6. Flemish Art and European Culture

1. 6. Flemish Art and European Culture

2. The School of Athens (1510-1511), one of several frescoes in the Vatican Palace, depicts ancient Greek philosophers and scholars, such as Plato and Aristotle (center);it is considered a masterpiece in the portrayal of the artistic ideals of the Renaissance. It also illustrates the importance of classical studies to literary and cultural achievements of the era.

3. Classical Studies Renaissance humanists studied the literature of ancient Greece and Rome, believing that these classical works represented the height of human knowledge and were important models for a new age. St. Jerome in His Study by the Italian painter Antonello da Messina (1430-1479) depicts the 4th-century scholar Jerome. He was known for his important literary accomplishments, including a translation of the Bible into Latin.

4. Leonardo da Vinci known not only as a masterful painter but as an architect, sculptor, engineer, and scientist. His pursuit of knowledge was relentless and his discoveries left lasting changes in the fields of art and science. With his sophisticated skills and love for learning, Leonardo embodied the curiosity and individualism of the era and was the quintessential Renaissance man.

5. Giotto Italian painter Giotto is held in high regard as the artist who moved away from the traditional medieval technique of portraying the human figure as a stiff, flat, two-dimensional character. An artist far ahead of his time, Giotto began to protray humans as rounded, proportioned, and naturalistic. His work influenced the development of Renaissance art more than a century after his death in Florence in 1337.

6. Petrarch, who perfected the sonnet form and is often regarded as the first modern poet, was also one of the first humanists. Petrarch’s love of the classics and his belief in the value of human experience influenced his own writing and inspired other humanists.

7. 2. What were the characteristics of the Renaissance? A. rediscovery of Classical Literature and Artas objects of ideal beauty or learning, instead of professional work of theologians/philosophers; B. curiosity about the objective world; & interest in the morality of human actions, instead of abstract talks of religious issues; C. Individualism: concept of fame & education for overall development;

8. 3. What interpretations were given by scholars of the Renaissance? A. as rebirth of art that was inspired by ancient Greco-Roman glories; asrebirth of republican government in ancient Rome before emperors; as rebirth of Greco-Roman arts in the reform of Christian society; as the beginning of the modern era with a fundamental individualism; B. as gradual change based on the high order of civilized Middle Ages;

9. Portrait of Michelangelo Italian artist Michelangelo's extraordinary accomplishments in painting, sculpture, and architecture made him one of the outstanding figures in Renaissance art. During his lifetime (1475-1564) he influenced many young artists, including the Florentine writer and painter Giorgio Vasari, who included this likeness of Michelangelo in one of his own works.

10. Tomb of Leonardo Bruni Italian artist Bernardo Rossellino combined elements of architecture and sculpture when he created the tomb of Leonardo Bruni, a prominent Florentine humanist. Rossellino also evoked the grandeur of classical antiquity by borrowing elements such as the imperial Roman eagles seen directly below Bruni, as well as his crown of laurel. Bruni and his followers admired the republican government of ancient Rome and encouraged the citizens of Florence and other Italian city-states to adopt a new patriotism based on the Roman model. The tomb, begun in 1444, is in the Church of Santa Croce, Florence, Italy.

11. Voltaire The French writer and philosopher Voltaire is considered one of the central figures of the Age of Enlightenment, a period following the Renaissance which emphasized the power of human reason, science, and respect for humanity. Voltaire believed that literature should serve as a vehicle for social change. His biting satires and philosophical writings demonstrated his aversion to Christianity, intolerance, and tyranny. The expression captured in this portrait of Voltaire in 1718 hints at the sharp sense of humor with which he won the favor of 18th-century French society.

12. Medieval Schools During the Middle Ages, advocates of Scholasticism sought to forge a connection between classical Greek philosophy and Christian theology through the use of logic. Teachers and instructors employed the concepts of reason and revelation to teach their students how to think. In this 15th-century Italian painting, parents take their children to see a teacher of grammar.

13. 4. What were the economic & social basis of the Renaissance? A. changing economy: international trade created Italian rich cities and rulers, providing the capital and the flow of ideas for the new culture; Atlantic powers’ colonial expansion rivaled Italy in cultural expansion; B. urban society: complex structure- nobles, merchants, workers, rulers; pursuit of wealth and opportunities for traders/bankers to interact with

14. the world beyond their town walls created an atmosphere more open to new ideas and to innovation and enterprise in all aspects of life; C. rural society: new urban markets for agricultural products turned the self-sufficient rural economy into a one that produced goods for sale; landowners wanted to receive cash from tenants to buy products from merchants; independent kind of life replaced communal serfdom;

15. The First Crusade (1095-1099) The Crusades introduced Europeans to other cultures and helped to revive trade that had lagged during the Middle Ages. Although Christian territories acquired during the First Crusade were gradually lost over the next 200 years, the revitalization that these commercial contacts brought had lasting impact on economic and cultural developments during the Renaissance.

16. Italian Banking in the 14th Century--Banks first emerged in the Middle Ages, but grew in importance as commerce developed during the early years of the Renaissance. The Medici family, one of the most prominent merchant and banking families in Europe, used their wealth from money-lending to become patrons of the arts and gain political power.

