Renaissance Characteristics
He Renaissance it was as much a period of history as it was an art movement. It gradually developed in Italy during the 14th and 15th centuries and then spread throughout Europe.
Photo Pixabay
It ended at the end of the 16th century in the mannerist style. This period marked the end of the Middle Ages and the beginning of modern times.
The Renaissance was a period of time between the 14th and 17th centuries in Europe. This era served as a bridge between the Middle Ages and modern times.
coming out of the dark
The Middle Ages began with the fall of the Roman Empire. Many of the advances in science, art, and government that the Greeks and Romans had made were lost during this time.
Part of the Middle Ages is called the Dark Ages because much of what was learned before was lost.
The Renaissance was a time of «coming out of the dark.» It was a renaissance of education, science, art, literature, music, and a better life for people in general.
a cultural movement
A large part of the Renaissance was a cultural movement called humanism. Humanism was a philosophy that all people should strive to educate themselves and learn in the classical arts, literature, and science.
He was looking for realism and human emotion in art. He also said that it was okay for people to seek comfort, wealth, and beauty.
Back to Antiquity
European societies underwent great changes in the fifteenth century, as did art. In the 14th century, Italian artists began to revive the heritage of Greek and Roman antiquity.
For this reason, this period is called «Renaissance», a word that comes from the Italian Rinascita, which was first used in the 14th century.
The artistic production of the Middle Ages was extremely rich, but the Renaissance caused a great change in the way the world was represented.
This started with the Italian artist Giotto (circa 1266-1337). He had a profound influence on the painters of the 15th century. People rediscovered the art of the ancient Greeks and Romans. They became interested in Roman ruins, excavating and collecting objects from Antiquity.
Greek and Roman literature had already been studied in monasteries and by the medieval elite, who kept texts in the form of precious manuscripts.
But starting in the 15th century, the dissemination of this knowledge to a much wider public in Europe was made possible by the invention of the printing press.
People could re-read the old literature that dealt with human and intellectual values.
Humanism
A humanistic trend began to develop. While God was at the heart of medieval thought, the Renaissance made man the center of its concerns. People asked questions about the world around them.
Humanists were thinkers, writers, and scholars. They learned languages so they could accurately translate ancient texts.
They were passionate about Antiquity and wanted to change the position of man in society. In Holland, the thinker Erasmus (c. 1467-1536) recommended education and the reading of texts to develop a critical mind.
Humanists believed in God but criticized the Church’s influence on thought and the clergy’s abuse of power.
They believed that man was free and responsible. The German monk Luther (1483-1546) was against indulgences (pardons given to the faithful by the church in exchange for money).
He thought that only faith could ensure salvation. He wanted to reform religion and create the Protestant Church that did not recognize the authority of the Pope.
What does «Renaissance» mean?
Renaissance is a French word meaning «renaissance.» It refers to a period of European civilization that was characterized by a revival of classical learning and wisdom after a long period of cultural decline and stagnation.
The Renaissance saw a series of discoveries in many fields: new scientific laws, new forms of art and architecture, new religious and political ideas, and new lands, particularly America.
When did the Renaissance occur?
There is some debate about the actual start of the Renaissance. However, it is believed that it began in Italy in the 14th century, after the end of the Middle Ages, and reached its height in the 15th century. The Renaissance spread to the rest of Europe in the 16th and 17th centuries.
Who are some important people of the Renaissance?
Prominent figures of the time included the philosopher and statesman Niccolo Machiavelliknown for the political treatise The Prince.
Francis Bacon, a statesman and philosopher considered the master of the English language; astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus, who developed the theory that the solar system was centered on the Sun.
The poets Petrarch and Giovanni Boccaccio, who laid the foundations of Renaissance humanism; William Shakespeare, considered the greatest playwright of all time.
The astronomer and mathematician Galileo, who helped refute much of medieval thinking in science; and the explorers Christopher Columbus, Ferdinand Magellan and Hernán Cortés.
What is the art of the Renaissance?
One of the fields that embodied the Renaissance was art, especially painting and sculpture. Works from this period were inspired by classical Greek and Roman art and were known for their grace, harmony, and beauty.
