The birthplace of the Renaissance was Italy, but it
spread to Europe.
Northern Italy was urban (big city) with lots of
people so it was easy to exchange ideas.
It was a growing city until c. 1300 when the Black (or
Bubonic) plague hit and killed 60% of the
population.
Workers who were left were paid LOTS of money
because there were so few of them. Businesses
couldn’t expand so some merchants focused on
other things like art and politics.
 They
began to change how they saw
themselves and the world around them. They
focused more on humans and less on religion.
This
period of change is called the
Renaissance – meaning “rebirth”.
Renaissance Man – a man who excelled in
many fields
Renaissance Woman – a well-rounded woman
who could appreciate art, but not expected to
create it.
In Italy, the Renaissance led to an
intellectual development called:
Humanism – Focused on human
potential and achievements.
History, literature, philosophy, art and
sculpting became important.
Art
focused on individualism and
realism.
They began to use perspective
(3-D not just a flat surface)
They wanted to show realistic
paintings and sculptures focused
on individuals.
Important Artists:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Leonardo Da Vinci
Raphael Sanzio
Michelangelo Buonarroti
Sofonisba Anguissola
Artemisia Gentileschi
 In
Europe, the Humanism movement was
known as Christian Humanism –
focused on reforming
society…especially education.
 They supported the education of women,
and founded schools that were attended
by boys AND girls.
 Art and literature focused on realism and
reform.
European
Art began to focus on
realism.
Artists
began using oil-based
paintings and using layering to
get more realistic colors.
Important Artists:
1. Albrecht Durer
2. Hans Holbein
3. Jan van Eyck
4. Pieter Bruegel
Coat of Arms –
Wooden
Carving
Melencolia –
Wood en Carving
Young Hare
Head of a female sain
Venus and Amor
Portrait of Edward –
Prince of Wales
Portrait of Erasmus
The Arnolfini
Portrait
The Ghent
Annunciation
Landscape with the fall
of Icarus
The Tower of Babel
A Detail of
Children’s Games
 Italian
literature focused on using
vernacular – the writer’s native language.
In the past all works had been done in
Latin.
 Renaissance writers wrote for selfexpression or to show individuality.
Important Writers:
1. Petrarch
2. Boccaccio
3. Machiavelli
4. Vittoria Colonna
 Francesco
Petrarch – the father of
Renaissance humanism
 Great poet – wrote sonnets (14-line
poems)
 Wrote in Italian and Latin
 Subject of many of his sonnets is a
mysterious woman named Laura
 Best
known for his work the Decameron –
a series of realistic, sometimes off-color
stories.
 The Decameron presents both tragic and
comic views of life.
 He presents his characters in their
individuality and their mistakes.
 Wrote
The Prince – a book which
examines the imperfect conduct of
human beings.
 Machiavelli was not concerned with what
is morally right but what is politically
effective.
 His book is an example of this belief.
 Born
to a noble family.
 Wrote poetry to express her personal
emotions.
 Exchanged sonnets with Michelangelo
 Helped publish The Courtier – a book
that described how to become a
Renaissance Man or a Renaissance
Woman.
 European
literature focused on Christian
Humanism.
 They supported education of women and
founded schools for boys AND girls.
 Became known as the Elizabethan Age
(after Queen Elizabeth I)
Important Writers:
1. Thomas More
2. Christine De Pizan
3. William Shakespeare
 Famous
for his book Utopia – which at the
time meant No Place and now means a
Perfect Place
 Utopia is about an imaginary land where
greed, corruption and war have
dissapeared.
 He wrote in Latin, but his works were
translated into French, German, English,
Spanish and Italian
 Was
highly educated and spoke out
against women not receiving education
 Wrote The Book of The City of Ladies
about the objections men had to women
receiving an education.
 She wanted formal education for boys
AND girls.
 The
most famous writer of the Elizabethan
Age
 Often called the greatest playwright of all
time
 Wrote poems, plays and performed at the
Globe Theater
 Works include Macbeth, Hamlet, Othello,
Romeo and Juliet, King Lear, The Taming of
the Shrew, and A Midsummer’s Night Dream
Merchants
began to control
politics.
The Medici family were rich
merchants who ruled part of Italy
because of their wealth from
trade and banking.
Christopher
Columbus searched
for a shorter route to Asia in 1492.
He
was searching for wealth in
trade with Asia for Spain.
He
wanted to discover gold and
trade for spices.
 Leonardo
da Vinci was also a
great inventor in Italy.
 He studied how things worked
 He filled notebooks with drawings
and observations.
 He is famous for creating maps,
engineering, and scientific study
 Johann
Gutenberg developed
the first printing press
 This invention made it possible
to produce books quickly and
cheaply
 He printed the Bible in 1455
 It was the first full-size book
printed with movable type
Johannes Gutenberg is generally credited with the creation of movable type printing -- the
process that made it possible to publish many copies of a single work at one time. Much
of Gutenberg's life is shrouded in mystery, and his name does not appear in any of the
printed works attributed to him. He was a goldsmith early in life, and that training
apparently led him to the notion of forming molten metal into individual characters of the
alphabet, which could then be inked and pressed on paper. His most famous work was
the Gutenberg Bible, an elaborate two-volume Latin edition of the holy book which he
published about 1455.
Read the passage above and answer the following questions.
1. What is the main idea of the passage?
a. Johannes Gutenberg
b. Movable type printing
2. According to the passage, what experience in his early life impacted his creation of movable
type?
a. Writing novels
b. Being a goldsmith
3. What is his most famous work?
a. The Gutenberg Latin
b. The Gutenberg Bible
4. In how many of Gutenberg’s works does his name appear?
a. None
b. 4
5. In the process of using movable type, there are several steps. What is the last step in the process
a. Forming molten metal
b. Pressing on paper


Michaelangelo was a famous Renaissance painter. He
painted the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. In order to do
this, he had to lie on his back to paint. Do you think you
could do that? Let’s see!
Leonardo da Vinci (April 15, 1452-May 2, 1519) was a
great Italian Renaissance painter, sculptor, architect,
engineer, inventor, and scientist. The Mona Lisa was
painted in 1506. Now it’s your turn to recreate art!