Ch. 11 Objectives
Contrast the Renaissance attitude toward life with the Medieval outlook.
 The Renaissance man’s hearty zest for living was a far cry from the sober, otherworldly
concerns of earlier generations, who were consumed with the welfare of their souls and
with the work of the church. People during the Middle Ages fixed their thoughts on the
future joys of heaven.
I.B. Contrast humanism and its effects with a Biblical view of man.
 The Renaissance emphasized human individuality, ability, and dignity. In medieval times,
the group, not the individual, had been all-important.
 This renewed focus on man’s capacities has been called humanism. It did not abandon
belief in God, but led to the false assumption that man is basically good. While man
does possess a unique position in God’s universe, God’s image was badly marred by the
Fall.
I.C.1 List the causes of the Renaissance revival of learning.
 The expansion of trade and national governments in the Later Middle Ages increased the
needs for well educated laymen. Lawyers needing to draw up business contracts and other
legal documents turned Roman law into classical literature. In the process if their research
they discovered the writings of Cicero and other Latin authors.
 Contact with Islamic and Byzantine cultures increased the amount of Classical learning
available in Europe. This increased greatly after the fall of Constantinople.
I.C.2
Describe the humanistic learning of the Renaissance
 Unlike the Scholastics of the middle Ages, most Renaissance humanists did not study to
prepare for service in the church; instead they prepared themselves for life in the secular
world.
 The goal of Renaissance education was to develop well rounded individuals. They
considered ignorance to be the root of all evil, and looked to education as the remedy for
sin. They scorned the medieval practice of passively accepting ideas without questioning
their accuracy. He examined established ideas to discern whether they were trustworthy.
 Greatly admired the classical age of ancient Greece and Rome.
 By following the example of the ancients, the humanists believed they could reshape their
own age according to classical values.
 This fascination with classical culture led to an intense search for ancient manuscripts.
 They stimulated a “rebirth” of interest in the literature, art, and philosophy of the classical
age. This need gave rise to the renewed study of Greek and classical Latin during the
Renaissance period.
II Introduction 1. Explain why the Renaissance began in Italy
 This land had been the center of the ancient Roman Empire.
 Italians had also come into close contact with the Byzantine and Islamic civilizations.
 Their control of the Mediterranean trade routes to the East brought them great riches.
II Introduction 2. Identify the patrons of the Renaissance artists and identify the Medici’s (Lorenzo in
particular) as the most prominent patrons after the church
 Affluent bankers and merchants became sponsors or patrons of these artists.
 The Medici were prominent Italians who had become extremely wealthy through commerce
and banking. Their riches gained them political control of the city of Florence. They also
used their vast financial resources to promote learning and the arts. They sponsored
searches for manuscripts, established a public library (one of the first in Europe), and
commissioned great works of painting, sculpture, and architecture.
I.
II Introduction 3. Explain how the Renaissance moved to Northern Europe
 As the sixteenth century began, however, enthusiasm for art and learning spread
throughout Europe. It was carried abroad by students who had studied in Italyu and by
merchants who traded with Italian cities.
 At first the people of these lands copied the Italians, but before long they developed their
own ideas and styles.
II. A. 1. “Italian Humanist Writers,” Introduction: Identify the city that was the center of culture in
Italy and explain why it was the center of culture.
 Florence was the center of commerce.
 Members of the wealthy class, who sponsored art and learning, made Florence the center of
culture in Italy.
 Most of the writers, painters, sculptors, and architects of the early Renaissance lived in this
city.
II. A. 1. “Italian Humanist Writers,” Major Thinkers: Match each person with his description.
a. Petrarch
 The pioneer of Renaissance humanism was Francecso Petrarch.
 He composed his own Latin poems, modeling them after classical poetry.
 Later, generations, however, remember him best for his vernacular writings.
 In sonnets (fourteen-line poems) and letters to his friends, he expressed human
interest and emotions.
 In letters addressed to his heroes of the past- Cicero, Virgil, and Livy- Petrarch places
his own day on an equal plane with the days of ancient Rome.
 The Father of Humanism.
b. Castiglione
 Wrote one of the most famous books on etiquette (social behavior) published
during the Renaissance.
 He presents the Courtier as a man of character, well educated, courageous, and
courteous.
c. Machiavelli
 Wrote The Prince.
 Tells his readers that a successful ruler must do what is expedient and not be
governed by principles of right and wrong. Such a man uses force when necessary,
for ‘it is much safer to be feared, than loved’.
 Promoted the concept of the secular state – one freed from moral restraints and
religious principles.
 Some scholars today think that we may have taken him out of context and
misrepresented his teachings.
II. A. 2. “Northern Humanist Writers,” Introduction--Contrast the northern and Italian humanists: The
northern humanists generally had a greater interest in religious matters than the Italian humanists.
