The Renaissance

What was the Renaissance?Rebirth Rebirth of what?◦ Culture◦ Art and architecture◦ Science and medicine◦ Literature◦ Ideas & Learning

Return to interest in Classical (Greek/Roman) ideas and ideals

Renaissance begins in the 1300s.

Causes Humanism: New attitude toward the study of

humans and humanity. Celebrated the individual. (Petrarch, Erasmus)

During Renaissance, people began to question Church teaching and turn to science and medicine.

Was supported by wealthy patrons (people who supported artists and writers)

Printing Presses made works available-ordinary people learned to read and write.

Why did it begin in Italy?

Centre of Roman Empire. Wealthy rulers spent

money on art and architecture. (The De Medici family of Florence)

Italian merchantsbrought ideas back to Italy.

Competition between different Italian cities and states.

Changes

Middle Ages Renaissance

Middle Ages

LIFE:

Reading/learning wasn’t valued by everyone

Individual wasn’t important

Serve lord, country, church

ART:

Controlled by religious climate

No nudes (gasp!)

Portraits only of saints or religious figures

Expression of grandeur

Changes in Art

Medieval Art Renaissance Art

Changes in Art

Medieval Art Renaissance Art

New Techniques

Proportional, realistic, life-like

Perspective, shadowing and depth

Sfumato: blurring of the edges

Individual identities, emotional

Bright colors, oil paints

Free-standing statues

Religious subjects, daily life, mythology

Perspective

Things that are further away look smaller.

Sfumato

Using shading to make paintings

more realistic.

Frescos – painting directly onto walls/ceilings

Portraits

Patrons often asked for

paintings of their loved ones

Patrons

A patron is a person who pays an artist to produce a work of art.

At this time works of art were status symbols.

Without patrons artists wouldn’t have been able to finance their work.

The Medicis, a rich banking family in Florence were important patrons.

The popes Julius II and Leo X were patrons.

Florence – the

cradle of the

Renaissance

In 1400 Florence was the richest city in Italy.

Money came from the wool trade and banking.

Florence was a republic. They elected their own

government and loved their city.

They built churches and public buildings and

filled them with paintings and statues.

Cosimo de Medici The Medici family were the richest bankers in Florence.

He used his money to elect his friends to the government so in effect he was the real ruler of the city.

He admired the writings of the Greeks and Romans. He built a library for old manuscripts from across Europe. It became the largest in Europe & the 1st public one.

He set up the Platonic Academy to study the manuscripts.

He was a patron of artists and inventors and paid for many public buildings.

He ruled for 30 yrs he kept peace and made alliances.

When Cosimo died his grandson Lorenzo took over.

The Medicis

Cosimo

deMedici

Lorenzo the Magnificent