Chapter 17 Section A
• Time Period: 1300-1600
• During the Renaissance, scholars and artists
developed new cultural and artistic ideas
based on the rediscovery of the literature of
Classical Greece and Rome.
• The Reformation will lead to the founding of
Protestant Churches.
• The invention of the printing press aided the
spread of revolutionary ideas.
Italy: Birthplace of the Renaissance
Renaissance means “rebirth”.
It begins in northern Italy and
later spreads northward.
Three advantages for the
Renaissance beginning in Italy
1. Wealthy merchant class
2. Thriving cities
3. Classical heritage of Greece & Rome
Florence, Italy
• Ruled by the Medici Family
• Cosimo de Medici rules Florence for 30 years
as the defacto dictator.
Lorenzo De Medici (Lorenzo the
Magnificent) comes to power in 1469
• Lorenzo supports the arts.
• Medici power comes from a system of banks
the family owns.
Classical & Worldly Values
• Humanism-focused on human potential &
achievement.
• Humanism suggested that a person might
enjoy life without offending God.
• The basic spirit of Renaissance society was
secular & concerned with the here and now.
• Popes & wealthy merchants became patrons
of the arts.
Renaissance Man-should strive to
master almost every area of study.
Baldassare Castiglione wrote The
Courtier to teach how to be a
Renaissance Man.
Renaissance Woman-should strive for the
same thing as a man but not expect to
seek fame. They were expected to inspire
art but rarely create it.
Donatello-Made sculpture more realistic by
carving natural posture that revealed personality. He
carves the first European sculpture of a large, freestanding nude since ancient times.
Masaccio-Rediscover the technique of
perspective.
Leonardo da Vinci-A Renaissance Man.
He
was a painter, sculptor, inventor, and scientist. He
painted the Mona Lisa and The Last Supper.
Mona Lisa
Da Vinci Inventions
Da Vinci Sculptures
Michelangelo’s David
Michelangelo Buonarroti-He excelled in almost every
area of study. He is most famous for the way he portrayed the
human body in painting and sculpture. He designed St.
Peter’s Basilica, painted the Sistine Chapel, and carved the
statue of David in Florence.
St. Peter’s Basilica
Michelangelo’s Sculpture
Michelangelo’s Self Portrait
Raphael Desante-Learned from the styles of da
Vinci and Michelangelo. His favorite subjects
were the Madonna and Child. He portrayed
them with gentle & calm expressions.
Raphael's most famous work was his
School of Athens
Women Painters
• Sofonisha Anguissola-First woman artist to
gain international reputation. She is known for
portraits of her sister & prominent people.
Artemisia Gentileschi-Painted pictures
of strong heroic women.
Renaissance Writers
• Renaissance writers wrote for self-expression
or to portray the individuality of their
subjects.
Francesco Petrarch
• He was the earliest and most influential
Humanist. He wrote poetry (sonnets).
• Considered the Father of Humanism
• First to use the term, “Dark Ages”
Boccaccio-His best known work, Decameron,is a
series of realistic & sometimes off-color stories.
Niccolo Machiavelli-wrote The Prince. This
is a political guidebook that examines how
a ruler can gain power & keep it. He was
not concerned with what was morally
right, but what was politically effective.
Women Writers
• Women that gained fame usually wrote about
personal subjects, not politics. The most
famous of these was Vittoria Colonna. She
wrote sonnets.
TA17B
Read Pages 478-485
Copy and Define Terms (3) on Page 485
Copy and Answer Questions 11 & 12 on Page
502