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
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)
Spirit of the Renaissance
• Humanism–this world is important–emphasis on man–individualism–commitment to public service
Spirit of the Renaissance
• 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
Renaissance Art: Selected Works
Michelangelo
Renaissance Art: Selected Works
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.)