RENAISSANCE REVIEW
The Italian and Northern Renaissance!
(School of Athens, Raphael, 1508)
What was the Renaissance?
 Renaissance comes from the French word for “rebirth”
 It was a restoration of classical arts and learning of Rome and
Greece, which had almost been extinct during the Middle Ages
 A time of creativity and change in Europe, began in the mid-14th
century
 A time of rebirth after the disorder and disunity of the medieval
world
Why Italy?
 LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION
Trade = Money
 Also cities were prosperous
centers of trade and
manufacturing
 Wealthy merchant class there
promoted the cultural rebirth by
stressing education, individual
achievement, and spending
money to support the arts
 City States grow wealthy, spend
money on art.
 ** Also, Italy was center of Roman
history
Renaissance Moves North
 The Renaissance moved north to France, Belgium, Germany,
Spain, and England 100 years after it began in Italy.
 Why?
 The plague reduced the population in Europe and recovery was
delayed in the north, recovering from the Hundred Years’ War
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sh8mNjeuyV4
 Only after 1450 did the north enjoy economic growth to support the
Renaissance
 How?
 Cities like Flanders grew rapidly, supporting wealthy patrons
 Monarchs hired Italian artists and architects
Middle Ages v. Renaissance
 Middle Ages:
 people only think about what happens when you die.
 Everything you do has a consequence in the afterlife.
 People do not want to try or learn new things because they are afraid
of the Church and not making it into heaven.
 Renaissance:
 people begin thinking about here and now. Want to live an eventful,
exciting, and meaningful life. Stop living their life in fear of the Church
or not going to heaven.
 Renaissance: More focus on achievement of the individual
HUMANISM
 Humanism- intellectual movement at the heart of the Italian
Renaissance that focused on worldly subjects like human
potential and achievement rather than on religious issues
 Petrarch – Father of Renaissance Humanism
 Thought it was more important to learn about history, literature,
and philosophy rather than religious beliefs and traditions. Thus,
we have the humanities!
Renaissance Man
 Renaissance thinkers were
eager to explore richness and
variety in human experience
 The Renaissance ideal was the
person with talent in many fields
 A Renaissance man is a wellrounded person with many
talents and interests
 Examples: Leonardo da Vinci,
Michelangelo, Lorenzo de
Medici
Leonardo, Michelangelo, Donatello, and
Raphael
 Leonardo da Vinci: Painted Mona
Lisa, sketched nature/models,
inventor, anatomy, engineering,
music, etc.
 Michelangelo: Sculpture of David,
Also painted Sistine Chapel ceiling
and altar wall
 Donatello: His statue of David was
the first large free-standing nude
since ancient times
•Raphael: Paintings
blending Christian and
Classical ideals,
School of Athens was
a painting of a
gathering of famous
thinkers, also painted
tender pictures of the
AKA: the Ninja Painters
Renaissance Art v. Medieval Art
 Reflected humanist concerns
 Did portray religious figures, but with a Greek or
Roman background
 Pictures of well-known figures
 Tried to make art look more realistic with use of
perspective
 Perspective– artistic technique used to give
drawings and paintings a 3-D effect on a flat
surface
 Oil Painting– allowed painters to build layers on
their work and also had more vibrant colors
 Human body portrayed more accurately than
before
5 Characteristics of Italian
Renaissance Art
1. Realism & Expression
 Expulsion from
the Garden
 Masaccio
 1427
 First nudes since
classical times.
2. Perspective
 The Trinity
Perspective!
Perspective!
Perspective!
Perspective!
Perspective!
 Masaccio
 1427
Perspective!
Perspective!
First use
of linear
perspective!
What you are,
I once was;
what I am,
you will
become.
1st artist credited with using
perspective
 Giotto di Bondone
3. Emphasis on Individualism
 Batista Sforza & Federico de Montefeltre:
The Duke & Dutchess of Urbino
 Piero della Francesca, 1465-1466.
4. Geometrical Arrangement of Figures
 The Dreyfus
Madonna
with the
Pomegranat
e
 Leonardo da
Vinci
 1469
 The figure as
architecture!
5. Artists as Personalities/Celebrities
 Lives of the Most
Excellent Painters,
Sculptors, and
Architects
 Giorgio Vasari
 1550
Medieval or Renaissance and
why?
•Medieval Italy, 1300s
•Religious, no use of
perspective
•Lack of accuracy in
human form
•Renaissance Italy,
1450
•Religious, but with a
Greek background
•Use of perspective
Which came first?
Botticelli, Italy, c. 1500
This one!
Berlinghiero, Italy,
1230s
Christ Giving the Keys to St. Peter: Fresco in
Sistine Chapel…PERSPECTIVE AT WORK!