17. Columbus Setting Sail in 1492on his first journey in search of a quicker route to Asia. Here, Columbus takes leave of Ferdinand V and Isabella, the Spanish rulers who sponsored his first expedition. Exploration became an important element in international rivalries for economic and political power.

18. Rise of the City The growth of trade and the rise of wealthy cities in Italy helped to encourage the political and cultural achievements of the Renaissance. Within the walls of these thriving urban centers lived an increasingly diverse mix of social and economic groups. This portion of a fresco illustrates the energy and bustle of city life.

19. Rural Life The peasants in rural areas of Europe received little benefit from the literary and artistic developments of the Renaissance but were deeply affected by economic changes. As urban markets for agricultural products grew, a money-based economy began to replace the self-sufficient rural system of payment in service.

20. 5. How did the Renaissance affect the political system in Europe? A. commerce replacing the Catholic as the unifying force in Europe; B. decline of the Holy Roman Empire and the Roman Catholic Church due to their struggle for political control; C. rulers of the Italian city-states thus empowered for expansion abroad; D. Monarchies consolidated in France/ England/Spain due to their subjects’ wish for peace/order after civil wars;

21. Papal Palace in Avignon, France In 1305, through the influence of Philip the Fair, king of France, the papal court was moved from Rome to Avignon. This period when the popes were dominated by the French monarchs has become known as the Babylonian Captivity. The papal palace today remains a symbol of this period of exile.

22. Doges’ Palace, Venice The Doges’ Palace was a municipal center and residence for the doges or elected leaders of the former Venetian Republic. The present palace dates from the early 14th century. After being damaged by fire on several occasions, the interior was decorated by leading Venetian artists of the 16th century.

23. Renaissance Diplomacy This painting, The Arrival of the Ambassadors is by Venetian artist Vittore Carpaccio. Venice, like other Italian city-states during the Renaissance, competed for prestige and political dominance and relied on diplomacy, and occasionally warfare, to protect its interests.

24. Louis XI, king of France, was considered one of the “new monarchs,” who were able to strengthen their control over European governments in the late 15th century.

25. Thomas More’s Utopia This woodcut depicts the island that symbolized More's concept of an ideal community. More, who was a statesman as well as a writer, used the fictional Utopia to satirize conditions in England.

26. 6. How did the Renaissance affect the church and religion? A. a society based on money rather than faith hit the Catholic Church; B. popular heretical religion emerged proposed to do away with church; C. Mystics sought direct revelations from God without the church so as to deepen the religious life of the individuals; D. many humanists hoped to reform Christianity by education, not faith;

27. Pope Leo X Pope Leo X, who was a member of the Medici family, was a strong supporter of the arts. The pope commissioned this portrait from the noted Renaissance painter Raphael, whom he also named as the chief architect for renovations of Saint Peter’s Basilica in Rome. During the Renaissance, the Roman Catholic Church experienced a decline in power and prestige, although popular religious fervor remained high.

28. Savonarola Put to Death in Florence Girolamo Savonarola was a popular preacher of repentance in Florence during the Renaissance, but he denounced important political and religious figures, including the pope, for moral corruption. Eventually the church charged him with heresy. In 1498 Savonarola was hanged and then burned at the stake in Florence’s Piazza della Signoria.

29. 7. How did the Renaissance affect the development of humanism? A. a philosophy that emphasized the dignity and worth of the individual, originated in the study of classical culture, by the study of humanities: grammar, rhetoric, history, poetry,ethics, to develop the whole person physically, morally and intellectually; B. humanists were townspeople not associated with the church, flexible & open to all the possibilities of life;

30. New Educational Goals One of the major influences of humanism during the Renaissance was a new focus on education as shown in this painting of Massimiliano Sforza, the son of the duke of Milan, attending to his lessons. The humanities emphasized disciplines such as history, poetry, and ethics that drew on the teachings of classical Greece and Rome. Scholars considered development of the character and the body just as important as the mind, and young people were encouraged to open themselves to all the possibilities of life.

31. Renaissance Nobility This depiction of the nobility holding court is part of a fresco painted by Italian artist Ambrogio Lorenzetti in the 14th century.

32. Money Changer and His Wife as a witty commentary on greed. In the Renaissance townspeople challenged the dominance of the church in everyday life. Humanism reflected some of the changes in values of the new urban society, but also focused on ways of improving humanity. The banker’s wife pretends piety by leafing through a religious book, while stealing a glance at her husband’s gold.

33. 8. How did the Renaissance affect the development of science? A. The Renaissance spirit of curiosity, experimentation, & objectivity filled scientific inquiry; scholars focused concrete experience over abstract theory, tried to observe the natural world carefully, completely, without preconceived ideas; B. The spirit of curiosity as extended to exploration & navigation, math & astronomy--Columbus, Da Vinci;

34. Renaissance Science During the Renaissance, Belgian physician Andreas Vesalius experimented with the dissection of human bodies in order to learn more about human anatomy. The spirit of curiosity and experimentation that characterized the Renaissance created a fertile climate for the development of science. Advances were made in many fields including navigation, astronomy, mathematics and medicine.

