Italian Renaissance Humanism. INDIVIDUALISM CLASSICISM SECULARISM In the Renaissance a new...
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Transcript of Italian Renaissance Humanism. INDIVIDUALISM CLASSICISM SECULARISM In the Renaissance a new...
Italian RenaissanceHumanism
INDIVIDUALISMINDIVIDUALISM
CLASSICISMCLASSICISM
SECULARISMSECULARISM
In the Renaissance a new philosophy, HUMANISM,
emphasized:
Why the change in philosophy?
•Fatalism reflected realities of medieval Europe
•Manors were isolated & life was hard
•Manorial life was traditional, pre-determined & inflexible
•Change is only possible if God willed it
•God created the world so it was logical to assume whatever you were doing was decided for you
Since most people were serfs and impoverished…
…it’s not difficult to understand obsession with the afterlife
By the Renaissance (c. 1350-
1660) life changed…at least in the towns and cities
•Wealth increased
•A new middle class developed
•Trade increased & new products appeared
•New skills could be learned
•New occupations were created
•Prosperity spread
An individual could now:
•Leave the manor
•Learn an occupation different from his parents
•Improve his status and economic standing
•Acquire nice things and enjoy some of life’s pleasures
By no means did this mean rejecting Christianity or
questioning the basic teachings of the Roman
Catholic Church.
But it did mean possibility for individual achievement and pleasure in the secular
world on the way to the afterlife.
Humanism in Art
I T A
L I
A
Birth
pla
ce o
f the
Ren
ais
san
ce
Medieval Art Refresher• Religious Subject
Matter & Symbolism
• Focus on Afterlife
• No Individualization/ Emotion
• Anatomical Inaccuracies
• Lack of Single Scene
• Two-Dimensional
• Untrained Artists
Renaissance art clearly depicts the philosophy of humanism in its emphasis
on:
INDIVIDUALISMINDIVIDUALISM
CLASSICISMCLASSICISM
SECULARISMSECULARISM
Renaissance art also includes new or reborn
artistic techniques…
Alessandro Botticelli, Venus and Mars c. 1483
Symmetry
Piero della Francesca, Ideal City, c. 1470
The triangular organization suggests stability and order, values held by the ancient Greeks & Romans
It also suggests the Trinity, a basic Christian belief
God the Father
God the Son God the Holy Spirit
Chiaroscuro (shading)
Chiaroscuro
Creates a sense of realism of individual
Leonardo da Vinci: The Madonna of the Carnation, c. 1478-1480
How does this painting reflect Humanism?
INDIVIDUALISMINDIVIDUALISM
Mary is a real person, not a medieval “zombie”
Why does she look “real?”
SECULARISMSECULARISM
“3-D” landscape
Concern with details
Emphasizes the “real world” setting
But this is still a religious painting
Renaissance Europe is still a very religious society
The Church is still a major patron of the arts
But the art is now done in a realistic style by professionally trained artists, not untrained monks
Leonardo da Vinci : Lady with an Ermine c. 1485
How does this painting reflect Humanism?
Portraits: What could be a better expression of…
INDIVIDUALISMINDIVIDUALISM
CLASSICISMCLASSICISM
No portraits in the Middle Ages…but lots during Roman times!
Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore Florence, Italy
Roman Architecture Reborn
VS.
The Renaissance cathedral is more down to earth & more human in scale
Appropriate for the focus on man & life in the secular world
Italian Renaissance art clearly reflects Humanism in its emphasis on:
1. INDIVIDUALISMINDIVIDUALISM: glorifying potential, talents and accomplishments of individual human beings.
2. CLASSICISMCLASSICISM: Re-discovery and appreciation of ancient Greek & Roman culture
3. SECULARISMSECULARISM: emphasis on this world (the “here & now”) and its material pleasures rather than the afterlife (“hereafter”) or spiritual world.