1. THE AGE OF ENLIGHTENMENT An Introduction to the Renaissance

2. BACKGROUND ► During the Middle Ages (3 rd -13 th Centuries) in Europe, art and learning were centered on the church and religion. ► Around the 14 th C. people became less interested in thinking about God, Heaven, and the Saints, and more interested in thinking about themselves, their surroundings, and their everyday lives. ► WHY?

3. WHY???? ► Famines ► The Hundred Years War ► The Plague ► People lost faith in their religious beliefs.

4. The “Rebirth” of What? ► Scholars started to revisit the “classics”. ► Think Greece and Rome. ► People begin to study the “classical view” of government, philosophy, and art. ► Remember the Crusades and the impression made by the Muslims and the Age of Exploration. ► As trade increases, wealth flows in to Europe and you have an explosion of the arts and architecture. ► WHY?

5. The Rise of Humanism ► The values and ideals popular during the European Renaissance can be described by the term secular humanism: secular, meaning not religious and humanism, meaning placing the study and progress of human nature at the center of interests.

6. Humanism Exemplified Through Art ► The rise of Humanism during the Renaissance can be seen in paintings created by Renaissance artists. ► We are going to learn how to tell the difference between paintings from the Renaissance and earlier works of art, just by looking for evidence in the paintings themselves.

7. INSTRUCTIONS ► students will look for specific clues to make judgments about whether a painting is a Renaissance painting or not.

8. Madonna and Child in Glory (Jacopo di Cione) ► What is the significance of the “halos”? ► Why are the individuals different sizes? ► Good example of Middle Ages Art.

9. Miraculous Mass of St. Martin of Tours (Franconian School) ► Compare the background to the painting that you just saw. ► The gold in the first painting represents heaven. ► What do you notice about the background of this picture?

10. Madonna and Child with St. John (Giuliano Bugiardini) ► Observations??? ► How does the background differ? ► The halos? ► Use of “oil” paints make paintings look more realistic.

11. Adoration of the Shepherds (Giovanni Agostino da Lodi) ► Compare to earlier paintings ► Similarities? ► Differences?

12. Adoration of the Magi (Kress Monogramist) ► Examine the buildings in the background very carefully. Do they look true to life? Why or why not? ► Can the students tell which figures are ordinary people in this painting and which are saints?

13. Bean Eater (Annibale Carracci) ► While religious subjects remained popular during the Renaissance, for the first time in art history ordinary people also became worthy subjects for works of art.

14. CONCLUSIONS ► Answers may vary…