II. A. 2. “Northern Humanist Writers,” Major Thinkers: Match each person with his description.
a. Erasmus:
o The most honored and influential scholar of the Renaissance. The prince of humanists.
o Did much to prepare the way for the Protestant Reformation though he himself refused
to break from the Catholic Church.
 In his most famous work, The Praise of Folly, he uses satire to point out the evils
and follies of Renaissance society.
 Leading advocate of church reform.
 Published his first edition of the Greek New Testament.
b. Sir Thomas More
 Man of deep piety, devoted to his country.
 Friend of Erasmus.
 Wrote Utopia.
 Beheaded for treason, when he refused to take an oath recognizing Henry as head of
the Church in England. More still believed in the pope’s supremacy in the church.
c. Johannes Gutenberg— Recognized as the man who put movable type printing to use in
Europe.
d. Cervantes—His novel, Don Quixote, is one of the most enduring works in all of literature.
e. Shakespeare—Generally considered the greatest playwright of all time.
II. Moveable type: Explain the impact of introducing moveable type to Europe.
o The cost of books dropped dramatically because they no longer needed to be copied by
hand. Eliminated many of the errors which characterized older, handwritten books.
o Paved the way for the rapid spread of ideas and stimulated the growth of education.
 In the past, students had to memorize everything they heard in the classroom
because the teacher was usually the only one with a book.
 With printing, students could afford to purchase their own books.
 Twenty-five new universities and colleges were established.
II. Utopia: Describe and critique Thomas More’s thinking in Utopia.
 “Utopia,” meaning nowhere, is the story of an imaginary state built upon Christian principles,
and Plato’s philosophy.
 More believed that if men would govern themselves by a sense of community and brotherly
love, they could achieve social, political, and economic equality.
o All men would be compelled to work.
o Thus, everyone would have economic security, and all sloth and greed would be
eliminated.
o All pride was to be centered in the state.
 Criticism: in order to have a perfect state, society would have to be composed of perfect men
and women.
II. B. “The Visual Arts,” Introduction: Contrast Renaissance and medieval artists. See list on p. 264.
II. B. “The Visual Arts,” The Artists: Match each person with his description. See people listed below.
II. Early vs. High Renaissance Painters: identify who were the major painters of the Early Renaissance
(Giotto, Masaccio, and Boticelli) and who were the major painters of the High Renaissance (da Vinci,
Raphael, and Michelangelo). Nothing to add to this objective.
a. Giotto—The most famous painter of the early Italian Renaissance. Often called the father of
Renaissance painting. He opened a new era of art in the Western world. Before his time, figures
in paintings were often stiff and flat. Giotto, however, sought to make painting more natural. His
figures were more realistic,and exhibited human feelings. Three dimensional look.
b. Masaccio—By means of shading, he created a three dimensional affect in his painting. This
technique enabled him to portray human figures with a realism that had been missing in the
work of previous painters.
c. Botticelli—Added another dimension to Renaissance art: movement. Boticelli’s early paintings
reflected the humanistic spirit prevalent in the Medici court. Fell under the influence of the
preaching of the monk, Savonarola. He became a convert, and his paintings took on a more
religious and moral outlook.
d. Savonarola—A generation before the Reformation, sought to bring moral reform to to the
city of Florence and to the Roman church. Warned the Florentines of a coming day of judgment
and and called upon them to repent of their wicked ways. As a result of his preaching, the
secular culture that dominated the city began to change. For example, people built great
bonfires into which they threw playing cards, gambling dice, immoral books and pictures, and
objects of luxury. Alexander VI prohibited him from preaching, but Savonarola continued. The
people of Florence, intimidated by the pope’s accusation and weary of Savonarola’s strict
preaching, abandoned the friar. He was tortured and hanged.
II. The High Renaissance Painters—Describe the high Renaissance.
 The center of culture shifted from Florence, to Rome.
 The papacy became the major patron of Italian artists.
 High Renaissance artists mastered the painting techniques that the Italian artists of the
15th century had pioneered.
a. Leonardo da Vinci—The best example of the so called Renaissance man. Interest in a wide
range of fields. Accomplished sculptor, architect, painter, musician, and poet.
b. Raphael— One of the most beloved painters of his time. Sought to express the peace and
quiet joy of life, rather than its anguish and strain. The School of Athens, in this painting he
creates a spacious setting in which are gathered the great philosophers and scientists of the
classical world.
c. Michelangelo—Lorenzo de Medici took Michelangelo to paint the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel
in the Vatican (the papal residence in Rome). The magnificent fresco depicts the story of
Creation, the Fall, the Flood, and the Redemption of man.
II.Venetian Painters: Identify Venice as a leading city of culture during the late Renaissance and
explain how it gained that position. Its merchants controlled the important trade routes to the East.
