Renaissance Art• Paintings,

Architecture, Sculpture, and Literature

Humanism• The study of classical works led to humanism,

which focused on human potential and achievements.

What does that mean?

Humanism is the belief that people are the most

important element in life. It replaced the medieval

idea that God was the most significant.

Medieval Art:•Subject often religious or

supernatural•Crudely drawn

•Little shadowing•Incorrect scale for bodies

•Looks flat, not three dimensional

The Beginning of Modern Painting – Four Major

Changes• Oil on

stretched canvas – this technique allowed painters to show textures and three dimensional forms more accurately.

• Perspective – Linear perspective used the vanishing point. (All lines appear to converge at one point.) It gives a painting depth. One trick used to accomplish this was blurring details as the object appeared further away.

The Beginning of Modern Painting – Four Major

Changes• The Use of Light

and Shadow – Using chiaroscuro (it means light/dark in Italian) artists could show more rounded shapes in painting.

• Pyramid Configuration – The focus of the painting in a chosen point. It is where the painting reaches a climax.

Raphael (1483- 1520) “School of Athens”

• Called to Rome by the Pope, Raphael finished painting rooms in the Vatican with the help of 50 students!

• This painting is an excellent example of linear perspective. You can see the depth.

• Plato, Socrates, and other characters are Greek/Roman.

Where’s Raphael?

Botticelli (1444-1510) “Birth Of Venus”

• Subject matter from classic Greek/Roman mythology.

• Girolamo Savonarola, the leader of Florence who was later executed, burned many of Botticelli’s other art for being “Unchristian.”

• She is being blown to shore by the Zephyrs.

Da Vinci (1452 – 1519) “Mona Lisa”

• It used to hang in Napoleon’s bedroom. When it visited Tokyo, viewers were allowed ten seconds to see it.

• Oil painting on wood.• The painting exhibits

perspective. All lines are drawn to a point behind Mona Lisa’s head.

• Excellent use of chiaroscuro. Colors blend into one another without outlines.

• Her hands are very realistic. Da Vinci dissected over 30 cadavers and studied many skeletons to perfect his talents.

• Why is she smiling like that?

Da Vinci – Musclesof neck and shoulders• Leonardo was very

interested in anatomy. His paintings looked realistic because he knew how all of the body’s muscles worked and moved.

• His sketches of the growth of the fetus in the womb were so accurate they could be used to teach medical students today.

Michelangelo (1475 – 1564) “Last Judgment”

• Finished 29 years after the Sistine Chapel ceiling, its mood is gloomy. The painting depicts over 400 figures fighting, struggling, and eventually falling into Hell.

• In his paintings, Michelangelo often used bodies rather than faces to express emotion.

Michelangelo’s David

The statue stands over 13 feet tall!

It is a sculpture of David right before he slays Goliath.

His stance is called “contraposto,” or leaning with more weight on one foot. It is a more natural pose.

The statue is carved from a single piece of marble.

It was displayed in public in Florence (a nude statue!) The hand was accidentally broken off when some construction workers were moving him to a museum.

• Rome - Renaissance architects tried to copy Roman style and proportion. They used ideas like the rounded arch and columns.

• Rules – Architects considered themselves scholars. They based their work on written theories.

• Reason – Reason replaced the mystical approach of the Middle Ages. Math, science, and engineering became the reasoning.

• ‘Rithmetic – A system of proportions related parts of a building to one another. The highest part of a church should be twice the width of the church. It became very pleasing to the eye.

Brunelleschi (1377 – 1446) Duomo of Florence

• Known as the father of modern engineering.

• He was a skilled goldsmith, sculptor, architect, clock maker, and mathematician. He invented linear perspective.

• He built the dome for the Florence Cathedral. It is made of two shells leaning against each other and held together by the lantern on the top.

• The dome is sometimes called the eighth wonder of the world.

• Climbing the

stairs…a bit

claustrophobic!

Video of the dome

Andrea Palladio (1508-1580) Villa Barbaro

• Well known for making villas and palaces.

• Strong Greek and Roman influence. You can see the arches and columns.

• Buildings were usually symmetrical. (Same distances on each side.)

Petrarch (1304-1374) – The First Modern Poet

• He is credited with making Italian a literary language.

• Best known for inventing the sonnet. Here is an excerpt from his most famous work:

“…and blessed be the first sweet agony I felt when I found myself bound to Love,the bow and all the arrows that have pierced me,the wounds that reach the bottom of my heart.”

Shakespeare (1564-1616) – Macbeth

• He is recognized as the greatest English writer.

• Wrote tragedies. comedies, histories, romances, and sonnets.

• Characters he created were often loved or hated because they were flawed (imperfect).

• Othello, Taming of the Shrew, Julius Casesar, Richard III, Macbeth, Midsummer Night’s Dream, Romeo & Juliet, Hamlet

http://www.shakespearesglobe.com/about-us/virtual-tour

A Virtual Tour of the Globe Theater

Audience members who watched Shakespearean plays from the floor were called “groundlings.”

Scuffles fights, and throwing rotten food by those who drank too much was not uncommon.

Oranges and other strong smelling citrus fruits were distributed so audience members could cover-up their smell.

On the day of a play, a flag would be flown from the tower of the theater.

“A fool thinks himself to be wise, but a wise man knows himself to be a fool.”illiam_shakespeare.html#gro6pkCrVlGyjFCM.99

The Globe Theater