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Make Things Happen: Curiosity and Innovation
Renaissance Contributions to the Modern World
Shannon Fish
University of La Verne
EDUC 715W Renaissance: A Time of Geniuses and Glorious Gifts
01 November 2020
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“It had long since come to my attention that people of accomplishment rarely sat back and let
things happen to them. They went out and happened to things.” Leonardo da Vinci is attributed to this
quote, with some doubt given that the vernacular sounds quite modern, but whether he said it or not, the
quote is still a reflection of a Renaissance mindset. Names such as Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo,
Gutenberg, Galileo, Machiavelli, Copernicus, Dante, Columbus, and Magellan are names recognized by
most of the general public seven centuries later. Men (because women were scarcely able to contribute
outside the home during the time) who did not wait for a “stroke of luck” or “happy accident” but rather
forged ahead into previously unknown circumstances to leave a profound and lasting impact on the world,
ushering in a modern era--contributing innovation and knowledge still relevant today. A single, common
theme: curiosity.
Considering the Renaissance, Humanism gave heavy influence to the development of various
aspects of the society at the time, namely politics. Translating as ​
studies of humanity​ and focusing on the
revival of Classical principles rather than the contemporary association with an anti-religious sentiment,
Humanism also rose above the differences between the Protestent and Catholic Reformations of the time
(Grendler, 2017). Petrarch, Boccacio, and Salutati rose to importance in furthering the teaching and
study of Humanism.
Petrarch, often titled ​Father of Humanism​, championed the idea that Classical influence and
spiritual teaching were complementary. He was both theologian and poet, with written contributions that
provided a model for Renaissance lyrics (Gruden, 2020). His work motivated both Boccacio and Salutati
to their study of Classicism. Gionvanni Boccacio penned ​
Decameron​. Written as a moral fable,
Decameron​ is a look at the human experience (especially pertaining to the concept of love) based on the
perception of reality, which challenged both church and government (Gruden, 2020). Meanwhile,
Coluccio Salutati collected Classic manuscripts like others of his contemporary Humanists, but also
served as chancellor in Florence, intersecting the ideals of Humanism with Renaissance politics. The
overlap of the two are further exemplified by Machiavelli’s theories.
Best known was his writing ​Prince​ that provided a pragmatic look at politics. In this ruler’s
guidebook, he asserted that he was not addressing utopian societies, which makes his work revolutionary
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from any predecessors and began the study of politics (Harrison, 2017). Machiavelli wrote, “There is
such a gap between ​how​ one lives and how one ​
should​ live that he who neglects what is ​
being done​ for
what ​should be done​ will learn his destruction rather than his preservation.”
Not only was the Renaissance political world expanding, but the very globe itself expanded under
the period’s explorers, leading to the imperialist approach from Eastern Europe and the colonization of
other continents. Christopher Columbus set out for the purpose of reaching Asia by sailing west from
Europe and “discovered” an entirely new continent, establishing ocean travel routes still used today (Flint,
2020). Bartoloneu Dias sailed to the southern tip of Africa, setting a route for Vasco de Gama to reach
India around the Cape of Good Hope effectively connecting two continents. Ferdinand Magellan’s
expedition (he died before returning, but his crew and ships completed the voyage) circumnavigated the
globe proving with finality that the Earth is round. This journey also inadvertently discovered the
necessity of an International Date Line when they returned to find their journal dates inaccurate (Mitchell
and Domingues, 2020). While the negative effects can be argued, lasting positive ones still remain:
established trade routes, exportation and importation of new goods, expansion of geography,
advancement in cartography.
Just as exploration expanded the globe, the Renaissance expanded the entire universe.
Nicolaus Copernicus was the first to propose the heliocentric model, presented in his essay
Commentariolus, t​ hat the sun is the center of the universe (rather than Earth) and discussed the Earth’s
rotation, revolution, and tilt on its axis (Rabin, 2019). Building on Copernicus’s work, Galileo Galilei
published his findings as ​The Starry Messenger. ​Galileo subscribed to the heliocentric model, asserting
that the earth actually travels around the sun, yet what makes his work so impactful is his improvements
on the spyglass to create a telescope with which he also observed that Jupiter has four moons, Venus
waxes and wanes, and the moon is covered in mountains and craters (Zax, 2009). Despite his “heretical
claims” (that earned him sanctions from the Catholic Church, which has since amended its handling of
Galileo), his innovations more importantly earned him the legacy of “Father of Modern Science.” The
aforementioned discoveries challenged the previously held beliefs of Aristotle which caused much
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contemporary controversy for the scientists, but opened the heavens to humankind, so that by the
twenty-first century, the United States alone has launched over 100 space shuttles.
Any discussion on the science and technology of the Renaissance would be remiss to leave out
mention of Johannes Gutenberg and his printing press, more accurately his printing ​
process.​ In addition
to the invention of the physical press that applied even pressure across a printing plate. Gutenberg fitted
his press with moveable type made of a metal alloy specific to this purpose and developed an oil-based
ink that transferred well and maintained readability (Lehmann-Haupt, 2020). As evidence of the printing
press affecting the spread of written word across Europe, prior to Gutenberg’s printing process, the total
number of books in all of Europe is estimated at 30 thousand. Just fifty year later, that number is
estimated at 12 million, with Gutenberg’s major production being the ​
42-Line Bible​ (​
The Gutenberg
Press...,​ 2020).
