Chapter 11
THE RENAISSANCE
CHARACTERISTICS OF THE RENAISSANCE
WHAT IS THE RENAISSANCE?
The Renaissance is the period of change in
Europe from the fourteenth century through the
sixteenth.
 The foundation for the Renaissance was laid in
the Middle Ages.
 Renaissance means “rebirth.”
 What do you think was “reborn?”

HOW IS THE RENAISSANCE DIFFERENT FROM
THE MEDIEVAL ERA?
MIDDLE AGES
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concerned with afterlife
(future)
unconcerned with the
“dusty” past
emphasized the importance
of the group
RENAISSANCE
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zeal for living in the present
gloried in the past
emphasized human
individuality, ability, and
dignity
DIFFERENCES IN PERSPECTIVE
HUMANISM
Renewed focus on man’s capacities, but did
not abandon belief in God.
 Its overemphasis on human worth and ability
leads man to glorify himself instead of God.
 Humanism put too much emphasis on human
ability and led to the idea that man is basically
good.

MAN IS FALLIBLE.
Romans 3:23-24
 …for all have sinned and fall short of
the glory of God, and all are justified
freely by his grace through the
redemption that came by Christ
Jesus.
ALL GOOD THINGS COME FROM GOD.
James 1:17
Every good and perfect gift is from
above, coming down from the Father
of the heavenly lights…
GOD GAVE MAN DOMINION.
Psalm 8:3-6,9
When I consider they heavens, the work of thy
fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou has
ordained; what is man, that thou art mindful of
him? And the son of man, that thou visitest
him? For thou has made him a little lower than
the angels, and hast crowned him with glory
and honour. Thou madest him to have dominion
over the works of thy hands: thou hast put all
things under his feet…O Lord our Lord, how
excellent is they name in all the earth!
REVIVAL OF LEARNING

Need for a well-rounded education
 Renewed
business activity
 Business contracts/legal documents
 Search for classical literature

Humanities/Liberal Arts – history, science, grammar,
literature, philosophy
 Prepared for life in the secular world rather than
the church

Humanists believed they could reshaped their
own age according to classical values.
REVIVAL OF LEARNING
The ideal Renaissance Man was a well-rounded
individual, knowledgeable and skilled in many
fields.
 The humanities were characterized by
questioning instead of passive acceptance and
a quest for knowledge.
 Renaissance humanists admired the classical
age of ancient Greece and Rome and sought to
imitate it.

REVIVAL OF LEARNING
All this stimulated the “rebirth” of interest in
the literature, art, and philosophy of the
classical age.
 It also led to an intense search for ancient
manuscripts.
 These manuscripts had been preserved by

 The
Byzantine Civilization
 The Muslim Civilizations
COURSE OF THE RENAISSANCE
THE RENAISSANCE BEGAN IN ITALY.
Italian cities rose to prominence because of
their close contact and trade with the Byzantine
and Islamic Empires.
 Wealthy citizens who commissioned artists to
decorate their cities and homes were called
Patrons.
 After 1500 the Renaissance spread to other
parts of Europe by students who had studied in
Italy.

THE MEDICI
The Medici family was the most famous of the
Renaissance patrons who promoted learning
and art.
 Lorenzo de Medici (Il Magnifico) was the most
notable and most generous of all.
 Under Il Magnifico, Florence became the most
influential city of the Renaissance movement.
He was the patron of Michaelangelo.

THOUGHT AND LITERATURE

Petrarch, the Father of Humanism – a
Florentine poet and scholar who collected
classical documents and led the way in reviving
interest in classical literature.
THOUGHT AND LITERATURE

Castiglione – In The Courtier, he
describes the ideal Renaissance
gentleman as
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a man of character,
well-educated,
courageous,
and courteous.
The Courtier became the standard for
courtly behavior in Renaissance
Europe. (See inset page 259 Rules for
Proper Conduct.)
THOUGHT AND LITERATURE
Machiavelli – Florentine thinker and writer who
wrote The Prince, an essay reflecting on the
political conditions of his day. It promotes the
idea that a prince must do whatever it takes to
take and maintain power.
 He also wrote Discourses on the First Ten
Books of Livy, which favors a republican form of
government with checks and balances.

THOUGHT AND LITERATURE
Erasmus – from Rotterdam (Holland), wrote The
Praise of Folly using satire to point out the evils
and follies of Renaissance society.
 He became an advocate for church reform and
prepared the world for the
Protestant Reformation.

Erasmus by Holbein
THOUGHT AND LITERATURE
Sir Thomas More – English humanist who wrote
Utopia, a story of an imaginary perfect state.
 He served as Henry VIII’s Lord Chancellor.
 Henry VIII had him beheaded for treason
because he refused to acknowledge Henry as
Head of the Church of England.
 “I die the king’s loyal servant, but God’s first.”

