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Northern Renaissance. Spread of the Renaissance. By the late 15 th century, Italian Renaissance thought and ideals had spread to France, Germany, England, most of Northern Europe. N. Renaissance differed from the Italian Renaissance in some respects
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Spread of the Renaissance • By the late 15th century, Italian Renaissance thought and ideals had spread to France, Germany, England, most of Northern Europe. • N. Renaissance differed from the Italian Renaissance in some respects • Greater effort than in Italy to reconcile secular and Christian values and attitudes • Infused with a more powerful Christian spirit • Focused more on the ancient texts of Christianity rather than of Romans and Greeks • Studied Latin and Greek, like in Italy, but for editing the Bible and reading writings of Church Fathers • Distinctly religious in character
Development of Printing • One of the most important events in the Renaissance outside of Italy • Johannes Gutenberg of Mainz in the German Rhineland around 1440 • Printed edition of the Bible- 1456 • By 1480, there were over 380 printing presses in operation • Had an immense impact on European civilization, enabling the rapid spread of knowledge and ideas among the educated classes
Northern Humanists • Humanism in the Northern Renaissance is referred to as Christian humanism because of the humanists’ efforts to unite classical learning with the Christian faith • Rejected medieval Christianity’s excessive emphasis on other-worldliness • Sought to achieve a balance of otherworldly and secular concerns and regarded classics as guides in that quest • Desire to use knowledge of classics to deepen understanding of the Christian faith • Begin to criticize Catholic Church
The Brethren of the Common Life • Contributed to the development of Christian Humanism • Devoted themselves to education based on classical learning and to creating a deep spiritual relationship with Christ and a love for human beings
Erasmus (1466-1536) • One of the most famous of the Christian Humanists • Although he was ordained to priesthood, he devoted his life to classical studies • Was a master of the Greek Language • Made new translations of the Greek and Latin versions of the New Testament to create “purer” editions • Devout Catholic who sought to reform the Church, not to destroy it
Praise of Folly first printed in 1511 • Satire, ridiculed many attitudes of his own time – ignorance, superstition, and greed • Satire was sharp when it was directed against churchmen who manifested these qualities • Criticized the immorality and hypocrisy of Church leaders and the clergy • Best seller- only the Bible sold more by 1550 • Written in Latin- so not for mass consumption • Book inspired renewed calls for reform and influenced Martin Luther “Erasmus laid the egg that Luther hatched”
Erasmian Humanism • Based on Erasmus’s belief that the Christian religion offered humanity sound guidelines for its moral conduct and that religion and learning were bound together • Even though he was a critic of the abuses of the Roman Catholic Church he was not a Protestant • He had faith in the ability for humans to reform their institutions from within
Thomas More (1478-1535) • England’s greatest humanist • Prime example of civic humanist- rose to the highest government position of any humanist • Lord Chancellor to King Henry VIII in England • Most famous work– Utopia • Society based on reason and tolerance • Practiced Christianity free of ignorance and superstition • No private property or desire for profit • Contrasted this society with all the evils existing in his own society
Thomas More • Mixes civic humanism with religious ideals to describe a perfect society located on an imaginary island • In order to achieve harmony and order people have to be willing to sacrifice their individual rights for the common good
Jacques Lefevred’Etables (1454-1536) • Leading French humanist and good example of how Northern Christian humanists • Produced 5 versions of the Psalms that challenged a single authoritative version of the Bible
Francesco Ximenes de Cisneros (1436-1517) • Spanish humanist who reformed the Spanish clergy and church so that many of the Church abuses highlighted in Reformation didn’t necessarily apply to Spain • Grand Inquisitor of Spanish Inquisition • Shows that not all humanists were necessarily tolerant in views
French Writers • François Rabelais (1494-1553) • Secular writings portrayed his confidence in human nature and reflected Renaissance ideals • Gargantua and Pantagruel • Folk epic and comic masterpiece that satirized French society • Attacked clerical education and monastic orders- championed secular learning
French Writers • Michel de Montaigne (1533-1592) • Developed the essay form • A vehicle for testing new ideas • His father was Catholic, while his mother was of Spanish Jewish decent • The mixed religious background of his parents may have led to his skepticism about religious beliefs • Believed that since one could not know anything with absolute certainty, must be tolerant
British Literature • Elizabethan period • Shakespeare (1564-1616) • Greatest of the English Renaissance authors • Reflected ideas of classical Greek and Roman culture, individualism, and humanism • Wrote comedies, tragedies, histories, and sonnets • Taming of the Shrew, Midsummer Night’s Dream, The Merchant of Venice, Romeo and Juliet, Julius Caesar, Hamlet, Othello, King Lear, Macbeth, and Antony and Cleopatra
Spanish Literature • Miguel de Cervantes (1547-1616) • Don Quixote – major work • Critical of excessive religious idealism and chivalric romance • Satire of medieval chivalry- telling story of nobleman who travels the countryside in search of romantic adventures and his accomplice who has common sense and prudence • Presented characters of all kinds and classes
Jan Van Eyck (1390-1441) • Most famous and innovative Flemish painter of the 15th century • Brother Hubert was also a painter- they were first major painters to use oil successfully • Da Vinci actually learned about oils from them • Great attention to minute detail, microscopic detail in vivid color- trained illuminator of manuscripts • Master of portrait painting
Van Eyck: The Marriage of the Arnolfini (1434)
Bosch (1450-1516) • Netherlands • Master of symbolism and fantasy • His art often times look surrealistic (similar to Dali of the 20th century) • Focused on death and torments of Hell • Inventive torments as punishments for sinners • Monsters • He believed that a corrupt mankind, seduced by evil, should suffer calamitous consequences
Brueghel (1525-69) • Flemish • Not influenced much by the Italian Renaissance • Focused on the lives of ordinary people, especially peasants
The Battle Between Carnival and Lent (detail)
Breughel: Children’s Games (1559)
Dürer (1471-1528) • Native of Nuremberg- major German Renaissance artist • Master of the woodcut • “Leonardo of the North” • First northerner to master Italian techniques of proportion, perspective, and modeling • Painted numerous self-portraits • Painted both religious and classical subjects
Durer: The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, woodcut (1498)
Durer: Knight, Death, and the Devil engraving, (1513)
Grünewald (1475-1530) • German Rhineland • Primarily religious works • Somber and awe-filled crucifixion scenes • The Isenheim altarpiece is best – known work
Holbein the Younger (1497-1543) • Premier portrait artist of the era • Painted Erasmus and numerous portraits of Henry VIII • Considerable Italian influence • His father was an important painter in Gothic tradition of medieval German Art
El Greco (1541-1614) • Greatest painter of the Spanish Renaissance • Studied in Italy with Titan • His paintings reflected his intense religious mysticism and characterized by elongated and distorted figures ‘ • Dramatic lighting effects
Mannerism • Reaction against the Renaissance ideals of balance, symmetry, simplicity, and realistic use of color • Used unnatural colors with elongated shapes