While the written arts disseminated throughout Europe, the Visual Arts (henceforth, ​
Art​)​f​ lourished
as well. Both literature and the arts exhibit notable developments inspired by the natural world and
finding pleasure and beauty within. Renaissance Art gifted the world the concept that Fine Art and its
creator(s) should be celebrated (Kleiner, 2016). The genre is known for mastery of linear and aerial
perspective, representing anatomy, using specific lighting sources, and applying scientific approaches to
realism. Giotto, Duccio, and Masaccio initiated these studies early in the Renaissance, providing a
prologue for the more widely known masters such as Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, Raphael,
Donatello. Leonardo’s ​Virgin of the Rocks (​ alternately titled ​
Madonna of the Rocks​) generally marks the
transition of art to the High Renaissance period during which the aforementioned areas of mastery
reached their zenith (Kleiner, 2016). Meanwhile, the performing arts, namely that of music and opera,
flourished across Europe. New instruments were created and woven with poetry to form new
approaches--well summarized by Rebecca Arkenberg’s article ​
Music in the Renaissance​, “Sixteenth
century humanists studied ancient Greek treatises on music, which discussed the close relationship
between music and poetry and how music could stir the listener’s emotions. Inspired by the Classical
world, Renaissance composers fit words and music together in an increasingly dramatic fashion….(2000)”
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The Arts during the Renaissance is distinctly connected to discussion of business during the
period. Artists, and guilds, thrived on the financial backing of patrons. “Through patronage, the ‘rise of
the individual’ elevated the artist to a new level of social and cultural importance,” asserts Hickson (2017).
Patrons at the forefront were the Medici family, who are also notable for the establishment of the Medici
bank, structured much like banks today, including branch locations across Italy (Good, 2017), and their
dominant role in trade during the period as one of the wealthiest families of ẻẻthe time. Trade during the
Renaissance expanded the global economy, especially through trade routes to Asia established by Marco
Polo, and established foundations for trade practices still in existence today (Good, 2017).
Medical practice prior to the Renaissance, during the Middle Ages, provided only rare access to
doctors, and even then heavily reliance on superstition, the use of herbs, spells and incantations, or
prayer and penance were the best care that could be provided. The Renaissance saw immense strides
toward our modern medicine, especially related to how the human body actually works (Toledo-Pereyra,
2015): William Harvey accurately described the functions of the circulatory system, including how the
heart pumps blood throughout the body; Leonardo da Vinci, along with doctor Marcantonio della Torre,
created accurate illustrations of the human body, da Vinci becoming the first to study biomechanics in his
images of bones and muscles; and Adreas Vesalius published ​
De Humani Corporis Fabrica​ [literally, ​
On
Structures of the Human Body​ (MNT, 2018)]. Meanwhile, Girolamo Fracastoro proposed that epidemics
were caused by pathogens outside the human body, that can be directly and indirectly (i.e. clothing or
bedding) passed between humans. Ambroise Paré progressed the surgical field with the invention of
tools, experimentation with various treatment methods, and ligature (stitching) rather than cauterization
during amputations. Paré could also be credited with his recognition of mental health and psychology
because he was one of the first to acknowledge that “phantom pains” of an amputated limb originated
from the brain (MNT, 2018).
The very word ​curiosity​ originated during the Renaissance (14th century), derived from the Latin
curiosus​ meaning, “Careful, inquisitive” (Merriam-Webster, n.d.). The originators of the term ​
Renaissance
Man​ were fueled by the perspicacity and tenacity to act upon the urging and discovery provided by
curiosity, accomplishments that even six centuries later impact nearly every aspect of human existence.
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References
Arkenberg, Rebecca. “Music in the Renaissance.” In ​
Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History​. New York: The
Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2000. Retrieved September 7, 2020, from
http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/renm/hd_renm.htm (October 2002)
Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica. (2020, March 05). Renaissance art. Retrieved August 31, 2020, from
https://www.britannica.com/art/Renaissance-art
Flint, V. I. (2020, May 16). Christopher Columbus. Retrieved August 13, 2020, from
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Christopher-Columb​
us
Good, A. (2017, December 08). Renaissance Economies: Italian Trade Practices. Retrieved November
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Kleiner, F. S. (2016). High and Late Renaissance. In ​
Gardner's, Art through the ages: Book D:
Renaissance and Baroque​ (pp. 624-626). Boston, MA: Cengage Learning.
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Lehmann-Haupt, H. (2020, July 21). Johannes Gutenberg. Retrieved August 29, 2020, from
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Merriam-Webster. (n.d.). Curiosity. In ​Merriam-Webster.com dictionary.​ Retrieved November 1, 2020,
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https://www.britannica.com/biography/Ferdinand-Magellan
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