Group 3: Renaissance Art
Chapters 15-17
CHRISTIAN WESTHORPE:CH15
COURTNEY ROWLAND: CH16
PATRICIA FIGUEROA: CH 17
Chapter 15
ADVERSITY AND CHALLENGE:
T H E F O U R T E E N TH - C E N TU R Y
TRANSITION
The Black Death
 The most devastating natural catastrophe of the
early modern era
 Bubonic plague struck Europe in 1347, destroying
1/3 to almost ½ of it’s population in less than 10
years
 The disease was carried in by black rats who were
carrying fleas
 Passed trough a bite from either the infected flea, or
the rat. Then it was passed by those who were
infected
Black Death-Continued
 The plague got its name “Black Death” from the
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symptoms seen from those infected
Pus would form around the body, mainly in the
lymph glands, turning the body a “deathly” black
Once a person became infected, they would usually
die within two to three days
There was no way for doctors to treat this epidemic,
all treatments proved useless
Europe faced four waves of this plague between 1347
and 1375
Effects of the Black Death
 The Black Death caused
people to question the
existence of God
 Some saw it as God’s way
of showing his displeasure,
other’s viewed it as God’s
warning to Christians
 The “Dance of Death” by
Hans Holbein, was one of
the most famous depictions
of this time period
(skeletons taking there
victims to the grave)
Effects of the Black Death-Continued
 The Black Death effected Europe’s economy as well
 There was a shortage of labor, creating a greater
demand for workers
 Peasants took advantage, fleeing to cities where jobs
were readily available
 The first every labor revolts took place in France and
England during the mid-fourteenth century
The Rise of Constitutional Monarchy
 Lower classes started to demand equality
 The Magna Carta was signed by King John of
England in the year 1215
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It disallowed the king to make up additional taxes without
consent of the royal council
It also guaranteed; trail by jury, which made sure that justice
was served properly, over the will of the ruler
Helped develop the constitutional monarchy
The Rise of Constitutional Monarchy-Continued
 50 years after the signing of the Magna Carta,
England sent King Henry III to jail
 Middle-class reps began to participate in the Great
Council
 This was the first example of representative
government
The Hundred Years’ War
 A war fought between France and England, taking
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place all on French soil
It carried on from 1337 until 1453
The war began because of the English’s claim to
continental lands, as well as the English claim to the
French throne.
The English were outnumbered by 4/1 by the French,
yet they still managed to win most of the early battles
by introducing secret weapons
England Finally withdrew from France in 1450
Secret Weapons
 English success was
linked to the use of three
new weapons
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The foot soldier
The longbow
Gunpowder
The Decline of the Church
 The Avignon Papacy (1309-1377) and the Great
Schism (1378-1417) caused a huge decline in the
prestige of the Catholic Church
 Avignon Papacy was the relocation of the papacy
from Rome to the city of Avignon in Southern France
 The Great Schism was the election of two popes, one
rule from Avignon, the other from Rome
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This caused conflicting views
Violent controversy within the Church
Lasted almost a decade
Literature in Transition-Boccaccio
 Social Realism was a large part of Boccaccio’s writing
 Social Realism is the objective attention to human
society and social interaction
 Boccaccio’s most famous piece of work would be the
Decameron
 Decameron is made up of hundred lively vernacular
tales told by seven young women and three young
men (they each tell a story every night for ten days)
 His stories remain a lasting tribute to the varieties of
human affection and desire
Christine de Pisan
 Christine was the first feminist writer, as well as the
first female professional writer
 She argued the thought that women don’t deserve
the same amount of education and rights of a man
 Titles of her work
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“Epistle of the God of Love”
“Book of the City of Ladies”
 She was a spokesperson for female achievements
and talents
Geoffrey Chaucer
 He was one of the most famous writers of fourteenth
century literature
 Most famous for his Canterbury Tales
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Modeled off of Boccaccio’s Decameron
 Used memorable details to bring his characters to
life
 Chaucer shaped the development of English
literature
Art and Music in Transition-Giotto
 Giotto anticipated the
shift to realism
 Brought life to his
painting’s by giving the
image a robust and
lifelike interpretation
 Some of his artwork
include
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Madonna Enthroned
Arena Chapel
Lamentation
The Ars Nova in Music
 Ars Nova stands for “new art”
 Ars Nova introduced isorythm which means “same
rhythm”
 It used the same rhythmic patterns at different times
during the composition
 A famous composer of this time was Guillaume de
Machaut
 His most famous piece of work was his Mass or Our
Lady
Terms to Know
 Ars Nova: a term meaning “new art”, used to
distinguish fourteenth century art from the old art
 Indulgence: a church pardon from the temporal
penalties for sins
 Isorhythm: the close repetition of identical rhythmic
patterns in different sections of musical composition
Trivia Questions!
 What was the first example of representative
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government?
Ars Nova stands for what?
Who wrote Mass or Our Lady?
Who was the first feminist writer?
What is the correct term for a church pardon from
the temporal penalties for sins?
Trivia Answers!
