The European Renaissance
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1300- 1600 A.D.
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During the Middle Ages the
Church taught that man was
sinful and people should be
focused on God and heaven
and not on man’s
achievements and material
goods
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During the renaissance beliefs
Was a “rebirth” of trade that
started to change
brought wealth to Europe which,
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Man and his achievements were
in turn, produced a “rebirth” of
good and could be pursued and
cities,
studied
art and
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The human body was not
Education
shameful and could be painted
(even naked)
The knowledge of the Ancient
Greeks and Romans could be
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‘Wordly’ (not heavenly) goods like
appreciated and studied again
Fine clothes and fine foods could
be produced and desired
Reading was ‘cool’ again
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Books, Poetry and plays could be
Studying science was good again
written about human affairs just
Cities and Churches should be
as long as you didn’t go against
made beautiful again
the church
Medieval
Changes as the Roman Empire Declined and
life transitioned into the DARK AGES
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(1st part of the Middle Ages)
As cities were the targets of invasion
people left cities took refuge on manors
or large estates where they could grow
their own food
Trade massively declined
So people had to farm to eat
Money became scarce and people
bartered (traded)
With cities’ populations down there were
no cohesive administration centers (loss
of government structure)
Education declined
The Latin language began to change or
not be spoken at all
Small kingdoms replaced Roman
provinces
Loyalty and respect for Roman law and
institutions was forgotten
People looked to the Church not Rome
as a unifying or defining culture
The POPE (leader of the Catholic
Church) was sort of the new Roman
The Lord’s Manor
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The Lord was the law of the
manor whatever he said - went
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Manors were self-sufficient – you did
not go to the store. Everything you
needed was produced on the manor
The manor had bakers, blacksmiths,
clothes makers – even a church
SERFS: were peasant farmers who
were so much in debt to the Lord
that they could never leave
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The peasants started to work at 4
years old and never went to school
Most serfs never left the manor their
entire lives
They lived in small huts and hardly
ever took baths
They could marry at 14 and most did
not live past 50 years
Humanism
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a belief that humans
and their
achievements are
good, not bad, and
the idea that secular
(non-religious)
activities should be
pursued, celebrated
and studied
Middle Ages
Renaissance
Middle ages/Renaissance
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Most could not read – no books or
learning
Books hand-copied not many
expensive
Lived on manors with the lord and
farmed
Basic food, same ugly clothes
everyday
Chivalry makes the man
No trade, no money, no banks or
markets
Man is sinful and needs the church
to redeem him
Do work for the church – do not
autograph reward in heaven
People were born into certain
social class and couldn’t change –
nobility/commoner
Go to church
Don’t read the Bible – the church
will tell you everything you need
to know
The man died “because it was the
Lord’s will that he die”
The earth is flat
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Demand for books and learning to
read
Printing press-thousands affordable
Moved back to the cities work all
kinds of jobs
Fine exotic food, stylish clothes
Money makes the man
Lots of trade, money, banks,
markets
Man is o.k. we can talk of his
achievements and spend time
pursuing “worldly” things
Do art that is “real” almost 3D,
bold colors, naked – speaks of the
past glories of Rome and Greece
and autograph and get the credit!
People could gain status by
becoming wealthy merchants
Go see a play
Read everything you can and
make your own conclusions
“Let’s cut the guy open and see
why he died”
The earth is round
Trade routes from the Far
East to the Middle East then
to Italy
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Provinces of italian citystates during the
Renaissance
Massive Wealth from trade
Powerful banking families
(Medici family of Florence)
Patrons of the arts – paying
large sums of money to hire
guys like Michelangelo and
Leonardo da Vinci to make
sculptures or paintings for
your palace, city church or
tomb
Learn to read – read the
works of the Greeks and
Romans
Finish the Sentences
•The
•A
Renaissance…
difference between the Middle Ages and the
Renaissance was…
* Another difference between the Middle Ages
and the Renaissance was…
Finish these Sentences
•A
Patron …
•Michelangelo…
•The Sistine Chapel…
•Leonardo da Vinci…
•Raphael…
Patron
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a wealthy person who
supports artistic
activity and individual
artists so that they
can work on art all
day long and not
have to work at a
normal job
Medici family
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wealthy Italian family
from the city of
Florence who made
their money in
banking. They were
supporters of the arts
and ruled and
influenced Florentine
politics for over a
hundred years
Perspective
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the technique of representing three-dimensional
(3D) objects and depth relationships on a twodimensional surface
Santa maria in Florence
PISA
St. mark’S in Venice
St. Peter’S BaSilica in the
Vatican (PoPe’S church)
Universal
(Renaissance) Man
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the name given to
men of the
Renaissance who
attempted to be good
at many different
pursuits. A man who
might be good in
sculpting, painting,
poetry and playing an
instrument
renaissance or
“uniVerSal men”
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Michelangelo
Leonardo da
Vinci
Raphael
Donatello
And many others
…. the aBoVe are
simply the most
well-known
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Men who were good at
many different crafts and
skills. Things like
sculpting, painting,
playing an instrument,
poetry, etc.
