1) Renaissance, Italy City States, Humanism, Renaissance Art

Humanism beyond Petrarch

Renaissance humanist scholarship branched out in numerous directions Some writers strove to describe the ideal man of the age In Castiglione's The Courtier such a person would know several languages, be familiar with classical literature, and would also be skilled in the arts - nowadays the term is a Renaissance man Other contributions were made in the field of critical textual analyisn Lorenzo Valla was a big name in this. Working in libraries, he saw that language could tell a story on his own In 1440, he proved that the Donation of Constantine(a book in which Constantine, the first Christian Emperer, turned over the Western half of his empire to the papacy Vallo a noticed the word "fief" was used a word that was not in use until the 8th century 400 years of Constantine's death In another work that influenced humanists in Northern Europe, Valla took his critical techniques to the Vulgate Bible,the standard Latin Bible of the Middle Ages and showed that;s its author, Jerome has mistranslated a number of critical passages from the Greek sources

Leonardo da Vinci

Was a renaissance man (talented and a professional in a wide range of areas) A military engineer , an architect , a sculpture, a scientist and an inventor whose sketchbooks showed remarkable designs for submarines and helicopters He was most prominently know for being an artist (Mona Lisa)

Medici Republic

One of the more notorious families, the Medici used the wealth gained from banking to establish themselves first as the behind the scenes rulers of the Florentine republic and later the hereditary dukes of the city (first half of the 15th century

Civic humanists

Petrarch's works served as strong inspiration to a group of young wealth Florentines known as "civic humanists" They viewed Cierco's involvement in politics as a justification to use their own classical education for the public good They did this by serving as diplomats, working in the chancellery office. They went beyond Petrarch's achievements and learned classical Greek

End of High Renaissance

The High Renaissance lasted until about 1520 when the art took a different direction This direction was referred to as the Late Renaissance or Mannerism where art showed distorted figures and confusing themes to reflect the growing sense of crisis in Itlay due to religious and social conflict

Intro to the Renaissance

15th and 16th century intellectuals and artists believed that they were part of a new golden age. George Vasari, a 16th century painter, architect and writer used the italian word for rebirth to describe the era in which he lived

Petrarch critics

Although his contemporaries accuses him of turning to the pagan culture of ancient Greece and Rome, Petrarch despite his fascination with classical culture did not reject christinity He contended that classical literature, though clearly written by pagans,contained lessons that were applicable to his own Christian age

Cierco

Cicero was an important politician and writer whose writings provide an account of the collapse of the Roman Republic Cicero was a brilliant Latin stylist. To write in the Cicero style became a goal for Petrarch and the other humanists after him

Franceso Petrarch

Franceso Petrarch (1300-1374) is often considered the father of humanism. He became dissatisfied with his career as a lawyer and set out to study literary classics He coined the phrase "Dark Ages" (400-900) to describe the what he thought was the cultural decline that took place following the collapse of the Roman world in the 5th century He was literate in medieval latin and learned classic latin as preparation for his study of important literary works He sought classic texts that had been largely unknown during the Middle Ages, a taks that would become very important in the Renaissance

Geography in the Renaissance

Geography also played a large rolle in the cultural life of the Renaissance Italy central location in the Mediterran was perfect for creating links between the Greek culture of the East and the Latin Culture of the west Additionally, southern italy had been home to many greek colonies and later served as the center for the roman empire (essentilly classic civilization had never totally disappeared from the Italy, even after the fall of the Roman empire)

Petrarch's reading of classic texts f

He sought classic texts that had been largely unknown during the Middle Ages, a taks that would become very important in the RenaissanceAt the time, it was common to become acquainted these works by reading secondhand accounts and critiques and not the works themselves Petrarch ignored this and sought out the original manuscripts, he found himself well acquainted with Cierco

Ciompi Revolt

In Florence in 1378, the popolo expressed their dissatisfaction with the political and economic order by staging a violent struggle against the government that became known as the Ciompi Revolt rebellion among unrepresented labourers Those who revolted consisted of artisans, labourers, and craftsmen who did not belong to any guilds and were therefore unable to participate in the Florentine government. They were expected to pay heavy taxes which they could not afford, forcing some to abandon their homes.[4]:108 The resulting insurrection over such tensions led to the creation of a government composed of wool workers and other disenfranchised workers which lasted for three and a half years.[1]:201

The economy of the Renaissance

In addition to all the external and internal city state conflicts that may have created the energy so crucial to the Renaissance was the economic factors The Italian city states were generally more economically vibrant than the rest of Western Europe Merchants carried Italian wool and slik to every part of the continent and Italian bankers provided loans for many money hungry Europe monarchs Wealthy Italian merchants became important patrons of the arts and insisted on the development of secular art forms such as portraiture that would represent them and their accumulated wealth to the greatest effect.

Humanism intro

Is a heavily debated term among historians Most claim that is not the representation of a particular viewpoint but rather a program of study based on what students studied in the classical world( 500 BCE to 500 CE) a Renaissance cultural movement which turned away from medieval scholasticism and revived interest in ancient Greek and Roman thought. Humanism is a philosophical stance that emphasizes the value and agency of human beings, individually and collectively.