The artists worked from the living model and perfected techniques such as the use of perspective.
Additionally, the Renaissance saw the refinement of media, especially oils. Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo and Raphael are considered the leading artists of the time.
What does «Renaissance man» mean?
The idea of a Renaissance man was developed in Italy and derived from Leon Battista Alberti’s idea that «a man can do all things if he wants to».
The ideal embodied the basic tenets of Renaissance humanism, which viewed man as the center of the universe and led to the belief that people should try to embrace all knowledge and develop their own abilities as fully as possible.
Leonardo da Vinci is a leading example of a Renaissance man, known for his achievements in art, science, music, invention, and writing.
Florence in the early Renaissance
The Renaissance really begins in the early years of the fifteenth century in Florence. In this period, which we call the early Renaissance, Florence is not a city in the unified country of Italy, as it is now.
Instead, Italy was divided into many city-states (Florence, Milan, Venice, etc.), each with their own government (some ruled by despots and some by republics).
The Florentine Republic
We normally think of a Republic as a government where everyone votes for representatives who will represent their interests to the government (think of the United States’ pledge of allegiance): «and to the republic it represents…»).
However, Florence was a Republic in the sense that there was a constitution that limited the power of the nobility (as well as the workers) and ensured that no one person or group could have complete political control (so it was far from our ideal). that everyone voted, in fact a very small percentage of the population had the vote).
Political power resided in the hands of middle-class merchants, some wealthy families (such as the Medici, important art patrons who would later rule Florence), and powerful guilds.
Why did the Renaissance start in Florence?
There are several answers to that question: Extraordinary wealth accumulated in Florence during this period among a growing middle and upper class of merchants and bankers.
With the accumulation of wealth often comes a desire to use it to enjoy the pleasures of life and not an exclusive focus on the afterlife.
Florence saw itself as the ideal city-state, a place where the freedom of the individual was guaranteed and where many citizens had the right to participate in government (this must have been very different from living in the Duchy of Milan, for example). , which was ruled by a succession of Dukes with absolute power).
In 1400, Florence got into a fight with the Duke of Milan. The Florentine people feared the loss of freedom and respect for individuals that was the pride of their Republic.
Renaissance Characteristics
«The demand for perfect reproductions of texts and the renewed interest in studying them contributed to one of the greatest discoveries in all of human history: movable type printing.
For me this is the easiest and the greatest development of the Renaissance and allowed the development of modern culture.»
The printing press was developed in Europe by Johannes Gutenberg in 1440.
It allowed Bibles, secular books, printed music, and more to be made in large numbers and to reach more people.
intellectual movement
Wilde said that one of the most significant changes that occurred during the Renaissance was the «evolution of Renaissance humanism as a method of thought… This new outlook underpinned much of the world then and now.»
Wilde described Renaissance humanism as «man’s attempts to dominate nature rather than develop religious piety».
Renaissance humanism drew on classical Greek and Roman texts to change contemporary thinking, allowing for a new mindset after the Middle Ages.
Renaissance readers understood these classic texts to focus on human decisions, actions, and creations, rather than unquestioningly following the rules established by the Catholic Church as «God’s plan.»
Although many Renaissance humanists remained religious, they believed that God gave humans opportunities and that it was humanity’s duty to do what was best and most moral.
Renaissance humanism was an «ethical theory and practice that emphasized reason, scientific inquiry, and human fulfillment in the natural world.»
Art
The artists were inspired by Greek and Roman sculpture, painting, and decorative arts, and also because their techniques were intertwined with the humanistic philosophy of the Renaissance.
Both classical and renaissance art focus on human beauty and nature. People, even when working on religious works, were depicted as living life and showing emotion.
Perspective and light and shadow techniques improved and the paintings appeared more three-dimensional and realistic.
Patrons made it possible for successful Renaissance artists to work and develop new techniques.
The Catholic Church commissioned most works of art during the Middle Ages, and although it continued to do so during the Renaissance, wealthy individuals also became important patrons.
The most famous patrons were the Medici of Florence, who supported the arts for much of the 15th and 16th centuries. The Medici family supported artists such as Michelangelo, Botticelli, Leonardo da Vinci and…