The Italian Renaissance Duomo, by Brunelleschi Florence, Italy

The Italian Renaissance

Duomo, by BrunelleschiFlorence, Italy

Medieval Renaissance• Other worldly• Glory of God• Spiritual fulfillment• Rural• Retreat from world• Tradition • Static

• Enjoy the world• Glory of man• Self-fulfillment• Urban• Active citizenship• Curiosity• Dynamic (ever-

changing)

Switch in Emphasis

Where did it begin?• Italy – especially

Florence• Center of trade

between Muslims & Europeans– Vast wealth from

trade– Diffusion of ideas

from Muslims, Asians and Byzantines

Causes of the Renaissance

• Rise of Capitalism

• Rediscovery of Greece and Rome

• Urbanization • Atmosphere

of Political Violence

Machiavelli

A New Concept of Virtue

Power of the Church vs. Power of Rulers

Medieval Prince

• Christian ideals:–honesty–kindness–pious– courage– wisdom– justice

Machiavelli’s Prince

• Appear to be:– kind, just, religious,

merciful• BUT… if necessary, be

willing to:– use deceit– be cruel– lie, cheat, betray, kill

• Trust no one!

Quickwrite: Pick one of these Machiavellian quotes to write about. Describe what you think he is saying and then apply his

ideas to today. Do his words ring true? Explain.

• The end justifies the means!• Love is a bond men break if it is to their

advantage.• A prince (leader) must not mind if he is thought

cruel.• Men are ungrateful, fickle, liars and deceivers.• It is much safer to be feared than loved.

Spirit of the Renaissance


• Fascination with classic cultures

• Inquiry – time of seeking answers

• Secular - concerned with non-religious subjects

• Realism: of the human form• Interest in scholarship

(learning)


• Humanism–this world is important–emphasis on man–individualism–commitment to public service


• Universal Man–Belief in

human potential – idealism

–Can do many things and do them well

–Leonardo daVinci

Daily Life• 3 social classes

–Upper (2%) – merchants, bankers–Commercial (23%) – shopkeepers,

artisans–Lower – (75%) – laborers, farmers

• Only the upper class enjoyed the benefits of the Renaissance–Ruled by large families and guilds–Patrons paid for work of artisans

and scholars

Art in the Renaissance

School of Athens, Raphael

Counterpoint: Classical Art

Classical art often showed scenes of idealized bodies

that appeared to be in motion. Celebrated leaders,

gods and goddesses.

Discobolos, Myron; 4th B.C.E.

Procession of Alexander the Great

Counterpoint: Medieval Art

Bernardo Daddi (1290-ca. 1348)

Art of the Middle Ages was often flat, with a

disproportional rendition of the human form with elongated, narrow faces,

hands, and feet.

Hildegard van Bingen

Renaissance Art: Scientific precision

Duomo Firenze, Brunelleschi

Campidoglio Roma, Michelangeloda Vinci

Renaissance Art: Realism

Women’s Hands, da Vinci

Vitruvian Man, da Vinci

Renaissance Art: Proportion & Perspective

Cowper Madonna, Raphael

Cestello Annunciation, Botticelli

Renaissance Art: Secularism

Mona Lisa, da Vinci

Lady with Ermine, da Vinci

Renaissance Art: Classical References

The Birth of Venus, Botticelli

Selected Artists of the Renaissance

Renaissance Art: Selected Works

Raphael


Michelangelo


da Vinci

You Decide…Classical?Medieval?

Renaissance?

RenaissanceMadonna with Child and Two

Angels ~

Filippo Lippi (1406)

ClassicalBathing Venus

~ Unknown

(3rd B.C.E.)

RenaissanceTitian ~ Venus & Adonis

(1550 C.E.)

MedievalMadonna &

Child in Majesty

~ Cimabue (1280)

ClassicalGrave Stele of

Hegeso~

Unknown(400 B.C.E.)

Medieval ~ Bayeux TapestryUnknown(400 B.C.E.)

RenaissancePieta

~Michelangelo(1475 C.E.)

Documents

The Italian Renaissance Duomo, by Brunelleschi Florence, Italy