Intro to Renaissance Art

It is arguably in the area of fine arts that the Renaissance made it;s notable construction to Western culture A number of factors drove Renaissance Art Reflecting the European shift to individualism the Renaissance Artists were now important individuals in their own right Unlike in the Middle Ages, they toiled as anonymous craftsmen These artist sought money and prestige by competing for the patronage (sponsorship) of secular individuals such as merchant and bankers who wanted to sponsor art that would glorify their ehcineent

Michelangelo

Like Leonardo, was skilled in numerous areas His masterpiece sculpture Daivd was commissioned by his home city Florence Was a propaganda work to inspire citizens in their long struggle against the overwhelming might of Milan Four different popes commissioned work from him, most notably the warlike Julius II who gave Michelangelo the tasks of creating his tomb Also commissioned him for the Sistine Chapel Lived a very long life and witnessed the changes from the harmony and grace of the High Renaissance to the tormented style of the Late Renaissance, as seen in his final work the Final Judgement

Individualism

Our modern notion of individualism was also born during the Renaissance, as people began to seek personal credit for their achievements instead of the medieval ideal of all glory going to God.

Renaissance overview

Regardless, the Renaissance was a time in which significant contributions to the Western civilization, with important gains in literature, art, philosophy and political and historical thought. These intellectual and artistic developments first took place in the vibrant world of the Italian city-states.

Italian city-states

The city states of the Renaissance Italy were at the center of Europe's economic, political and cultural life throughout of the 14th and the 15th centuries During the Middle Ages, the towns of northern Italy were nominally under the control of the Holy Roman empire residents were however free to decide their own fate resulting in a tremendously vibrant and sometimes violent political existence Some examples are Florence, Milan, Venice, Naples, and Rome.

High Renaissance

The end of the 15th century marked the beginning of the movement called the High Renaissance During this time, the center of the Renaissance moved from Florence to Rome Florence had suffered a religious backlash against the realistic new style of art. While in Rome, a series of popes were greatly interested in the arts and sought to beautify their city and palaces During the Early Renaissance, theories on art were developed, new advancements in painting and architecture were made, and the style was defined. The High Renaissance denotes a period that is seen as the culmination of the Renaissance period. In high renaissance there is less usage of religious figures and there is no more use of the halo around Jesus' head. They create art to look more real, they have strong interest in anatomy. Early renaissance art they were more interested in idealism along with naturalism.

External conflict italy city states

The internal tension in these city states were paralleled by external conflicts as well The assorted city states were engaged in long term warfare among themselves. These war were so large and effective that narrowed the numerous city states of the medieval age to just a few dominant states Florence, Milan and Venice in the north, the papal states in central Italy, and the Kingdom in Naples in southern Italy

Class conflicts in city states

The old nobility whose wealth was based on land ownership often conflicted with the new class of merchant families who had become wealthy during the 12th and 13th century economic boom Both groups had to also contend with an urban underclass, known as the popolo or "the people" who wanted their own share of the wealth and political power

Ciompi Revolt Affects

The revolt shook Florence to it's core and resulted in a brief period in which the popolo established a tenuous control of the government This struggle was paralleled in other city states throughout Italy In Milan, the resulting social tensions led to the rise of a tyranny or a signor and the city was eventually dominated by the family of a mercenary named Sfrorza (following the extinction of the Visconti family in the mid-15th century,) Florence and Venice remained republics after the revolt, but a few wealthy families dominated them.

Artistic changes during the Renaissance

These patrons deemed realistic paintings which was helped by the development for new artistic techniques In the Middle Ages, fresco on wet plaster and tempera on wood was the main In the 15th century, oil paintings became to dominate and the use of chiaroscuro(the use of contrasts between light and dark was employed as well) One of the most important developments was the discovery of a single point perspective where all elements within a painting converge to one single point

Renaissance presumed roots

Vasari and other intellectuals and artists believed that they owed nothing of their accomplishments to the barbaric Middle Ages but only to the glories of the Greek and Roman world. This was clearly false.

Raphael

Was a kind individual who was strangely not despised by his contemporaries. Came from the beautiful Renaissance city of Urbino and died at the early age of 37 Was given some very important commission in the Vatican places Had wonderful images of Jesus and Mary, known for the School of Athens - pictures Plato and Aristotle standing together Uses the deep single point perspective characteristic of the High Renaissance style

Mannerism

Where High Renaissance art emphasizes proportion, balance, and ideal beauty, Mannerism exaggerates such qualities, often resulting in compositions that are asymmetrical or unnaturally elegant.[4] The style is notable for its intellectual sophistication as well as its artificial (as opposed to naturalistic) qualities.[5] This artistic style privileges compositional tension and instability rather than the balance and clarity of earlier Renaissance painting.

The effect on women

Women were also affected by the Humanist teachings. Throughout the Middle Ages, there were women, often attached to nunneries, who had learned to read and write. During the renaissance, an increasing number of wealthy secular women picked up these skills The humanist Leonardo Bruni, even went as far as to create an educational progam for women, but tellingingly left out rhetoric and public speech in his curriculum These were critical parts of the male education, but women had no outlet to make use of these skills