The economic prosperity it enjoyed encouraged cultural activity.
a. Titian—Leading figure of the Venetian school of painting. He ranks with Michelangelo as one
of the foremost painters of the Renaissance. He was a prolific painter known for his rich use of
colors. His work contains a freshness, warmth, and vitality missing in the serene Renaissance
portraits of southern Italy. He captured on canvas the personality of his subject, not just the
physical appearance.
b. Tintoretto—The last of the great sixteenth-century Venetian painters. He sought to combine
the bright colors of Titian and the masterful drawing of Michelangelo. His work exhibits a
dramatic excitement full of tension and action.
c. Albrecht Durer—“Leonardo of the North” Like Leonardo, he was accomplished in many
different fields: writing, designing, engraving, and painting. He had a high regard for Italian art
and was the first northern artist to travel to Italy for the express purpose of studying art.
Although Durer is a celebrated painter, he is best remembered for his woodcarvings and
engravings, which were used to illustrate printed books. He is the first artist to sign even his
most insignificant drawings.
d. Hans Holbein—The finest portrait painter of the Northern Renaissance. Holbein became the
official court painter of Henry VIII, the king of England.
e. Jan van Eyck—One of the founders and an outstanding representative of the Flemish school
of painters. He was one of the first to use oil paints, a medium that allowed him to achieve
greater realism in his paintings.
II. Architects and Sculptors: Describe the architects and sculptors of the Renaissance.
o Influences:
 Architects and Sculptors were influenced by the spirit of humanism.
 They greatly admired the art of the classical world.
o Concerns: They reflected the new secular concerns of the Renaissance Age.
 Architects designed and built not only churches (as they had done in the Middle
Ages) but also palaces and villas for powerful princes and wealthy merchants.
 Similarly, sculpture that had been used during the Middle Ages to decorate
churches now graced town squares and homes of the wealthy.
a. Lorenzo Ghiberti—Designed a set of bronze doors for one of the entrances to the baptistery
of Florence.
b. Brunelleschi—Defeated Ghiberti in a competition to design and construct a dome for the
Cathedral of Florence. Not since the days of ancient Rome had such a magnificent and lofty
dome being constructed in the West. His dome was the crowning glory of the Florence
cathedral. Most of the domes designed during the Renaissance conformed to his model
c. Donatello—Leading sculptor of the early Renaissance. Although strongly influenced by these
classical works, he gave to his sculpture a new realism and expression. He mastered the Art of
sculpting freestanding statues.
d. Michelangelo—He was a noted painter, sculptor, architect, engineer, and poet. While in his
early twenties he completed one of his most famous masterpieces, the Pieta. In sculpting the
Pieta, Michelangelo went beyond usual artistic methods of portraying subjects realistically
because he wanted to express what he considered to be the ideal. Another famous work by
Michelangelo is his marble statue of David. Like many of the Renaissance artists, Michelangelo
glorified the human body.
II. Music: Contrast music in the Middle Ages and the Renaissance.
 The most prominent type of musical composition during the early Middle Ages was known as
plainsong, or Gregorian chant.
 Medieval music was mystical and spiritual in nature; its purpose was to appeal not to the senses
or the emotions of the listeners, but to their spirits.
 Medieval music attempted to remove the listener from the cares of the world. Renaissance
music was more secular.
 Like the visual arts, it did not remain under the exclusive patronage of the church.
 With the advent of the printing press, copies of music became more available.
o Both the number of musicians, and the popular interest in music increased.
o More music was composed and performed during the Renaissance than any previous
period in history.
-Palestrina—
 The most famous composer of church music during the Renaissance was Palestrina.
 By the 16th century, church music had become so complicated that it became difficult to
understand what the choir was singing. Commissioned by the papacy, Palestrina simplified much
of the church’s official music.
 He was the master of polyphonic music (consisting of many melodies), which he composed for
choirs to sing without accompaniment.
III. Contrast the Renaissance and the Reformation
 The Renaissance
o The Renaissance was a secular age; men placed confidence in human achievement.
o Artists and scholars who looked to classical Greece and Rome for inspiration and
authority, helped stir a great revival for learning and the arts.

The Reformation
o The Reformation was a religious age; men placed confidence in God, and gloried in
God’s salvation.
o Men of God, who looked to the Scriptures as the sole authority, helped stir a great
spiritual revival.
IV. List the Positive and Negative Results of the Renaissance.
A. Positive: The Renaissance shaped the tools that were useful in the Reformation movement.
1. It provoked a spirit of inquiry: men no longer meekly accepted the Authority of the Roman
church.
-Instead, they critically evaluated its teaching for themselves.
-This critical spirit encouraged men to turn their attention to the simplicity of first
century Christianity.
2. It revived interest in the literature and languages of antiquity.
3. It developed movable-type printing.
4. It made education more widely available to the common person.
5. It stressed the importance of the individual responsibility.
B. Negative
1. The Renaissance’s secular emphasis helped weaken moral restraints and thereby made the
need for reform more readily apparent.
2. The revival of classical literature and art carried in it the danger of a revival of heathenism in
religion and morality. The worship of classical forms led to the worship of classical ideas.