35. Leonardo da Vinci's Sketches Leonardo da Vinci recorded thousands of pages of ideas about art, science, and engineering in notebooks. He wrote his ideas backward so that they could only be read in a mirror. About 4,200 pages still exist.

36. 9. How did the Renaissance affect the development of arts? A. It brought about sense of change in all aspects of life and a favorable atmosphere for artistic innovation & experimentation; B. Wealth gathered in towns created demand for refinement in arts and variety in form & content, to value the classical heritage as ideas and formal models for artistic changes, helping support writers and artists;

37. C. It replaced the medieval notions of painting & sculpture as crafts only to decorate churches by that of highly intellectual artistic accomplishments, with merge of art & science by use of math/geometry to achieve proportion; Roman sculpture/architecture served as bases for new artistic inspiration: revival of the dome/interest in secular buildings—palaces, libraries, theaters was its importantcontribution to the development of Western architecture;

38. D. Its humanist respect for the ancient Greek and Roman classics tended toprevent free literary creation, but its restless curiosity, its interest in the world & its urban influences created a demand for a native literature that expressed the new life then; and its individuality with a concern for fame drove writers to do experiments to win praise from critics and support from patrons: The DivineComedy by Dante & love sonnets by Petrarch as

39. pioneers in European literature for Shakespeare, Marlowe, (plays)and Spenser (epic), Sidney (sonnets) in England of Queen Elizabeth I;10. What did it leave to world history? A. artistic beauty defining the West; B. a period of intellectual preparation for thinkers & scientists of 1600s; C. its idea of man ruling nature led to modern science & technology; D. its thinkers used classical models for republicanism & human freedom.

40. Duomo, Florence, Italy Florence, located in north central Italy, was the site for many architectural innovations of the Renaissance. The eight-sided dome of the cathedral known as the Duomo was designed by Filippo Brunelleschi and completed in 1436.

41. Villa Barbaro by Paladio The Villa Barbaro in Maser, Italy, was designed about 1560 by Italian painter and architect Andrea Palladio. The style is clearly influenced by classical Roman architecture, as can be seen in the use of statuary and the pediment with a frieze above the facade.

42. 11.What were the backgrounds of the Religious Reformation historically? A. nationalist sentiment against papal taxation and church officials’ control reduced the powers of the church; B. John Wycliffe’s attack on papal act, moral & intellectual standards of the priests; his Bible/sermon in English; C. greed, immorality & ignorance of papal officials put papacy to blame; D. humanist idea of Bible, not church as the source of religious authority.

43. Wycliffe’s writings later inspired Martin Luther, leader of the Protestant Reformation.

44. Gutenberg Bible The Gutenberg Bible is the first book known to have been created with movable metal type. It was printed by Johannes Gutenberg in Mainz, Germany, between 1450 and 1455. The advent of movable type increased the efficiency of printing and the number of books that could be produced. More books and a more literate population, in turn, enhanced the spread of ideas throughout Europe, fueling the 16th-century Protestant Reformation in Germany.

45. Martin Luther German theologian and religious reformer Martin Luther precipitated the Protestant Reformation with his publication in 1517 of his Ninety-Five Theses, which detailed the indulgences and excesses of the Roman Catholic church. Luther felt that the essence of Christianity lay not in an elaborate organization headed by the pope, but in each person’s direct communication with God. Luther’s protest set off a flood of departures from the Roman Catholic church and set the stage for further Protestant movements, including Calvinism and Presbyterianism.

46. John Calvin John Calvin established a new religion with strict codes of belief and behavior. Calvin taught the virtues of faith above good works and advanced the theory of universal priesthood, in which all Christians could practice their religion without the daily guidance of priests. Calvin also established the idea of the “Elect,” a preordained group of people whom God chooses for Salvation. Many European princes and citizens embraced Calvinism, and his ideas spread to other countries and sparked other major Protestant religions.

47. John Knox In contrast to Calvin’s focus on the bourgeoisie, however, Knox preached the idea of the “Elect” to the peasant masses of 16th-century Scotland. Later called Presbyterianism, this Protestant religion became a symbol of Scottish nationalism in the struggle against Catholic monarchs.

48. Henry VIII by Hans Holbein Hans Holbein’s famous portrait of Henry VIII shows the Tudor king as the quintessential Renaissance sovereign. Henry prided himself on his education and his patronage of humanist scholars such as Sir Thomas More, but his increasingly despotic behavior left a more enduring image. He is most famous for founding the Church of England and for having six wives, two of whom he had beheaded.

49. 12.What were the main results of the Religious Reformation? A. power & wealth lost by the feudal nobility/the Roman Catholic church passed to the middle classes and to monarchical rulers; B. various regions gained political, religious, cultural independence; C. individualism/nationalism in culture & politics developed; D. protestant value judgment brought about democratic governments;

50. E. medieval system of authority was destroyed;F.removal of religious restriction on trade/banking stimulated capitalism; G. national languages/literature were advanced due to religious literature in native languages of the people; H. popular education was stimulated through new schools by protestants; I. religion became an expression of people’s beliefs more than a special right of the clergy of the church;