The Renaissance in Europe 1350-1600

1. The Renaissance in Europe1350-1600 Chapter 15 Page 287 in the textbook

2. Introduction • The Renaissance was a a time of creativity, interest in learning, and a desire to explore the human experience. • Sparked by renewed interest in the culture of ancient Rome, the Renaissance began in the independent and prosperous cities of Italy. • At the heart of the Renaissance was a set of ideas known as humanism.

3. Lesson 1: The Italian States

4. Bellringer • The city of Florence was known for its wealth, its beauty, and creative geniuses that worked there. Discuss with your partner: • What cities today are known as centers of arts and literature? • Why do many artists and writers move to cities?

5. Guiding Question: Why did the Renaissance begin in Italy?

6. 1. Renewed interest in Ancient Rome • The Renaissance was marked by a new interest in the culture of ancient Rome. • Because Italy had been the center of the Roman Empire, it was the logical place for the rebirth to begin. • Architectural remains, statues, coins, and inscriptions, were all visible reminders of Roman achievement.

7. 2. Cities • Italy’s cities survived the Middle Ages • In the north, city-states like Florence, Milan, Venice and Genoa grew into centers of trade and manufacturing. • Rome and Naples, along with a number of smaller city states, also contributed to the cultural revival. • Thriving cities meant opportunities for education, scientific pursuits, and even…arts and leisure.

8. City States of Renaissance Italy

9. Florence, perhaps more than any other city, came to symbolize the energy and brilliance of the Italian Renaissance.

10. Florence • Like the ancient city of Athens, Florence produced a dazzling number of gifted poets, artists, architects, scholars, and scientists in a short span of time.

11. Venice • Venice is a city in northeastern Italy sited on a group of 118 small islands separated by canals and linked by bridges

12. Satellite image of Venice, circa 2009.

13. Venice Gondoliers, the Rialto bridge and the Grand Canal Venice was a very important center of commerce (especially silk, grain, and spice) and art in the 13th century up to the end of the 17th century.

14. Merchants of Venice

15. St Mark's Basilica

16. 3. Patronage • A wealthy and powerful merchant class in these city-states further promoted cultural rebirth. • A merchant is a businessperson whotrades in commodities produced by others, in order to earn a profit. • What kinds of commodities do you think merchants were dealing in the Renaissance?

17. The Merchant Hans Holbein the younger(German)Date: 1532

18. Merchants • Many Renaissance merchants were very wealthy. • They held political power as well. • Their attitudes and interests helped shape the Renaissance. • They stressed education and individual achievement. • They also spent lavishly to support the arts. • This is what we refer to as patronage

19. Bellringer 1. Why did the Renaissance begin in Italy? 2. What role did merchants play in the Renaissance? *Discuss with a partner, prepare to present your response to the class.

20. The Medicis • In the 1400’s, the Medici family of Florence organized a successful banking business. • Before long, the family expanded into wool manufacturing, mining, and other ventures. • The Medicis ranked among the wealthiest merchants and bankers in Europe.

21. The Medicis • Cosimo de Medici gained control over the Florentine government in 1434, and the family continuted as uncrowned rulers of the city for many years. • Cosimo de Medici The coat of arms of the Medici family

22. Lorenzo de Medici • Cosimo’s grandson Lorenzo de Medici, known as “the magnificent”, represented the Renaissance ideal. • Generous patron of the arts

23. Under Lorenzo, poets and philosophers frequently visited the Medici Palace. • Artists learned their craft by sketching ancient Roman statues displayed in the Medici gardens.

24. Medici Palace • The palace was designed by MichelozzodiBartolomeofor Cosimo de Medici, and was built between 1445 and 1460. It was well known for its stone masonry. • What stands out to you about the architectural design of this building? • What do you think is contained inside?

25. The fifteen-year-old boy of noble birth, Galeazzo Maria Sforza, was entertained in Florence in April 1459, and left a letter describing the Medici Palace • “…Decorated on every side with gold and fine marbles, with carvings and sculptures in relief, with pictures and inlays done in perspective by the most accomplished and perfect of masters even in the very benches and floors of the house; tapestries and household ornaments of gold and silk, silverware and bookcases that are endless... then a garden done in the finest of polished marbles, with diverse plants, which seems a thing not natural but painted."

