module 4 - renaissance

• Renaissance


  • Promoted the rediscovery of classical philosophy, literature and art
  • Bridged the gap between the Middle Ages and modern-day civilization
• The Renaissance is credited with bridging the gap between the Middle Ages and modern-day civilization
• The Renaissance began in Italy in the mid 1300s and spread north throughout the rest of Europe
• Florence, Italy


  • Birthplace of the Renaissance
• Florence was the birthplace of the Renaissance for many reasons, including that Italy was the center of ancient Roman history
• Renaissance


  French for "rebirth", characterized by a revival of classical art, literature, philosophy, architecture, and an emphasis on humanism
• The Renaissance overlapped the Age of Discovery and advancements in science, thus making science a legitimate source of knowledge
• The Middle Ages and Renaissance (c.400-c.1550) witnessed the replacement of the Roman Empire by Barbarian kingdoms, the conversion of northern and eastern Europe to Christianity, the origin and development of nation states and governmental bureaucracies, and the eventual collapse of the religious unity of Christendom with the Reformation
• Renaissance


  • Cultural movement that started in Italy in the Late Medieval period and later spread to the rest of Europe, marking the beginning of the Early Modern Age
• Humanism

  Belief that one could realize his or her full humanity only through classical education, reasserting the superiority of ancient Greco-Roman creative and intellectual contributions
• From the early 15th to the early 17th century, Europeans embarked on maritime explorations around the world to satisfy their desire for foreign goods and to achieve geopolitical dominance
• Scientific innovations assisted the Renaissance Age of Exploration, such as improved ship design and navigational charts and instruments
• During the Renaissance Era, the Roman Catholic Church faced numerous dissenters to its authority, including the Protestant Reformation which challenged the doctrine of papal infallibility and rejected the Catholic Church as a necessary intermediary between the faithful and God
• The Renaissance Period was a busy time of exploration and cultural exchange that resulted from vast improvements in trade and communication, allowing spices, precious gems, and fine silk to arrive from Asia
• The beauty, color, and luster of Islamic glass and pottery inspired Italian glassmakers
• Florence as an ideal city state


  • Extraordinary wealth accumulated among a growing middle and upper class of merchants and bankers
  • Freedom of the individual was guaranteed, and many citizens had the right to participate in the government
  • Florentine people feared the loss of liberty and respect for individuals, and interpreted military "victories" as signs of God's favor and protection
• Why Florence was considered as an ideal city state

  Florentine people were very proud of their form of government in the early 15th century, as a republic that respected the opinions of individuals and promoted individualism which was important for Renaissance Humanism
• Medici Family


  • Italian bourgeois family that ruled Florence and Tuscany during most of the period from 1434 to 1737
  • Attained wealth and political power in Florence in the 13th century through success in commerce and banking
  • Supported the arts and humanities, making Florence the cradle of the Renaissance
  • Produced four popes and their genes have been mixed into many of Europe's royal families
• The Medici family brought stability and peace to the city of Florence, which was crucial for the cultural flourishing in the city in the fifteenth century
• The Medici family was very instrumental in the growing interest in Greek culture and history
• Renaissance Humanism

  • Intellectual movement typified by a revived interest in the classical world and studies which focused not on religion but on what it is to be human
  • Believed in the importance of an education in classical literature and the promotion of civic virtue, realizing a person's full potential for their own good and for the good of society
• Main elements of Renaissance Humanism

  • Interest in studying literature and art from antiquity
  • Interest in the eloquent use of Latin and philology
  • Belief in the importance and power of education to create useful citizens
  • Promotion of private and civic virtue
  • Rejection of scholasticism
  • Encouragement of non-religious studies
• Discuss the impact of the Medici Family in the Renaissance period

  The Medici family did much to influence the Renaissance and enable great artists, humanists, and writers to produce influential works, brought stability and peace to Florence which was crucial for cultural flourishing, and was instrumental in the growing interest in Greek culture and history
• Renaissance Humanism


  An intellectual movement typified by a revived interest in the classical world and studies which focused not on religion but on what it is to be human
• Main elements of Renaissance humanism

  • Interest in studying literature and art from antiquity
  • Interest in the eloquent use of Latin and philology
  • Belief in the importance and power of education to create useful citizens
  • Promotion of private and civic virtue
  • Rejection of scholasticism
  • Encouragement of non-religious studies
  • Emphasis on the individual and their moral autonomy
  • Belief in the importance of observation, critical analysis, and creativity
  • Belief that poets, writers, and artists can lead humanity to a better way of living
  • Interest in the question 'what does it mean to be human'?
• Francesco Petrarch


  An Italian scholar and poet during the Renaissance period, and one of the earliest Humanists
• Petrarch studied law but was primarily interested in writing and Latin literature
• Petrarch traveled widely in Europe, served as an ambassador, and has been called "the first tourist" because he traveled just for pleasure
• Petrarch's works helped inspire some of the core tenets of the Renaissance, including his deep appreciation of Classical knowledge, emphasis on human rationalism and critical thinking, and tendency to challenge the medieval traditions of the Catholic Church
• In 1341, Petrarch became the first person to receive the title of poet laureate, or official state poet, of Rome since the Roman Empire
• Giovanni Boccaccio

  An Italian poet, writer, and scholar and correspondent of Petrarch, and an important Renaissance humanist
• Decameron

  A collection of tales Boccaccio compiled between 1348 and 1353 CE, in which ten young upper-class people are trying to escape the Black Death plague which has caused such chaos and disaster in their home city of Florence
• Boccaccio: 'A famous and lengthy description of the symptoms and social consequences of the Black Death plague'
• The group of characters in the Decameron, made up of seven women and three men, travel to the safety of a secluded villa in the Tuscan town of Fiesole and each member is allowed to become king or queen for a day and dictate how the others will spend their leisure time that day
• The Decameron became the standard against which all subsequent prose literature in Italy and abroad was judged, though it was criticized by some as too vulgar and was put on the Catholic Church's list of forbidden books in the mid-16th century CE
• Boccaccio was never married but was a father to three children, and passed away on December 21, 1375
• Renaissance Art


  Many works depicted religious images, but were viewed as devotional objects rather than great works of art at the time; Renaissance artists came from all strata of society and worked on commission as steady and reliable professionals
• Leonardo da Vinci


  An Italian painter, draftsman, sculptor, architect, and engineer whose genius epitomized the Renaissance humanist ideal
• The Last Supper


  Leonardo's visual interpretation of an event chronicled in the Gospels, depicting the evening before Christ was betrayed by one of his disciples

  
• Mona Lisa


  A half-length portrait of a woman painted by Leonardo sometime between 1503 and 1519, whose mysterious smile and unproven identity have made the painting a source of ongoing investigation and fascination