Back to the Future
5 Causes
 1.) More Wealth available through increased
international trading
 2.) More technical knowledge and
appreciation for academics
 3.) Rediscovery and appreciation of Classical
artistic contributions
 4.) The Protestant Reformation decreased
the influence of the church
 5.) End of the plague-filled years in Europe
4 Key Breakthroughs in Painting
 Oil Paint on Canvas –
(replaced tempera paint
on wood & fresco on
plaster) this provided a
much greater range of
colors & shading
Painting by Artemesia Gentileschi. Israeli leader Judith and her
assistant Abra cutting the head off an enemy warlord.
Note the calm expressions (although it is suspected that
overzealous restoration erased some of the furrows from
their brows.)
Perspective – the illusion of depth on a flat surface –
objects fade toward a “Vanishing Point”
 Chiaroscuro –
(light/dark in Italian)
the use of light &
shadow to creating
depth & realism
through accurate
shading.
The Girl With the Pearl Earring – Johannes Vermeer
 Pyramid
Configuration –
Building the focus of an
image to a climax in the
center
The Virgin of the Rocks – Leonardo de Vinci
Particular Eras and Regions
Early Renaissance (1400-1500)
Originates in Florence, Italy due to
its status as the center of Europe’s
banking system
Key patron is the Medici family
3 Key Artists represent the
significant developments of the
Early Renaissance
Florence & The Medicis
 Masaccio – “The
Father of
Renaissance
Painting” –
established many
of the techniques
associated with
this period in 1420s

The Holy Trinity
Expulsion from the Garden of Eden
 Donatello - “The
Father of
Renaissance
Sculpture” - his
David is the first
free-standing nude
statue since the
classical period,
but more “real”.
Botticelli – Painter who used new techniques to tell
the story of the classical. The “Birth of Venus” is
his signature work.
High Renaissance (1500-1600)
 Center of the movement shifts to Rome
with the decline of the Medici family in
Florence
 Key patron is Pope Julius II
 Period is seen as the peak of
achievement in the arts
 Period begins when Leonardo Da Vinci
paints his “Last Supper” in 1495
High Renaissance Cont.
 Key contribution to architecture is
Donato Bramante’s Tempietto 1502
 Key painting: Da Vinci’s Mona Lisa
(1505) & Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel
ceiling.
 Key sculpture is Michelangelo’s Pieta (1505)
Northern Renaissance (1400-1600)
 The Renaissance as it was interpreted by the
cultures outside of Italy (not just north)
 Region did not have Roman ruins to
rediscover, but looked to nature for
inspiration
 Invention of the printing press helped
spread the developments in Italy
 The Northern Renaissance was also closely
linked to the Protestant Reformation
Northern Renaissance Hall of Fame
Holland –
Jan Van Eyck
“The Arnolfini
Wedding” 1434
Northern Renaissance Hall of Fame
 Spain –
 El Greco
 “The Resurrection”
1600
Germany –
Albrecht Durer
“Four Horsemen of the
Apocalypse” 1497
Belgium – Pieter Bruegel “Hunters in the Snow” 1565
Literature
 In 1450 Guttenberg invents printing press,
huge impact on availability & length of
literature
 Machiavelli writes The Prince in 1513, still a
guide for getting & maintaining political
power
 The height of Allegory – stories where
fictional characters symbolically represent
another level of “Truth”
Literature Cont.
 Martin Luther translates the bible into German &
founds Protestantism
 During 1590’s playwriting is at its height in
Elizabethan England and William Shakespeare
is the leading figure of this group.
Performing Arts
 15th Century performing
arts saw a revival during
the Renaissance .
 Ballet was born in Italy in
the late 15th century as an
interpretation of fencing
 The First Opera - Dafne
by Jacopo Peris – was
performed in 1597
 The plays (acting) of
Shakespeare highlight
this era in England
Leonardo Da Vinci
 Renaissance Man: A wise person
talented in many fields with various
skills and abilities.
 Lived 1452 – 1519 - an
intelligent, handsome and charming
Italian
 “His abilities were so extraordinary
that he could readily solve every
difficulty”
 An Accomplished: Singer –
Mountain Climber – Ornithologist –
Inventor – Writer – Painter –
Mathematician – Musician –
Conversationalist
The Original Renaissance Man
 One flaw, so curious that he would often abandon
one project for another
 Less than twenty completed paintings survive
 Conceived of ideas vastly ahead of his own time,
notably inventing the helicopter, a tank, solar power,
the calculator, the theory of plate tectonics, and others
 Greatly advanced the state of knowledge in the fields
of anatomy, astronomy, civil engineering, optics and
the study of water
Leonardo da Vinci: The Man Who
Wanted to Know Everything
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rog5i2n1QVs
Raphael – Key Details
 Considered “Most Popular” of the Big 3
(Trinity of Great Renaissance Masters)
 Hired by the Pope to decorate the Vatican at 26
 Was a devoted Ladies’ Man, and Mentor
 Died of Illness on his 37th Birthday
Raphael – Key Works
Resurrection of Christ
* School of Athens
Sistine Madonna
Portrait of Pope Julius II
Michelangelo – Key Details
 Hired
by the Medici @ 15
 Held in high regard, but preferred to live in solitude
 Talented as a sculptor and a painter, but viewed
sculpture as a superior art
 Worked alone on 10,000 sq. ft. Sistine Chapel ceiling
but finished in 4 years
Michelangelo – Key Works
 Sistine Chapel
Michaelangelo
Pieta
Michaelangelo
David
Michaelangelo
 The Last Judgment (part
of the Sistine Chapel)
Donatello – Key Details
 Born to an Artisan and trained by Martelli
Family
 Got his start as a Goldsmith
 Primarily a sculptor
 Traveled to Rome to study 1404-1407, greatly
influencing direction of Renaissance Art
Donatello – Key Works
David
Donatello – Key works
Magdalene Penitent
Donatello – key works
 Statue of St. John The Baptist
 St. Mark
Donatello – key works
 Statue of St. John The Baptist
 St. Mark