Key Ideas on The Renaissance

1. Classical knowledge

Definition: reference to the understanding of the world from the Classical Period (the time of the ancient Greeks and Romans; 800\ \text{B.C.E.} \to 500\ \text{C.E.}).
During the Renaissance, there was renewed interest in studying ancient Greek and Roman art, architecture, science, philosophy, and literature.
The Renaissance, which means “rebirth” in French, was all about the revitalization of classical knowledge.

Modern world: life today in the West (Western Europe and countries historically linked to Western Europe, such as the United States, Canada, and Australia).
The Renaissance is considered by many historians to be the point in Western history when the roots of modern society were laid.
The Renaissance is a time when society began to 1) look a little like it does today or 2) see events take place that set in motion changes that would eventually give rise to the society we have today.

Italian city-states: sovereign political units that existed in northern Italy during the Renaissance.
Examples: Florence, Venice, and Milan.
The Renaissance began in the Italian city-states with most saying the epicenter was Florence.

Northern Europe includes regions such as the British Isles, France, Portugal, Spain, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Germany.
Although the Renaissance was born in Italy, it soon migrated to Northern Europe.

One of the most famous artists of the Northern Renaissance.
Skilled in many forms of art; perhaps best known for his woodcuts that enabled the production of magnificent prints.

Renaissance philosopher who authored the highly influential text The Prince.
Wrote during the volatile Italian Renaissance Wars; argued rulers should abide by a pragmatic, ends-justify-the-means mentality.
Key points: a leader need not be loved, but must avoid being hated; crush opposition swiftly; maintain a capable military; win the favor of the people by catering to their needs or at least appearing to do so.
Significance: introduced realpolitik ideas about power and governance that influenced political theory.

The best known Christian Humanist.
Believed in humans’ capacity for self-improvement and the role of education in elevating human existence.
In religion, emphasized the fundamental teachings of the Bible and the elimination of medieval traditions of the Catholic Church.
By shaping ideas about Bible focus and critique of medieval practices, his writings helped set the stage for the Protestant Reformation.

A Renaissance movement that studied Classical Antiquity (the Ancient Greeks and Romans) to revitalize European culture and bring it out of the barbarism they saw in the Middle Ages.
Humanism: a secular philosophy emphasizing devotion to the literature of Ancient Greece and Rome and the values derived from it.
Humanists proposed a curriculum to improve individuals and society.
View of humans: intelligent beings capable of reason and questioning authority, rather than mindless pawns manipulated by God.

The father of Italian Renaissance humanism.
Deeply interested in studying the classics (Ancient Greek and Roman literature) and using them to develop a new way of thinking about oneself and the wider world.
Believed strongly in our capacity for self-improvement and in the idea that humans should endeavor to maximize their potential.

From the word secular, meaning “of this world.”
Before the Renaissance, medieval Christian civilization focused on faith and salvation in the afterlife.
Late Medieval / Early Renaissance economic and political opportunities encouraged more people to take an interest in the world here and now.
The art of the period exhibited secular spirit: detailed and accurate scenery, anatomy, and nature.
Religion remained a major theme in Renaissance paintings, but other subjects gained prominence as well.

A series of wars fought in the late 1400s to the middle of the 1500s.
Major European powers, especially France and Spain, battled for control of wealthy Italian city-states (Venice, Milan, etc.).
In the end, much of Italy came under foreign control (Spain was the principal foreign power) and remained so for roughly 300 years.

Vernacular: the language spoken by the ordinary people in a place.
Use of the vernacular in literature increased significantly during the Renaissance.
As a result, many of today’s Romance languages (Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, etc.) began to take shape during this time.

Johannes Gutenberg’s movable type press marked the beginning of the Printing Revolution, a colossal moment in the history of information and learning.
With access to printing presses, scientists (Copernicus, Galileo, Newton, etc.), philosophers (Voltaire, Locke, Hobbes, etc.), politicians, and religious officials could replicate their ideas quickly and disseminate them to large audiences.
Consequences: information spread more rapidly, and political and social movements developed and expanded at a quicker pace (e.g., Renaissance humanism, Protestant Reformation).

A German inventor who, in the mid-15th century, invented a movable type printing press.
The first book he printed was the Bible.
His invention marked the beginning of the Printing Revolution.

Perspective: a mathematical system used to create the illusion of space and distance on a flat surface.
Used heavily by Renaissance artists.
To properly use linear perspective, a painter imagines the canvas as an "open window" through which the subject is seen.
In this view, you draw straight lines to represent the horizon, divide the painting with different horizontal lines, and fix the vanishing point.
The vanishing point is usually located near the center of the horizon.
From this point, draw the so-called "visual rays" that connect the viewer's eye with the point in the distance.
These lines help artists align the edges of the walls and flooring to achieve realistic depth.
Metaphor: the canvas as an open window that allows the observer to see space recede into the distance.