renaissance people
humanist literature
francesco petrarch — “father of renaissance“
→ excellent writer both in italian & latin
→ created 366 sonnets for his love for laura
she died in the black death
giovanni boccaccio — wrote decameron
→ decameron — stories of 7 women & 3 men who left florence because of the plague
niccolo machia velli — “father of modern political theory“
→ the prince — influential book in europe, his best work
→ proposed the use of force as a part of deception to maintain power
florentine diplomat
baldassare castiglione — author of the courtier
→ the courtier — describes the attributes a courtier must have
italian diplomat & courtier
geoffrey chaucer — “the greatest english poet before shakespeare“
→ the canterbury tales — depicts various kinds of people in his period
william shakespeare — “greatest english poet & dramatist“
→ comedies
the merchant of venice
a midsummer night’s dream
→ tragedies
anthony & cleopatra
romeo & juliet
macbeth
thomas more — author of utopia
→ utopia — described a model society
everyone is equal
christine de pizan — wrote poems about courtly love
→ wrote a biography of king charles v of france
→ the book of the city of ladies — encouraged that women had the capacity to learn & can make their own stand
famous french poetess
desidarius erasmus — dutch scholar & priest who encouraged the study of the bible
→ denounced the ignorance & superstition of the catholic church
→ in praise of folly — used satire to criticise the corruption & vanities of the priests
miguel de cervantes — spanish writer
renaissance art & architecture
filippo brunelleschi — designed the dome of the cathedral of sta. maria del fiore in florence
italian architect
michelangelo buonarroti — “greatest artist of his time“
→ david & la pieta — famous sculpture
painted biblical scenes in the ceiling of the sistine chapel as commissioned by pope julius ii
donatello — created the statue of david
→ used bronze & marble in his statues
leonardo da vinci — “one of the greatest artists during the renaissance“
→ mona lisa — best known work
→ painted the last supper
a scientist, architect, engineer, inventor, writer, & philosopher
raphael — created madonna & school of athens
→ painter & architect
renaissance painters
jan van eyck — “greatest flemish painter during the renaissance“
→ 1st painter who used oil paint
→ made giovanni arnolfini & his bride or the arnolfini marriage
his portrait of a man is assumed to be a self-portrait
albrecht durer — “greatest german renaissance artist“
→ apocalypse series — his interpretation of the book of revelations of the bible
pieter bruegel the elder — flemish painter from belgium
→ his usual themes were scenes in the lives of farmers
the peasant wedding
landscape with the fall of icarus
the hunters in the snow
gutenburg’s printing press
johannes gutenburg — invented the printing press
→ german metalworker who improved the method of printing in europe from woodblock printing
gutenburg bible — 1st book printed using his invention
→ released in 1455