OUT OF THE DARK AGES
FROM THE MIDDLE AGES
TO THE
MANKIND
MIDDLE AGES
Man was just another of
God’s creations---no
more or less important
than any other plant or
animal.
RENAISSANCE
Man was positioned just
below God and the
angels in creation. His
special gift was the
freedom to choose what
he would make of his life
on earth.
A person was born to his One could improve one’s
station in life and there
status in life through
was no hope of ever
education and hard work.
changing one’s class or
status
MANKIND
MIDDLE AGES
• The “ideal” man
accepted his station in
life and lived his life in
a way that would gain
him entrance into
heaven in the afterlife.
RENAISSANCE
• An ideal man should
be educated and wellrounded. He should
be all that he was
capable of being
according to his gifts.
PURPOSE OF LIFE
MIDDLE AGES
• One should accept
one’s life of ignorance
and suffering because
life on earth did not
matter- the purpose of
life was to get into
heaven after death.
RENAISSANCE
• Life was beautiful and
filled with expressions of
God’s divinity. On earth,
man could be the highest
expression of that divinity
if he chose to do so.
• There was a greater
emphasis on “worldly”
concerns due to the
rediscovery and study of
ancient Greek and Roman
culture.
EDUCATION
MIDDLE AGES
• The Church was the
ultimate authority on all
things.
• Learning had little value,
for it was not important to
a life of suffering on earth.
• Education was limited to
the clergy.
RENAISSANCE
• Humanist education
spread among the
upper and middle
classes.
• Education was highly
valued---people
wanted to learn as
much as they could
about everything…this was their
duty!
POLITICS
MIDDLE AGES
• The Church
dominated politics
and sought a unified
Europe. The Church
was supreme to the
state, it authority
could not be
questioned, and
heretics and
dissenters were dealt
with harshly.
RENAISSANCE
• The “state” was
supreme to the
Church. The “new
monarchs” asserted
power over the
Church.
RELIGION
RENAISSANCE
MIDDLE AGES
• The Church was
• Religion dominated
important, but it was
ALL thought.
man’s gift and duty to
• Scholasticism tried to
think for himself.
reconcile Christianity • There was a rise of
with the teachings of
skepticism about the
Aristotle. Goal was to
teachings of the
prove the existence of
Church.
God through logical
• The popes were
reasoning.
worldly and corrupt.
LITERATURE
MIDDLE AGES
• Literature was based
almost solely on
religion, written in
Latin, and written by
hand by monks in the
scriptorium.
• Illuminated
manuscripts
RENAISSANCE
• Literature was written
in the vernacular,
covered a broad range
of subjects, reflected
a humanistic
philosophy, and
focused on the
individual.
• The printing press
made books available
to everyone.
PETRARCH
FATHER OF HUMANISM
INVENTED “ITALIAN”
SONNET
WROTE LOVE POEMS
TO LAURA
POET LAUREATE
OF ROME
GIOVANNI BOCCACCIO
WROTE IN THE
VERNACULAR
WROTE “THE
DECAMERON” -
DANTE (ALLIGHIERI)
WROTE “THE DIVINE
COMEDY”
WROTE LOVE POEMS
TO BEATRICE
PICO DELLA
MIRANDOLA
WROTE “ORATION ON THE
DIGNITY OF MAN”
MAN IS GREATER THAN
ALL OTHER CREATURES
BECAUSE GOD GAVE HIM
THE ABILITY TO MAKE
CHOICES AND TO BE
WHATEVER HE CHOSE TO
BE.
WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE
GREATEST WRITER IN THE
ENGLISH LANGUAGE
WROTE HUNDREDS OF
PLAYS
WROTE “ENGLISH”
SONNETS
BUILT THE GLOBE THEATER
TO PERFORM PLAYS
“WHAT A PIECE OF WORK IS
MAN….” (HAMLET)
DESIDERIUS ERASMUS
GREAT DUTCH HUMANIST
MEMBER OF THE CLERGY
WANTED TO REFORM THE
CHURCH FROM WITHIN
WROTE “THE PRAISE OF
FOLLY” – A SATIRE OF
THE CHURCH
FRANCOIS RABELAIS
FRENCH HUMANIST
WROTE “GARGANTUA
AND PANTAGRUEL”
ABOUT A MONSTER
AND HIS SON.
THIS WAS A SATIRE ON
THE CHURCH---THE
MONSTERS
REPRESENTED THE
CLERGY.
MIGUEL DE CERVANTES
SPANISH WRITER
WROTE “THE
ADVENTURES OF DON
QUIXOTE”
CREDITED WITH
WRITING THE FIRST
NOVEL.
BALDASSAR CASTIGLIONE
WROTE “THE
COURTIER” – A BOOK
OF RENAISSANCE
ETIQUETTE
THE IDEAL COURTIER
SHOULD POSSESS
“SPREZZATURA” –THE
ABILITY TO MAKE THE
DIFFICULT LOOK EASY
AND EFFORTLESS.
NICCOLO MACHIAVELLI
WROTE “THE PRINCE” –
A HANDBOOK FOR
RULERS.
SAID TO BE BASED ON
CESARE BORGIA
A PRINCE SHOULD
TELL THE TRUTH OR
BE “GOOD” ONLY
WHEN IT IS IN HIS
OWN BEST INTEREST
TO DO SO.
SCULPTURE
• MIDDLE AGES
• Sculpture was Gothic
in design, very
detailed, and tended
to be reliefs.
• RENAISSANCE
• Sculpture showed
Greek and Roman
classical influences.
They tended to be free
standing statues, and
bronze was often
used.
CONTRAPPOSTO
SCULPTURE
•
•
ARCHITECTURE
• MIDDLE AGES
• Churches and cathedrals
were immense with tall
spires that pointed toward
heaven.
• Architecture was built in
the Gothic style with
pointed arches, flying
buttresses, tall spires, and
barrel vaults. It tended to
be elaborate in detail.
• RENAISSANCE
• Architecture was filled
with arches, clear
lines, Greco-Roman
columns, and domes.
Style was less
detailed because the
focus was on
symmetry, balance,
and form.
ARCHITECTURE
•
•
FILIPPO BRUNELLESCHI
•
•
RENAISSANCE
PAINTING
• MIDDLE AGES
• In art, Byzantine and
Gothic styles dominated.
Art was almost always
religious in subject matter.
Figures were stiff and onedimensional, and they
lacked emotion. Artists
used fresco and tempera
paint, illuminated figures
in gold, and no
perspective was used.
• RENAISSANCE
• In art, there was an
increased emphasis on
secular (worldly) themes,
and the paintings
incorporated classic Greek
and Roman ideals. Artists
incorporated perspective
and chiaroscuro. There
was an increased use of
oil paints, brighter colors,
more emotion, and real
people and settings.
LINEAR PERSPECTIVE
AERIAL OR ATMOSPHERIC
PERSPECTIVE
SFUMATO
CHIAROSCURO
TRIANGULAR
COMPOSITION
OIL PAINT
CLASSICAL THEMES
CLASSICAL THEMES