 Constitutional Monarchy
 New Art
 Guillaume de Machaut
 Christine de Pisan
 Indulgence
Chapter 16
CLASSICAL HUMANISM IN
THE AGE OF THE
RENAISSANCE
“Italy: Birthplace of the Renaissance”
 1300-1600- Era of The Renaissance
 Classical Humanism refers to the revival of the
Greco-Roman culture its distinctly secular stamp.
 The humanists of the Renaissance were the
cultural archeologists of their age.
 Politically: The Italian states were independent
and disunited
 Italian Renaissance cities were ruled either by
members of the petty nobility, by mercenary
generals or by wealthy middle-class families.
The Medici Family
 One of the most notable families dominating the
Italian political life: The Medici Family
 The Medici family was a wealthy banking family that
rose to power during the 14th century and gradually
assumed reins of state.
 The Medici family ruled for four generations. They
supported scholarship and patronized the arts.
Petrarch: “The Father of Humanism”
 Francesco Petrarch, the most
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famous of the early Florentine
humanists
Petrarch was a poet and
scholar. He lived from 1304 to
1374.
Devoted his life to recovering,
copying, and editing Latin
manuscripts.
Petrarch used Latin for his
letters and essays. But, he
wrote is poems and songs in
Vernacular Italian.
Petrarch was acclaimed as the
finest practitioner of the sonnet
form.
Alberti and Renaissance Virtu’
 Leon Battista Alberti (1404-
1474)
 Formative figure of the Early
Renaissance.
 Leon Alberti was a
mathematician, architect,
engineer, musician, and
playwright.
 “Man can do anything he
wants” is a famous
statement made by Alberti,
who is living proof that this
is true.
Marsilio Ficino and
Giovanni Pico della Mirandola
 Marsilio Ficino (1433-1499) was a
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famous humanist philosopher.
Founded the Platonic Academy in
Florence.
Launched the reappraisal of Plato
and the Neo-Platonist
Giovanni Pico della Mirandola
(1463-1494) was a humanist poet
and theologian.
Pico’s program to recover the past
and his reverence for the power of
human knowledge dominated the
arts and ideas of the High
Renaissance.
Baldassare
Castiglione
•Castiglione was an Italian
diplomat who wrote :The Book
of the Courtier”
•Castiglione’s Courtier was
inspired by a series of
conversations that had taken
place among a group of 16th
century aristocrats at the Court
of Urbino.
•His book is an index to cultural
changes that were taking place
between medieval and early
modern times.
•His book was extremely
popular. In 1527, he Aldine
Press in Venice printed more
then 1000 copies. It was
translated into 5 languages.
Renaissance Women
 Once married, Renaissance women’s roles and rights were
carefully limited by men, most of whom considered women
their social and intellectual inferiors.
 Were held in high esteem as housekeepers and mothers.
They were not respectable models for male children, who
were supposed to steer away from feminine ways.
 Renaissance women’s occupations remained limited to
service tasks, such as midwifery and inn keeping. They
reaped the benefits of an increasingly commercialized
economy in which they might compete successful with men.
Ideal Renaissance Women
 Duchess of Urbino was
admired for her
knowledge of Greek and
Latin and for her role as
patron of the arts.
 Laura Cereta married at age 15
and continued her studies even
after the death of her husband.
To the conventional list of
famous women, Cereta adds the
female humanists of her own
time.
Machiavelli and Power Politics
 Niccolo’ Machiavelli (1469-1527) was a Florentine
diplomat.
 Machiavelli formulated the idea of the state as an
entity that remains exempt from the bonds of
conventional morality.
 Machiavelli was a ruthless master of power politics
who’s views shaped the modern character of
humanistic tradition in the European west.
Trivia Questions!
 Which family was one of the most notable families
dominating the Italian political life?
 Who was named “The Father of Humanism”?
 Baldassare Castiglione, the Italian diplomat, wrote
what famous book?
 Where is the “Birthplace of the Renaissance”?
Trivia Answers!
 The Medici Family
 Francesco Petrarch
 “The Book of the Courtier”
 Italy
Renaissance
Chapter 16
ART
ARCHITECTURE
SCIENCE
MUSIC AND DANCE
Renaissance Art
 Italy and the Neitherlands were a breeding ground for new
artists and their ideas and inventions which were expressed
through their art.
 Patrons of the arts had the most influence on the wealth
and acceptance of new artists’ ideas and discoveries.
 Through the many renaissance artists many new ideas
changed the way people behaved and viewed the world and
their fellow man.
 Each artist brought with them ideas and how to show a
realistic view of life through the use of their art, whether it
was through sculptor, painting, architect, or music.
Early Renaissance Artists
 Donatello – bronze statue -
“David” – an anatomically
correct sculpture of man
with an innocent boy like
expression
 Lucca Della Robbia – marble
sculptor - “Drummers” – a
lifelike depiction of Psalms
150 a musical joyous scene
to praise god
 Sandro Botticelli – Tempura
on Canvas - “Birth of Venus”
a painting which represents
beauty, love, earth and
spirit, the goddess of earthly
and spiritual love is depicted
Early Renaissance Architecture
 Filippo Brunelleschi –
 Leon Battista Alberti – a
architect, sculptor, and
theorist.