Donatello
Michelangelo
Leonardo da Vinci
Raphael
Michelangelo
Bunorati
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master sculptor,
painter, architect
whose achievements
include The David,
The Pieta and the
ceiling of the Sistine
Chapel (chapel in the
Vatican)
“I saw the angel in the stone and I carved to set him free”
-Michelangelo
The Pieta
The DAVID
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Florence, Italy
Tomb of Giuliano Medici
The ceiling of the
Sistine Chapel
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Chapel next to St. Peter’s
Basilica
(The Pope’s Church)
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Michelangelo
Last Judgement
Painted on the wall of
the Sistine Chapel
Leonardo da Vinci
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painter, sculptor, mechanical designer. His most
famous accomplishments include The Mona Lisa
and The Last Supper
Inventor, Designer,
Architect, Painter,
sculptor
The Last Supper
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Place: Convent of
Santa Maria delle
Grazie (Refectory),
Milan, Italy
Mona Lisa
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Current Place: Louvre,
Museum. Paris,
France
Raphael Sanzio [1483-1520]
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A favorite of the Pope
Julius II
His most famous
works are in St.
Peter’s Basilica
(pope’s church and
residence) They
include: The school of
Athens, the walls of
the Sistine chapel and
La Disputa
Walls of the Sistine
Chapel
The Transfiguration
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The Transfiguration
Raphael
Place: St. Peter’s
Basilica
La Disputa
School of Athens
Place: hallway near the PoPe’S SleePing
Quarters in the Vatican
Donatello
Sandro Boticelli’s
“Birth of Venus”
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Place: Convent of
Santa Maria delle
Grazie (Refectory),
Milan, Italy
The David after living
in America
Nicolo Machiavelli
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an Italian diplomat and
advisor to the Medici
rulers and writer whose
book The Prince (1513)
describes ways for rulers
to stay in power even if
they must use
dishonesty, trickery, and
fear.
Coined the phrase
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“The end justifies the
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means”
Excerpts from
Machiavelli’s “The Prince”
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Upon this a question arises: whether it is better to be loved than feared or
feared than loved? It may be answered that one should wish to be both, but,
because it is difficult to unite them in one person, it is much safer to
be feared than loved, when, of the two, either must be dispensed
with. Because this is to be asserted in general of men, that they are
ungrateful, fickle, false, cowardly, covetous, and as long as you successed
they are yours entirely;
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Nevertheless a prince ought to inspire fear in such a way
that, if he does not win love, he avoids hatred; because he can endure very
well being feared whilst he is not hated, which will always be as long as he
abstains from the property of his citizens and subjects and from their
women.
William Shakespeare
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the most celebrated
English playwright of
the Renaissance who
wrote a great number
of plays that
portrayed and
analyzed humanistic
topics that ranged
anywhere from
themes like love and
betrayal to greed and
lust for power
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Johan
Gutenberg
Originally a goldsmith, Johan
Gutenberg from Mainz, Germany
used the idea of a wooden wine
press to “press” his moveable type
letters to print the first known Bible
in 1453.
Gutenberg Printed 500 Bibles
Gutenberg was heavily in debt and
his creditor took his idea and sold
its design
In a few years there were over 220
Gutenberg presses in the major
cities all around Europe
By the year 1500 it is estimated
that close to 8 million books had
been printed
Results of the Printing Press
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Because the Church
hated this idea of
regular people owning
and reading bibles it
hunted down the
Gutenberg bibles and
burned them.
Today, there are only
11 complete
Gutenberg Bibles that
are still around and
obviously are very
expensive
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Why would the
Church be against
regular people
reading the Bible?
Discuss with your Group:
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What is going to come about now that
there are printing presses around Europe?
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Come up with as many results as you can
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Most results gets extra credit
Vincent Van Gogh
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Starry night
Sunflowers
Irises
Claude Monet
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Water Lillies