HUMN1101 The Renaissance Terms

Brunelleschi: an Italian architect, designer, goldsmith, & sculptor who discovered the principles of linear perspective & famous for the dome in the Florence cathedral

Donatello: a Florentine sculptor renowned for his sculpture of the bronze David (first free-standing nude statue) and his innovative relief technique “schiacciato”

Florence: a major city in Italy that thrived as a major artistic, cultural, & economic hub fueled by the Medici family’s patronage, trade, and rise of humanism

fresco: a technique of mural painting that involves painting with water-based paint directly onto wet plaster

humanism: a philosophy that values human potential & agency, & prioritizes human interests & well-being

Leonardo da Vinci: a Polymath & renaissance painter most famous for his works Mona Lisa, The Last Supper, & Vitruvian Man

linear perspective: a system of creating an illusion of depth on a flat surface

Machiavelli: a Florentine diplomat & author best known for his political treatise The Prince

Medici: a powerful Italian banking family & political dynasty that ruled Florence & later Tuscany known for their wealth, political influence, & patronage of the arts

Michelangelo: an Italian sculptor & painter most famous for his work on the Sistine Chapel ceiling mural, David, and the Creation of Adam

Petrarch: a scholar & poet known as the "father of humanism” and his revival of classical literature & influential writings including “Canzoniere”

Raphael: an Italian architect & painter renowned for his paintings of The School of Athens, Transfiguration, & the Sistine Madonna

Renaissance man: a cultured man of the Renaissance who was knowledgeable, educated, or proficient in a wide range of fields

secularism: a worldview/political principle that separates religion from other realms of human existence putting greater emphasis on nonreligious aspects of human life

sfumato: a painting technique for softening the transition bw colors, mimicking an area beyond what the eye is focusing on

Sistine Chapel: a chapel in Vatican City famous for its stunning frescoes, especially Michelangelo’s ceiling mural

sonnet: a 14-line poem, popular & explored by writers like Shakespeare & Petrarch focusing on themes of love, beauty, & contemplation

The Prince: a political treatise that offers practical advice on acquiring & maintaining power, reflecting the turbulent political landscape of Renaissance Italy & emphasizing pragmatism & realpolitik