Sir Thomas More
by Holbein
THOUGHT AND LITERATURE
Miguel de Cervantes – Spanish writer of Don
Quixote, a satirical story of a Spanish
gentleman who imagines himself to be a knight
and makes a fool of himself.
 The story pokes fun at the chivalric literature
popular in Spain at the time and at outmoded
medieval ideas.

Miguel de Cervantes
Don Quixote and
Sancho Panza by
Picasso
THOUGHT AND LITERATURE
William Shakespeare – English poet &
playwright (1564-1616)
 Globe Theatre
 Histories, Tragedies, Comedies
 Hamlet, Othello, King Lear, MacBeth
 A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Much Ado About
Nothing, A Comedy of Errors

Globe Theatre
Literary Genius
CHANGING THE WORLD
Johannes Gutenberg – German
 Put moveable-type printing into use in Europe.

EFFECTS OF THE PRINTING PRESS
Cost of books dropped dramatically
 More books available
 Errors were reduced
 Helped ideas spread rapidly
 New universities and colleges established.
 Bible produced in large quantities.

THE VISUAL ARTS
MEDIEVAL
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RENAISSANCE
Emphasized the spiritual realm.
Artists were supported by the
Church of Rome.
Artists worked for the glory of
God.
Flat, 2-dimensional
Subjects were church leaders,
saints, Bible characters.
Primary medium was
architecture.
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Emphasized the present
physical world.
Artists were supported by
private patrons.
Artists were proud of work and
signed their names.
Realistic, 3-dimensional
Subjects were kings, merchants
Media were painting &
sculpture.
THE VISUAL ARTS
THE VISUAL ARTS

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Giotto- Father of
Renaissance painting
Frescos – painting on
wet plaster
Strove for realism
THE VISUAL ARTS

Masaccio – Florentine
who used shading to
create a 3-dimensional
effect
Noah
THE VISUAL ARTS
The Birth of Venus
Botticelli – painted figures
with flowing hair and wispy
garments giving his figures
an appearance of
movement.
Botticelli’s The Adoration of the Magi
THE VISUAL ARTS

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Leonardo da Vinci (14521519) – best example of
The Renaissance Man
Sculptor, architect,
painter, musician, poet,
engineer,
mathematician,
medicine, botanist, et al
MONA LISA
Leonardo da Vinci
THE LAST SUPPER
In a state of decay
A reproduction
THE VISUAL ARTS

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Raphael – painted
Madonnas in which he
idealized motherhood
Famous for painting
frescoes, especially
portraying a peaceful,
joy-filled life.
Raphael’s The School of Athens
THE VISUAL ARTS

Michelangelo –
probably the most
famous artist in history
THE VISUAL ARTS - MICHELANGELO
The ceiling of the Sistine
Chapel in the Vatican
Creation of Adam
MICHAELANGELO’S DAVID
Michelangelo’s
La Pieta
THE VISUAL ARTS
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Albrecht Dürer – a wellrounded Renaissance
man of Germany
Writer, designer,
engraver, painter,
woodcarver
Nature, classical,
religious themes
Knight, Death and Devil, 1513
THE VISUAL ARTS
Henry VIII
&
Catherine
of Aragon

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Hans Holbein – German,
finest portrait painter of
the Northern
Renaissance
Official court painter of
Henry VIII
Portraits of Erasmus and
Sir Thomas More shown
earlier were Holbein’s
THE VISUAL ARTS

Jan van Eyck – Flemish
painter who was one of
the first to use oils.
The Arnolfini Marriage
ARTS- ARCHITECTS & SCULPTURERS

Donatello – leading
sculptor of Early
Renaissance Italy
MUSIC OF THE RENAISSANCE
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Medieval music was
“plainsong,” Gregorian
chants sung in church.
Renaissance music was
more secular and was
sung in homes and
palaces.
More people played
musical instruments.
Most popular
instrument was the lute.
MUSIC OF THE RENAISSANCE

Joaquin Depres –
Flemish composer who
wrote masses, hymns,
and chansons which
were lighthearted
poems set to music.

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Giovanni Pierluigi, aka
Palestrina – master of
polyphonic music
http://www.youtube.com
/watch?v=hh9yFaECCuA
Lute music:
http://www.youtube.com
/watch?v=K63Z_abB314
&feature=related
CONSEQUENCES OF THE RENAISSANCE
Positive
 Provoked a spirit of
inquiry
 Revived interest in the
literature & languages of
antiquity
 Developed moveable-type
printing
 Made education more
widely available
 Stresses the importance
of the individual
Negative
 Weakened moral restraints
 Revival of heathenism in
religion and morality