due in part to the plague and the Hundred Years War, northern Europe had strong centralized power structures in the form of monarchies. They didn’t have uppity city-states. Thus, it was mainly the kings and some nobles who were responsible for the Renaissance’s spread there, not wealthy patron families (although there were wealthy Flemish merchants who were patrons). It’s also more religious there. While the Italian Renaissance was not strictly secular, it was more so than the Northern flavor.

A big mover and shaker was France’s King Francis I, who reigned from 1515-1547. Francis became known as the Father and Restorer of Letters. He was quite the humanist. The two previous French kings had warred with (and therefore interacted with) Italy, but Francis was the first one to really embrace the new ideas.

He sponsored a lot of art, and even lured Leonardo de Vinci to France. It was near the end of de Vinci’s life and he wasn’t that productive, but he brought his stuff with him – including such pieces as the Mona Lisa, which is why France has it and not Italy. He was a great reader, a good poet, and greatly expanded the royal library. He even opened it up to all scholars. He did a lot with architecture.

The Chateau de Chambord

Chateau de St. Germain-en-Laye

Château de Fontainebleau

Rebuilt the Louvre

Art. https://www. youtube. com/watch. v=uF4zhg9lkxk Rick Steves Art Art https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uF4zhg9lkxk Rick Steves Art @41:00 History Art followed the Italian techniques and used a lot of perspective and realism. German Artists: Albrecht Durer- known for woodcuts; engravings; religious subjects and classical myths Hans Holbein the Younger- portrait painter in photographic detail (patrons included Henry VIII) Flemish Artists: Jan van Eyck- used oil paints/main layers, a technique still used today; use of realistic detail Pieter Breugel the Elder- known for realistic detail and portrayal of the individual even in large crowds; painted everyday scenes of life.

Albrecht Durer- Self Portrait

Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse

Hans Holbein (the Younger) The Ambassadors

Look at the detail: Sir Thomas More

Jan van Eyck The Ghent Altarpiece- A tryptic (3 panels)

The Arnolfini Wedding

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U38V_XwaRxM

Pieter Breugel the Elder Peasant Wedding

Tower of Babel

Fall of Icarus

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gZuI-dR9pfU at 21:30 Census at Bethlehem

Literature Writing also goes humanist, but, like with the rest, with a Christian bent, giving rise to Christian Humanism. Human freedom and individualism are compatible with Christianity. Human existence isn’t valued merely in itself. The main idea was to reform society Education was important- schools for boys and girls were founded

Christian Humanists -Erasmus (the “Father of Humanism”); wrote The Praise of Folly- pokes fun at corrupt priests and greedy merchants.

Christian Humanists Thomas More, author of Utopia- tried to portray a model society, free of greed and vice

Women’s Reforms Christine de Pizan called for women to be educated. Spoke out against different treatment for boys and girls

The Elizabethan Age mid-1500s England Named after the reign of Queen Elizabeth I (1558-1603) Patron who did much to support English art and literature

William Shakespeare Greatest playwright of all time Revered the classics and used them in his plots (ex: Julius Caesar) Cleverly revealed human nature in scenes of dramatic conflict by exposing the human flaw Macbeth, Hamlet, Romeo and Juliet, King Lear

Gutenberg and the printing press The printing press is one of the greatest inventions in history. It was invented by Johann Gutenberg in 1440 Previously, literary works had to be transcribed by hand, usually by monks. It was tedious, time-consuming work and made books very expensive. The printing press allowed works to be cheaply mass-produced. Suddenly the written word could be accessible to the masses. In three years, a monk could produce one Bible… Gutenberg, 180

The press actually derived from a modified olive press. It’s big thing was the durable types used and the ability to easily move around the letters. One of the first projects Gutenberg undertook was printing 200 copies of the Bible with 42 lines per page. Some were on vellum (calf skin). There are currently 11 complete copies on vellum and 48 relatively intact copies on paper. They can be sold for millions (but aren’t sold that often).

Legacy of the Renaissance 1.Changes in the Arts Imitated art techniques/styles from classical Greece and Rome Painting/sculptures become more realistic/lifelike Artists incorporate both religious and secular subjects into their work Writers write in the vernacular Arts once again praised individual achievement

Legacy of the Renaissance, continued 2. Changes in Society Impact of the printing press similar to modern day impact of the internet and world-wide web Published works of new discoveries, maps and charts led to further discoveries in a variety of fields Published laws and court records made the people much more aware of their rights Christian humanists attempted reforms in society People began to QUESTION political structures and religious practices