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Renaissance 

Renaissance=rebirth

→ European movement which emerged from the rediscovery of classical texts of Ancient Greece and Rome

→ ==Upper-class movement==

==Renaissance produced a significant change in the political, economic, and cultural fabric of Europe.==

Petrarch: father of the Renaissance

→ developed concept/belief of Humanism

Humanism: philosophy of the Renaissance

→ focuses on the strong potential of human beings

Other main beliefs of the Renaissance: secularism, individualism, classicism, virtue

→ Secularism: separating religious belief from society

==→ some Renaissance humanists continued to believe in God==

→ Individualism: emphasis upon the individual’s uniqueness, genius, abilities, potential, and accomplishments, along with showcasing the talents of the individual

Renaissance begins in Italy:

→ most advanced society

→development of secular education

→ Black death served as a catalyst

Marindola:

→ writes book on the potential of man: “Oration on the dignity of man”

==Renaissance ideas spread widely and quickly because of the printing press==

→ ideas began to challenge the power of universities and more

As a result, education goes under changes and becomes more important

In order for an individual to reach their full potential they must be educated, specifically in ==liberal studies==

→ liberal studies/arts: rhetoric, grammar, logic, history, and moral philosophy

→ studying these arts would lead the individual to think virtuously and be able to express these virtuous ideas

Civic Humanism: all the work and studies an individual did in order to think virtuously should be applied to the politics and economics of the state

Castiglione:

→ wrote a book known as the ==Courtier==

  • served as a guide for how an educated young man should behave in courtly society
  • argued that an educated man should be educated in all humanistic disciplines, and write and speak with eloquence

Bruni:

→ wrote new cicero

  • argued that the intellectual man was required to apply his education in the service of the state

Machiavelli:

→ wrote ==The Prince==

  • argued that a rulers goal was to preserve power at all costs
  • ruler must ensure order and stability
  • argued / believed that humans were selfish
    • if ruler had to be harsh, so be it
    • if ruler had to be kind, so be It

Medici family:

→ wealthy and using money to excersie power over common folk

  • Italy is divided during this time period and trying to progress as best as they can

==Northern Renaissance:==

Renaissance ideas spread because of the printing press

→ Renaissance thinkers in northern Europe retained a more religious framework/basis for their thought

→ Northern Renaissance art was still naturalistic but human centered

  • considered ordinary objects and people as subjects for art

==Northern Renaissance artists depicted religious scenes like Italian artists but also applied an emphasis upon the ordinary people in their depictions.==

Rembrandt:

  • northern renaissance artist that depicted scenes from ordinary life

==Christian Humanism:==

  • Blend of Christianity and Humanism
  • when Humanism reached the low countries, France Germany, and England, people began to synthesize humanistic thought with Christian traditions
    • world seek out classical text along with early Christian writings
    • discovered a Christianity that was simpler and more pure than the complexity of their own days
    • seeked to return to simplicity

Christian humanism taught that human beings were more capable than previously believed

==Christian humanism led to an urge for reform in Northern Europe==

Erasmus:

  • ideas more well known because of the printing press
  • wrote “In Praise of Folly”
    • undermined political institutions and social institutions
    • criticized corrupt aspects of religious hierarchy
    • believed that education in the classics and the bible was a step in lasting societal reform

==Printing press:==

→ created by Johannes Gutenberg

  • prior to the printing press books were copied down by ahdn
    • made them extremely expensive
    • only elite had access to ideas within books
  • Growth in literacy because of the printing press
    • demand in books also increased
  • ideas were able to spread faster and wider
  • without printing press, Renaissance ideas probably wouldn’t have spread as quickly to the rest of Europe
  • people can now discuss ideas within the books because of the development of identical copies of books
  • Demand for Vernacular literature
    • vernacular=language of the people
    • ancient books were typically in latin or other ancient languages , now with the printing press , there is a demand for ancient text in English, german, french, Italian, etc.
    • Vernacular literature allowed people to gain a sense of who they were and how they were from other people

==Reniassance art:==

→ artists during the Middle ages portrayed religious themes

→ ==Reniassance artitist did religious themes with personal, political, and classical themes as well==

Renassance artists emphasised Naturalism

Naturalism: style that portrayed the world as is

Geometric Perspective :

  • new technique developed and used by Reniassance artists
  • applied depth to Renaissance art

→ Medeival art was flat, no depth

  • during Renaissance oil on canvas is used
    • mixing pigments with oil allowed artists to develop a greater range of colors

→ Many used depth perspective

  • linear perspective

→ light and shadow used in paintings to emphasize paintings

  • Chiaroscuro: light and dark

Massacio:

  • renaissance artist
  • brought emotion to paintings

Northern Renaissance artist:

  • Van Eyck used incredible detail in his paintings
  • Albrecht Durer

==Rise of New Monarchs:==

→ during middle ages, nobles had the most power

  • power begins to shift from the nobles to the centralized monarchy