1. Renaissance Art

2. Characteristics of the Renaissance
Humanism
Individualism
Questioning Attitude / Critical thinking
Interest in Secular, or non-religious, worldly matters
Rise of the middle class (merchants)
Great achievements in the arts

3. Medieval Art Artists depicted subjects in an unrealistic 2D style
Some of the great art work was in the stain glass windows, but again, 2D.

4. Characteristics of Renaissance Art
Three Dimensional (3-D)
Realistic & Lifelike
Influenced by Greco-Roman culture; its forms and its themes (i.e. beauty of the human body)
New mediums: Oil on canvas
And old: Frescos
The importance of religion in art

5. Leonardo Da Vinci One of the greatest artists and inventors
The Last Supper, Mona Lisa

6. Michelangelo
The Last Judgment

7. Michelangelo
David

8. Donatello
David

9. Raphael
Madonnas

10. Raphael
School of Athens

11. Albretch Durer
Adoration of the Magi

12. Jan van Eyck
Giovanni Arnolfini and Bride

13. St. Peter’s Cathedral in the Vatican
Michelangelo
(also painted the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel and Moses)

14. The Renaissance Moves North
Because of the plague, it was not until 1450 that northern Europe enjoyed the economic growth that helped support the Renaissance in Italy.
Northern artists and writers imitated Italian styles while adding new methods and ideas of their own.
As a result of the printing press, books became more available and people became more literate.

15. Renaissance Writers
Began to use the vernacular instead of classical Latin.
(vernacular = the native language)

16. Humanism
Humanism is the idea that is focused on human achievements and potential rather than religious themes.
Focused on the man and his world.
(The importance of man)
Concentrated on everyday human problems and relationships.
Humanists focus on reality and the world around them (How man relates, pleasure, passion) rather than morality.)

17. Humanism Cont.
The secular nature of humanism, as well as it’s questioning attitude, often brought it into conflict with the traditional teachings of the Catholic Church and Medieval thinking.
It revolves around the study of the Liberal Arts: Grammar and Rhetoric, Poetry, History, and Ethics.

18. Humanism in Northern Europe
Northern Humanists stressed education and classical learning, however, unlike the Italian humanists, they emphasized religious themes.
They believed that the revival should be used to bring about religious and moral reform.

19. Petrarch Considered the Father of Humanism.
Believed God had given man his intellect and potential to be used to the fullest.
Wrote poetry in Italian and enumerable works in Latin on different subjects, but is best known for his Letters, which fill two volumes.

20. William Shakespeare Hamlet Taming of the Shrew A Midsummer’s Night
Dream
Romeo and Juliet
MacBeth

21. Shakespeare The best known Renaissance writer was William Shakespeare.
Between 1590 and 1613 he wrote 37 plays that are still performed around the world.

22. Dante The Divine Comedy
tells the story of a man’s journey through heaven and hell.

23. Geoffrey Chaucer The Canterbury Tales
Series of stories depicting the lives of whole social spectrum on a pilgrimage to the shrine of Beckett at the Canterbury Cathedral in England

24. Boccaccio
Decameron
Written in 1353, it is a collection of novellas (stories) that demonstrate life in the time and portrays many of the Renaissance attitudes.

25. Erasmus The Handbook of the Christian Knight
A work of a Christian Humanist, The Handbook speaks clearly and logically to Christian concerning how their secular lives should reflect their spiritual life

26. Erasmus In Praise of Folly
Book in which Erasmus criticizes the areas of society that were in most need of reform, such as monasteries and church corruption.

27. Machiavelli The Prince
First work of political science, instruction manual for the Prince to do what is necessary to stay in power and stability.

28. Machiavelli Machiavelli was a political philosopher.
The Prince advised kings how to rule.
In Machiavelli way of thinking: The end justifies the means.

29. Thomas More
Utopia
a work of fiction, tells the story of a land that is almost perfect in every way and serves as an example of what the world should be.

30. The Printing Revolution
In 1456, Johann Gutenberg printed the Bible using movable metal type on a machine called a printing press.
Printed books became cheap and easier to produce that hand copies.
Now, readers gained access to broad range of knowledge. (Medicine to Religion)
The printing press would greatly contribute to the Protestant Reformation.