To introduce the Renaissance, I could not do better than to quote from an excellent book called _A
Guide to Art_, by Sandro Sproccati. This is what he says to lead off his chapter "The Early
Renaissance."
At the beginning of the fifteenth century the historical conditions were being created that would
eventually shape that vast movement of ideas, opinions, and scholarship which we call the
Renaissance. In Italy, the prosperity and growth of the major courts--Medici in Florence, Montefeltro in
Urbino. . .and Anjou followed by Aragon in Naples--brought patronage and the desire for spendour and
decorum, in both public and private matters, which elevated the arts to a prime place in society. In
philosophy, a singular partnership was growing between the spiritual and secular worlds, the former
reassessing the profane values of Graeco-Roman culture as not necessarily antithetical to "Christian
truth." In science in general, a similar rapprochement was being entertained between esoteric
disciplines such as alchemy and astrology and the natural and exact sciences.
A product of the new eclecticism was the revival of the classics, which were copied, revised and, in
certain cases, even translated into the vernacular. The image of the intellectual changed: no longer
that of a "cleric" in the service of Church propaganda but of a learned "philologist," privy to the secret
of that universal and timeless knowledge, which was once the preserve of the Greeks and now was
reborn in an equally secular and progressive society.
So according to Sproccati Renaissance thinkers were trying to recapture the intellectual and artistic
glories of the classical world (ancient Greece and Rome) and fuse them with contemporary Christian
theology. Remember that the word "Renaissance" itself means "rebirth." This society sought to revive
what it saw as humanity's greatest culture of learning, and to a great degree it succeeded.
Renaissance philosophers and artists were humanists: that is, they believed in the worth and dignity of
the individual and tried to better themselves in all areas (the Renaissance Man being the highest
example of this mould), to further both their own glory and the glory of their society. In this they were
helped by a system of patronage which let artists take time to develop masterpieces, provided they
dedicated those works to wealthy patrons of the arts.
In art, the secular and scientific were wed seamlessly to an older religious impulse. For example,
paintings of the Virgin Mary and Christ child abound during the Renaissance, just as they did in the
Middle Ages, but now the figures are depicted realistically and with three-dimensional depth. By the
time Leonardo da Vinci comes along in the High Renaissance, painting seems to be a more or less
exact science; his "Madonna of the Rocks" has flora and fauna of astonishing real-world accuracy, and
his "The Last Supper" presents its subject with a geometric precision, the vanishing point of the
triangle of perspective lines focusing the reader's gaze precisely at Jesus (and a subtle, completely
rationalized "halo" provided by the doorway behind his head).
Geometric precision is part of Renaissance architecture as well. There is a great emphasis on reason
and logic, since Renaissance thinkers are newly enamored with the human mind; and so the classical
pillar, always so measured and stately in its simple purpose, comes back into vogue. Pillars are used
in many designs, such as the facade of the church at Mantua, by Leon Battista Alberti, who worked to
create harmony based upon mathematical precepts. Domes also become popular at this time, such as
Brunelleschi's famous dome for the Florence Cathedral, which still dominates the city's skyline. Many
times art and architecture are wed, as at the Vatican's Sistine Chapel, where the frescoes of
Michelangelo shine. Recently refurbished and glowing in their original (and particularly Renaissance)
pastel blues and pinks, this art still speaks to us and reminds us why the Renaissance means so
much. Perhaps there is no more famous image than the "Creation of Adam" portion of the chapel
ceiling, where God's outstretched hand is about to meet that of Adam. This marriage of Christian
theology and contemporary imagination set the Renaissance apart.