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Journey through the Renaissance era, defined by a rebirth of classics, humanism, and rationality. Explore key artists and masterpieces from Italy to Northern Europe.
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Renaissance defined: • Used to describe a movement that sought to imitate and understand the culture of antiquity (the time period before the Middle Ages) • “rebirth” of Greek and Roman classics • Applies to art, politics, and science • Praises individual achievement
Background/ Possible causes • Emerged in central Italy in the 14th century • No exact beginning or ending date • Florence • The Medici Family • Wealthy and influential Florentine family • Patronage allowed for the advancement of artwork
Possible causes (continued) • The Great Man argument • Leans on the belief that the Ren grew out of the intelligence great men • Debatable argument
Possible causes (cont.) • The Black Death theory • The breakdown of trust in the Church led people to think more about life rather than the afterlife • Invention of the printing press • Gutenberg (1450s)
Characteristics • Classicalism • Admiration and imitation of the Classical Age (Greece and Rome) • Shown in architecture, literature, art • Humanism • Faith in human intelligence and rationality • Reverence for inherent human beauty • Shown by the idealization of the human body
Characteristics (cont.) • Individualism • Appreciation of the individual worth of each human being • Shown in the detail given to each individual in artwork • Secularism • Celebration in the everyday life • Shown in art placing importance on fine clothing, money or anything acquired through wealth
Characteristics (cont.) • Realism • Attention to detail made through observance of the real world • Shown through the use of new art techniques and the attention to detail • Rationalism • Development and use of the human mind • Shown through references to learning
Italian Renaissance vs. Northern Renaissance Italian Renaissance • attempted to merge the pagan Classical Age with the Christian Middle Ages • Emphasizes Greece and Rome • Emphasizes wealthy upper class • Religious and mythological • Portraits are formal and reserved • Base art on theory
Italian Renaissance vs. Northern Renaissance Northern Renaissance • Art is more infused with religion and religious piety (devotion) • Focuses on early Christianity in Rome and Greece • Emphasized the life of commoners and the rising middle class • Appreciation of nature • Oil paint used more = brighter colors
Early Renaissance in Italy • Began in Florence soon after 1400 • Main artists: Filippo Brunelleschi, Donatello, and Masaccio • Main task: to merge Classical form with Christian content in creating a new style
Sculpture: Donatello’s David • 1425-1430 • Bronze • First free standing nude statue since before the Middle Ages • Notice Goliath’s helmet: connection to Roman gods • Lowered gaze = modesty and virtue (Classical characteristics)
Architecture • Influenced greatly by Filippo Brunellechi • Studied Roman architect: domes instead of Gothic spires • Utilized a new style called linear, or scientific perspective • Vanishing point • Allowed for three dimensional space
Painting: Masaccio • Utilizes linear/scientific perspective • The Holy Trinity
Painting: Masaccio (cont.) • The Expulsion from Paradise • Religious theme • Displays human body in motion, as well as human emotion
Central and Northern Italy1450-1500 • Built upon the practices of early Ren artists • Intermingles classical themes with religion Botticelli, Primavera. c. 1482
High Renaissance • Culmination of the Early Renaissance • Early Ren. = imitated nature • High Ren. = interpreted nature • Key artists: • Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, Raphael • 1500-1527 • Centered in Rome
Leonardo da Vinci • 1452-1519 • Trained in Florence • Contributed to the idea that an artist is an original thinker and a scientist in one • A true “Renaissance Man”
Leonardo da Vinci: Mona Lisa. c. 1503-1505 • Who is she? • Why is she smiling? • What do you notice about the landscape? • Wife of a Florentine merchant
Raphael (1483-1520) • School of Athens, 1510-1511 • Famous Greek philosophers gather around Plato and Aristotle • Careful attention to symmetry, motion, precision
Giotto. Madonna Enthroned. 1310 Raphael. Sistine Madonna. c. 1500s Comparison: Gothic Art (1140-1550) vs. Renaissance Art
Michelangelo (1475-1564) • Sistine Chapel. 1508-1512 & 1534-1541 • Scenes depict the early history and the coming of Jesus • Creation, destruction, and the salvation of humanity