 Designed the dome of the
Florence Cathedral.
 Designed architecture with
symmetry and proportions
humanist designer
 Believed in harmonious design
in architecture
 Designed the “Santa Maria
Novella
Portrait Revival
Leonardo Da Vinci – with the of light
and shade and the mouth and eyes
delicately blurred the portrait
expression is undetermined - “Mona
Lisa”
 Jan Van Eyck – painted everyday
life. He introduced through his
paintings “the psychological
portrait – the portrait that probed
the temperament, character, or
unique personality of the subject.”
– “Arnolfini Marriage
Artist-Scientists’ Use of Different Perspectives
 Picture Pane – the two dimensional surface of the panel or canvas
to recreate the illusion of reality and three dimensional space. First
used by Jan Van Eyck was improved upon.
 Linear Perspective – a tool for translating three dimensional
space onto a two dimensional surface. The first laws were formulated
by architect, sculptor, Brunelleschi.
 Aerial Perspective – subtle blurring of details and diminution of
color intensity in objects perceived at a distance.
 Perspective Intarsia – the inlay of various kinds of wood to
achieve new levels of pictorial illusion.
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Reference – Fiero, Gloria K. The Humanistic Tradition Book 3. Fifth Ed. Chapter 15, p.56-58.
 Masaccio – aka Tommaso
Guidi use of picture pane and
linear perspective created
depth in this painting “Trinity
with the Virgin”
 The paintings in the Brancacci
Chapel represents a more
elaborate synthesis of
illusionistic techniques.
 “Tribute Money” demonstrates
the use of aerial perspective
and light and shade.
 Lorenzo Ghiberti made
use of perspecive intarsia
depicted in the “Gates of
Paradise”
Leonardo Da Vinci
 An artist and scientist.
 “Embryo of the Womb”
 “Wing Construction”
 Studied animal, human and
 “Proportional Study of Man”
plants in all aspects of life.
 Studied wind and water.
 Inventor of hundreds of
mechanical devices which
never left his notebook.
 1513 Undertakes scientific
studies of botany, geology,
and hydraulic power
 “The Last Supper”
Other Prominent Artists
 Raphael - known for his
 Michelangelo – poet architect,
clarity, harmony and unity of
design.
 “The Alba Madonna” is seen as a
picture that although religious in
nature could represent any mother
with her children.
 “The School of Athens” depicts
many philosophers as well as
artists and people who have had an
impact on the painter’s life.
painter, engineer, regarded himself as
a sculptor.
 Painted the “Sistine Chapel” the
creation and fall of humankind.
 “Pieta” – marble sculpture where
Mary is disproportonately larger
larger than Jesus in her arms.
 “David” – larger than life a heroic
looking statue with disproportionate
hands.
High Renaissance in Venice
1.Venice was called “The jewel of the Adriatic”. It
was also a center for trade.
2. Leading artist Gentile Bellini created the oil on
canvas “Procession of the Reliquary of the Cross in
Piazza San Marco” it captures all the cultures in the
Byzantine, Islamic and Western Christian
decorative styles.
3. Colorist Giorgio Barbarelli aka Giorgione
4. Colorist Tiziano Vecelli aka Titian
Art of Venice
 Venice
 Bellini
 Giorgione/Titian
 Titian
Music & Dance
 The printing press allowed for all types of music to
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be printed and shared.
The study of music became an important pastime
and household entertainment.
Both common musicians and professional
musicians created musical works.
With an emphasis on natural sounding music
which corresponded to the renaissances idea of
natural depicted art in all forms.
Dance became a theatrical form of expression
performed by members of court.
Early and High Renaissance Music
 Early Renaissance Musician -
Guillaume Dufay created motets,
masses, and chansons (secular
songs).
 High Renaissance Musician –
Josquin des Prez manipulated
music to go along with a picture to
express its meaning called “word
painting.”
 Roland de Lassus created many
madrigals, a composition for three
to six unaccompanied voices.
 The instuments of the time
included th clavichord,
harpsichord, lute, shawns,
cromornes, trumpets trombones,
drums and portable organs.
Trivia Questions!
 Who painted the Sistine Chapel?
 What city was called “the jewel of the Adriatic”?
 Name an instrument of used to create music
during the renaissance.
 What invention allowed for the sharing of musical
creations from city to city?
 Besides being a painter what else did Leonardo
DaVinci study during his lifetime?
 What is perspective inarsia and which picture in
this presentation displays this artistic technique?
Trivia Answers
 Michelangelo
 Venice
 The instruments of the time included the clavichord,
harpsichord, lute, shawns, cromornes, trumpets
trombones, drums and portable organs.
 The printing press
 Studied animal, human and plants in all aspects of life,
Studied wind and water. Inventor of hundreds of
mechanical devices which never left his notebook. 1513
Undertakes scientific studies of botany, geology, and
hydraulic power.
 the inlay of various kinds of wood to achieve new levels of
pictorial illusion.
Works Cited
 http://images.google.com/images