Medieval Legacy
• in history
Latin remained the language
of the educated.
The nobility remained in a
prominent position.
Medieval Legacy
• in modern times
The jury system is still used
in most countries.
Medieval Legacy
• in modern times
The Roman Catholic Church
is prominent throughout the
world.
Medieval Legacy
• in modern times
Universities remain centers
of higher education.
Life attitudes
Medieval
• live for the
future
• gloried in the
future
• seek spiritual
rewards
• importance of
the group
Renaissance
• live for the
present
• gloried in the
past
• seek personal
reward
• importance of
the individual
humanism
overemphasis on
human worth
and ability
Humanities
• studied liberal arts plus
classical literature
• prepared for secular jobs
Humanist Views
• goal = well-rounded
individuals
• education = remedy for sin
• critical of past knowledge and
ideas
Cicero
• most honored example
• noted because he was:
scholar
lawyer
statesman
orator
writer
Italy
• birthplace of the Renaissance
viewed as descendants
of the ancient Romans
maintained contact with
the East and West
• possessed great riches
sponsored art to display
wealth
Medici
• politically controlled
Florence, Italy
• wealthy from banking and
commerce
• sponsored learning and the
arts
Lorenzo de Medici
• most notable and generous
patron
• nicknamed II Magnifico
• made Florence the most
influential Renaissance city
Printing
• pronounced the most
significant innovation of the
Renaissance
• perfected by 1450
• first book = Gutenburg’s 42line Bible
Printing Accomplishments
• cost of books dropped
• eliminated many errors
• provided for rapid spread
of ideas and information
Italian Humanist Writers
Petrarch
• “Father of
Humanism”
• collected and studied
ancient manuscripts
• remembered for his
vernacular works
Italian Humanist Writers
Castiglione
• wrote the famous
Courtier
Italian Humanist Writers
Machiavelli
• wrote about
government and
secular rule
• most famous work =
The Prince
Machiavelli
principles for the ruler
•
•
•
•
above right and wrong
do what’s expedient
use force when necessary
the end justifies the means
Renaissance writers
Italian
• secular
interests
• emphasized
political reform
• relied on
classical
sources
Northern
• religious interests
• emphasized
church reform
• relied on
Christian
sources
Northern Humanist
Writers
Erasmus
• most honored and
influential Renaissance
scholar
• prepared the way for
the Reformation
Northern Humanist
Writers
Erasmus
• most famous work =
Praise of Folly
• published a Greek New
Testament
Northern Humanist
Writers
More
• English writer
• dedicated to his nation
• wrote Utopia
Northern Humanist
Writers
Cervantes
• foremost Spanish writer
• most famous work =
Don Quixote
Northern Humanist
Writers
Shakespeare
• greatest playwright of all
time
• finest English poet
wrote 154 sonnets
wrote at least 37 plays
Art Differences
Medieval
• spiritual realm
• church supported
• little personal fame
• 2-dimensional
• church subjects
• architecture
Renaissance
• present world
• patron supported
• personal fame
• 3-dimensional
• secular subjects
• painting &
sculpture
Renaissance
Characteristics
• youth = children are
important subjects
• nature = used realistic
settings
• anatomy = show real people
• classicism = importance of
Greek and Roman features
Renaissance
Characteristics
• perspective = 3-dimensional
look on flat surfaces
• learning = reflected the quest
for learning
• individualism and pride = taking
credit for one’s work
• balance = careful arrangements
Early Italian Painters
Giotto di Bondone
• “Father of Renaissance
Painting”
• best known for frescoes
• also sculptor and architect
Early Italian Painters
Masaccio
• first true Renaissance
painter
• used shading and a
single light source
Early Italian Painters
Sandro Botticelli
• added movement to
paintings
• wide range of
subjects
High Renaissance
Painters
Leonardo da Vinci
• best example of
“Renaissance man”
• rarely finished a work
High Renaissance
Painters
Leonardo da Vinci
• famous works
The Last Supper
Mona Lisa
• new techniques perspective
balance
High Renaissance
Painters
Michelangelo Buonarroti
• most famous artist in history
• considered himself a sculptor
• most famous pieces
Sistine Chapel ceiling
Last Judgment
High Renaissance
Painters
Raphael
• most beloved artist
• most famous pieces
Vatican Palace walls
portraits
School of Athens
Art Differences
Florence
• depends on
balance and
perspective
• details in mass
• tempera paint
on wood or
plaster
Venice
• depends on
color and
atmosphere
• less mass,
more fullness
• oil paint on
canvas
Venetian Painters
Titian
• leader of the Venetian
school of painting
• best known for portrait
painting
• one of the few to grow rich
by his work
Venetian Painters
Tintoretto
• last of the great Venetian
painters
• motto = “Michelangelo’s
form amid the color of
Titian.”
Renaissance
Differences
Italian
• one specific
style
• emphasized
mass and
emotion
• preoccupation
with classical
themes
Northern
• blending of
styles
• emphasized
detail and color
• preoccupation
with daily life
Northern European
Painters
Jan Van Eyck
• founder and representative of
Flemish school
• concerned with details of daily
life
• credited with discovering oilpigmented paints
Northern European
Painters Albrecht Dürer
• “Leonardo of the North”
• celebrated as a painter,
most famous as an
engraver
Northern European
Painters Albrecht Dürer
• first to sign works
• first to see engraving and
printing as a medium of art
• first northern artist to study
in Italy
Northern Renaissance
Painters
Hans Holbein the Younger
• finest portrait painter of the
Northern artists
• court painter for Henry VIII
Northern Renaissance
Painters
Peter Brueghel
• known for his genre
painting
• pioneered depicting
peasant life
Artistic Differences
Medieval
Renaissance
• glorify God
• glorify man
• sculpture =
decorate
churches
• sculpture =
decorate towns
and homes
• inspiration =
Gothic styles
• inspiration =
classical styles
Italian Renaissance
Artists
Lorenzo Ghiberti
• won the brass door contest
• work bridged the Gothic and
Renaissance periods
Italian Renaissance
Artists
Filippo Brunelleschi
• sculptor turned architect
• designed and built the
Florence dome
• first to understand and revive
the Roman use of motifs
Italian Renaissance
Artists
Donatello
• mastered the art of
freestanding sculpture
• famous piece
David
Italian Renaissance
Artists
Michelangelo
• preferred creating the
ideal
• famous works
Pieta
David
Musical Differences
Medieval
Renaissance
• single-line
melodies
• polyphonic
melodies
• mystical and
spiritual
• secular
• church patrons
• secular patrons
Renaissance Musicians
Josquin Deprès
• marked the transition from
medieval to modern
• works: masses, hymns,
motets, chansons
Renaissance Musicians
Palestrina
• “Prince of Music”
• composed 900 pieces
Renaissance
Consequences
positive
provoked a spirit of inquiry
revived interest in literature
and language
development of moveabletype
Renaissance
Consequences
positive
more available education
stressed the importance of
the individual
Renaissance
Consequences
negative
secular emphasis
often embraced ancient
evils