A Rebirth of Ideas

1. A Rebirth of Ideas

2. A stone flew through the air, hitting the face of the sculpture. Michelangelo cried out as if he had been struck himself. He rushed to see if the marble had been damaged. The exhausted workers stopped in their tracks. Suddenly, several men burst out of a nearby alley shouting, “Medici! Medici!” before disappearing down a side street. The new political leaders of Florence had hired Michelangelo, the most skilled sculptor of his time, to create a work that would symbolize the city. He decided on the young biblical hero, David, who defeated the giant Goliath with a simple slingshot and stone. Michelangelo wanted his work to encourage the people of Florence in their struggle to be free of their enemies and the powerful Medici family who had controlled the city for so long. He had created a magnificent figure in the spirit of the ancient Greeks and Romans who he admired. David represented human beings in all their beauty and glory. “They are gone. Let us go on,” Michelangelo said to the workers. He could hardly wait to see his work standing in front of the Palazzo Vecchio. Q: Why did Michelangelo choose David as his symbol? Q: What does Michelangelo's choice suggest for how he viewed Florence and its future?

3. Humanists • A new way of thinking was taking place across the whole continent • This new thinking started in the Northern city-states of Italy • Scholars called humanists looked back to ancient civilizations and studied their art and writing • Rome and Greece • Applied these ideas to their lives and work

4. Classical Writings • Greek and Roman civilizations had not been forgotten in the Middle Ages • Latin remained the language of scholars and the church • Writers such as Aristotle and Plato were studied from the Christian perspective • During the Renaissance, scholars looked at these works in a different light • Admired the writing styles • Became interested in their ideas concerning society, politics, history and the arts • Renaissance worldview seemed to be a result of intercultural contact with past civilizations • Greek and Roman which formed “Classical civilization” • Islamic civilization that preserved and further developed the knowledge of Classical civilization and those in India and the Far East • Sciences, math and medicine

5. Spread of Ideas • These humanist ideas spread mainly among the wealthy in society • Reading and discussing ancient writers became a kind of fad among the new class Humanism On Mind and Body: “You should pray for A sound mind in a sound body” - Juvenal On History: “To be ignorant of the lives of the most Celebrated men of antiquity Is to continue in a state of Childhood all our days.” - Plutarch On Education: “The educated differ From the uneducated As much as the living From the dead.” - Aristotle

6. Humanism and the Individual • The most important aspect of classical thinking to Renaissance thinkers and artists was the belief in the dignity and potential of the individual • People could shape their lives through their own talents and efforts • This fit into the Christian worldview as developing your talents was serving God, because he gave you those talents

7. Humanist BeliefsVERY IMPORTANT • Human beings can use the power of reason; thinking to find truth for themselves • It is important for a person to have an open, curious and questioning mind • People can achieve great things through learning • Individuals should be skilled in many different areas; they should not just develop their minds but also their bodies and spirits

8. Humanist Scholars • Francesco Petrarch was a humanist thinker from the early Renaissance • Saw the Classical past as a glorious time • Thought it was far superior to the Medieval world and his current time “Among the many subjects that interested me, I dwelt especially upon antiquity, for our own age has always repelled me . . . In order to forget my own time, I have constantly striven to place myself in spirit in other ages, and consequently I delighted in history.” Q: What does this quote tell us about scholars of this time?

9. Manuscripts • Later humanists began to see the Renaissance as a time when the ideas and values of ancient times were “reborn” • Greek and Roman manuscripts had been preserved in libraries in the Muslim world and throughout Europe in cathedral libraries • These manuscripts were collected by Petrarch and other humanists • They made translations and copies of them • Giovanni Aurispa brought 240 Greek manuscripts to Europe in one year alone • They wanted these ideas to be available to the larger public • In order to be truly cultured, one needed to read good books and examine great works of art

10. The Ambassadors, 1553 By Hans Holbein the Younger Q: What objects do you see in the painting? Q: How does this double portrait illustrate the humanist idea about the individual? Q: In the top left corner is a small crucifix. What might the size of the object suggest?

11. Homework/6 • Choose one of the four humanist beliefs depicted on slide seven and answer the following questions: • Do you think this belief is still followed today? Why or why not? • Do you think this belief is important to follow? Why or why not? • Do you follow this belief in your daily life? If so, how? If not, how would you change this?