The Renaissance

1. Ohio Academic Content Standard #6 The Renaissance in Europe introduced revolutionary ideas, leading to cultural, scientific and social changes. The Renaissance

2. The Renaissance • Renaissance means “Rebirth” • Started in Northern Italy in the 1300’s and lasted into the 1600’s • During this period there was a reawaking of interest in art, literature, and science, as well as in the classical civilizations of Greece and Rome

3. Compared to the Middle Ages • Feudal and Manor Systems • Wars • Plague • Church

4. Italy – The Launching Point • Centrally located between Eastern and Western Europe and the Middle East. • Surrounded and captivated by remnants of Greek and Roman culture. • Italians had wealth to build libraries and acquire and restore art.

5. Italian City-States • Cities that were both cities and independent states • Had their own governments and were not closely controlled by nobles or the Church • Wealthy families or wealthy merchants held power.

7. Center of Trade • Italian merchants controlled European trade with Asia • Italian merchants brought back precious goods such as silk and spices from trading centers around the Mediterranean Sea • They transported these goods throughout Europe, reselling them at high prices

8. New Ideas • Being at the center of this lively international trade exposed the Italian city-states of other cultures and ideas • Since trade brought them wealth, many northern Italians had more time to think, read and create and enjoy art • The wealthy became great patrons (financial supporters) of scholarship and the arts

9. The Medici (Me-duh-chee) Family • Lorenzo de Medici • The Magnificent • Ruled the city of Florence • He was a generous and powerful patron of the artists, poets and philosophers. • Invited others to use his large collection of art and literature

10. Ancient Greece and Rome • In the 1300’s, scholars and artists in Italy began to look at life in a new way • First they looked back, not to the Middle Ages, but to the literature, science, and art of Ancient Greece and Rome. • Ruins of fine architecture and realistic statues were all around them, especially in the city of Rome. • These works inspired study and curiosity as well as a new focus on the achievements of individual people.

11. Humanism • Renaissance scholars and artists developed a new focus on the nature, ideals, and achievements of human beings, rather than on the divine

12. Middle Age vs. Renaissance Art Middle Ages Art Renaissance Art Artists of the Renaissance studied and copied the more realistic art of Ancient Greece and Rome While they continued to do religious paintings, they often used the architecture and clothing of their own time for these biblical scenes • Artists of the Middle Ages had not painted people or nature realistically • Their goal had been to celebrate God, the saints, and the Church

13. Art Meets Science • To better understand how to portray people, Italian painters and sculptors studied the bones and muscles of the body • Some artists even dissected corpses to learn about anatomy

14. Use of Perspective • Perspective made objects and landscapes look more realistic • By making distant objects smaller, artists could create scenes that appeared three-dimensional • They also used light to make objects look solid

15. Michelangelo (1475-1564) • He worked in Florence and Rome; he was talented as a painter, sculptor, poet, and architect. • Famed for the biblical scenes he painted on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican. c. As a sculptor - he is best known for his Pieta, David, and Moses. • Michelangelo also designed the dome of St. Peter's Basilica in Rome.

16. Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519) • He worked in Florence, Milan, and Rome. • He was a skilled painter, sculptor, architect, musician, engineer, and scientist. • In military engineering - he improved the method of loading cannons and devised equipment for scaling walls. • He devised the possibility of a parachute and a flying machine. • In painting he is best known for his Self Portrait, The Last Supper, and the Mona Lisa.

17. Raphael (1483-1520) • Worked in both Florence and Rome. • Known for the Frescos he painted in the Papal Library at Rome. • He also painted the Sistine Madonna and School of Athens

18. Donatello (1386-1466) • Florentine sculptor best known for his life size statue of St. George and Gattemelata on Horseback • Sculpted in bronze, wood and marble

19. The Printing Press • Invented by the German printer Johann Gutenberg • Printing press used moveable type • He printed the Bible in 1455

20. The Printing Press • Making books is cheaper • More people reading • Literacy increases • More books published • Scholars had access to one another's work (past and present) • Printing carried the Renaissance north into France, England, Germany and the Netherlands

21. Niccolo Machiavelli • Machiavelli was a Florentine diplomat • He drew on his experience of politics and his study of Roman history to write The Prince. • Which he dedicated to Lorenzo de Medici

22. Niccolo Machiavelli’s The Prince • This book was a guide for gaining and keeping power • Machiavelli said rulers should use whatever methods were necessary to accomplish their goals • He advised rulers that getting results was more important than keeping promises

23. The Prince Today • The Prince became famous and controversial • Today, the term Machiavellian still refers to cynical dishonesty in politics • Machiavellian: using clever lies and tricks in order to get or achieve something