26. Palace Interiors

27. What was the Renaissance?

28. 1. A New World View • Unlike medieval scholars who focused on life after death, Renaissance thinkers explored the richness of the “here and now”. • They were humanists. • New emphasis on individual achievement. • The Renaissance ideal was the person with talent in many fields.

29. Humanism • Humanists studied grammar, rhetoric, poetry, science, philosophy, architecture and a variety of other fields. • Leonardo Da Vinci was seen by those around him as a model of the humanist ideal.

30. 2. Humanism • Humanists believed that it was love of learning that made men and women truly human. One phrased it this way: • “To each species of creature has been allotted a particular and instructive gift. Galloping comes naturally to horses, flying to birds. To man only is given the desire to learn…..For learning and virtue are particular to man.”

31. Review Questions From This Week • What were the conditions that were present in Italy in the late 14c and early 15c that encouraged the beginning of the Renaissance? • Why was Florence at the heart of the Italian Renaissance? • What role did the Medici family play in Renaissance Florence? • What were the characteristics of humanism? How was it different from medieval thought?

32. 3. A Spirit of Adventure • The Renaissance supported a spirit of adventure and a curiosity that led people to explore new worlds. • Christopher Columbus, Italian navigator who sailed to the Americas in 1492, represented that spirit. • So did Nicolaus Copernicus, a Polish scientist who revolutionized the way that people viewed the universe. • Writers such as William Shakespeare were eager to experiment with new forms, and were also products of that adventurous spirit.

33. Medieval World Maps

34. Renaissance Era World Map

35. 4. A Golden Age in the Arts • Renaissance ideas were most gloriously expressed in its paintings, sculpture, and architecture. • Wealthy patrons played a major role in this artistic growth. • Popes, Princes, and wealthy merchants supported the work of hundreds of artists.

36. New Techniques • Roman sculpture had been very realistic, but painting still lacked depth. • Renaissance artists learned the rules of perspective.

37. Perspective • By making distant objects smaller than those close to the viewer, artists could paint scenes that appeared three-dimensional. This technique is called foreshortening.

38. Medieval Art • Medieval art lacked the depth and realism that Renaissance was about to achieve.

39. Early attempt at Perspective (fail!) • This 15th century French painting is clearly a general attempt at foreshortening, but it was unsuccessful.

40. Perspective • To add three-dimensional depth and space to their work, Renaissance artists rediscovered and greatly expanded on three important ideas: 1. linear perspective 2. horizon line 3. vanishing point

41. Linear Perspective • Creating a painting with linear perspective is like looking through a window and painting exactly what you see on the window pane. • Instead of every object in the picture being the same size, objects that were further away would be smaller, while those closer to you would be larger.

42. Horizon Line • The horizon line is a theoretical line that represents the eye level of the observer. • The horizon line is the same as the horizon (the edge of the land against the sky) only on a large flat plane like the ocean. • Most of the time geographic features (hills) and other objects (trees and buildings) make the horizon above the horizon line.

43. Vanishing Point • The vanishing point is the point at which parallel lines appear to converge far in the distance, often on the horizon line. • This is the effect you can see when standing on railroad tracks and looking at the tracks recede into the distance.

44. Bellringer • What new techniques were developed in Renaissance painting? • What effect did these techniques have on Renaissance art?

45. Examples of Renaissance Perspective • Masolino, ‘St. Peter Healing a Cripple and the Raising of Tabitha’ (1425).

46. ‘The Disputation of St Stephen’ by Carpaccio (1514)

47. ‘The School of Athens’ by Raphael (1518)

48. Three Geniuses of Renaissance Art • Renaissance Florence was home to many outstanding painters and sculptors. • The three most celebrated Florentine masters were Leonardo Da Vinci, Michelangelo, and Raphael.

49. Leonardo • Born in 1452, Florence • Exploring mind and endless curiosity • Genius for invention • Made endless sketches from nature and from his mind • Dissected corpses to learn how bones and muscles work

50. Leonardo • Leonardo saw himself as an artist, but his talents ranged over many areas. • His interests extended to botany, anatomy, optics, music, architecture, and engineering. • He made sketches for flying machines and undersea boats centuries before the first airplane or submarine was actually built.