Italian Renaissance

Crusades and Renaissance—Italian Renaissance—Notes#4

The Big Idea

The Italian Renaissance was a rediscovery of learning that produced many great works of art and literature

Key Terms and People

perspective-a way of showing three dimensions on a flat surface

Michelangelo-poet, architect and painter from flourence.

Leonardo da Vinci-painter, sculptor, inventor, scientist

BACKGROUND:The Renaissance began in northern Italy. Italy’s city-states were wealthy, with an advanced urban society, and they felt a sense of connection with the classical past of ancient Rome and Greece. During the Renaissance, these city-states were home to some of the world’s most extraordinary writers and artists

Supported by patrons like Isabella d’Este, dozens of artists worked in northern Italy
These artists excelled at imitating nature, which became an important aspect of Renaissance painting and sculpture
Medieval artists had used religious subjects to convey a spiritual ideal
Renaissance artists often portrayed religious subjects, but they used a realistic style copied from classical models
Greek and Roman subjects also became popular
Renaissance painters used the technique of perspective, a way of showing three dimensions on a flat surface
The introduction of oil-based paints, first developed in Flanders, allowed artists to create more realistic forms and details
Following the new emphasis on individuals, painters began to paint prominent citizens
These realistic portraits revealed what was distinctive about each person
In Florence, artists such as the sculptor, poet, architect, and painter Michelangelo Buonarroti used a realistic style when depicting the human body
The sculptor Donatello revived a classical form in his statue of David, a boy who, according to the Bible, became a great king
Donatello’s statue was created in the late 1460s
It was the first European sculpture of a large, free-standing nude since ancient times
David was a favorite subject for sculptors of the period, including Michelangelo
Leonardo da Vinci was a painter, sculptor, inventor, and scientist
A true “Renaissance man,” he was interested in how things worked
He studied how a muscle moves and how veins are arranged in a leaf
His notebooks contain anatomical, mathematical, optical, mechanical, geological, and botanical studies
He sketched designs for machines that resemble modern tanks and helicopters
Among Leonardo’s masterpieces is one of the best-known portraits in the world, the Mona Lisa. The woman in the portrait seems so real that many writers have tried to explain the thoughts behind her smile
Leonardo also produced a famous religious painting, The Last Supper. It shows
the personalities of Jesus’ disciples through facial expressions
Raphael (RAHF•ee•uhl) Sanzio learned by studying the work of Michelangelo and Leonardo
One of Raphael’s favorite subjects was the Madonna and child, whom he portrayed with gentle,
calm expressions
He was famous for his use of perspective
In his greatest achievement, Raphael filled the walls of Pope Julius II’s library with paintings
One of these, School of Athens, shows the classical influence
Raphael painted famous figures such as Michelangelo, Leonardo, and himself as classical philosophers and their students
Renaissance society generally restricted women’s roles
However, a few Italian women became notable painters
Sofonisba Anguissola was the first woman artist to gain an international reputation
She is known for her portraits of her sisters and of prominent people such as King Philip II of Spain
Artemisia Gentileschi was another accomplished artist
She trained with her painter father and helped with his work
In her own paintings, Gentileschi painted pictures of strong, heroic women
Even more than painting and sculpture, Renaissance architecture showed its classical roots
Features included classical Roman forms such as columns and domes
Renaissance architects focused on proportion in their designs
As a result the spaces they designed are clear and easy to comprehend
One of the pioneers of Italian Renaissance architecture was Filippo Brunelleschi
His designs fused classical elements with the Romanesque style, a mixture of Roman, Byzantine, and local styles
As well as rediscovering the principles of linear perspective, Brunelleschi devised a way to build huge domes, using machines of his own invention
Venetian architect Andrea Palladio studied surviving Roman buildings as well as the works of Roman architects
He wrote a book with rules and plans for buildings
With its clear, detailed illustrations, his book inspired architects in many countries to design buildings in the same style
The dominant feature of Italian Renaissance writing was humanism. Many Italian writers incorporated classical ideals in their work
Francesco Petrarch was one of the earliest and most influential humanists
Some have called him the father of Renaissance humanism
He was also a great poet. Petrarch wrote both in Italian and in Latin
In Italian, he wrote sonnets—14-line poems
They were about a mysterious woman named Laura, who was his ideal woman
(Little is known of Laura except that she died of the plague in 1348.)
In classical Latin, he wrote letters to many important friends
The Italian writer Giovanni Boccaccio is best known for the Decameron, a series of realistic, sometimes off-color stories
The stories are supposedly told by a group of worldly young people waiting in a rural villa to avoid the plague sweeping through Florence
The Decameron presents both tragic and comic views of life
In its stories, the author uses cutting humor to illustrate the human condition
Boccaccio presents his characters in all their individuality and folly
The Prince (1513) by Niccolò Machiavelli also examines the imperfect conduct of human
beings
Machiavelli lived in Florence, which was a center of philosophy and the arts
However, it was also the subject of a series of conflicts as different individuals and factions struggled for power
Machiavelli watched as the Medici ruler was driven from Florence by French forces, only to make a triumphant return to power
The Prince, which was first published after Machiavelli’s death, follows a long tradition of books offering advice for princes
However, before Machiavelli, most writers urged princes to model themselves after a good and able ruler
Machiavelli recommended that princes should think for themselves
Rather than identifying what “should” be done, rulers should base their actions on the needs of a given situation
In The Prince, Machiavelli was not concerned with what was morally right but with what was politically effective
In answering the question of how a ruler can gain power and keep it in spite of enemies, he began with the idea that most people are selfish, fickle, and corrupt
To succeed in such a wicked world, Machiavelli said, a prince must be strong as a lion and shrewd as a fox
For the good of the state, he might have to trick his enemies or even his own people
He pointed out that most people think it is praiseworthy in a prince to keep his word and live with integrity
Nevertheless, Machiavelli argued that in the real world of power and politics a prince must sometimes mislead the people and lie to his opponents
As a historian and political thinker, Machiavelli suggested that in order for a prince to accomplish great things, he must be crafty enough to not only overcome the suspicions but also gain the trust of others
The women writers who gained fame during the Renaissance usually wrote about personal subjects, not politics
Yet some of them had great influence
Vittoria Colonna (1492–1547) was born of a noble family
In 1509, she married the Marquis of Pescara
He spent most of his life away from home on military campaigns
Vittoria Colonna exchanged sonnets with Michelangelo and helped Castiglione publish The Courtier
Her own poems express personal emotions
An ardent humanist and intellectual, Colonna was active in literary, political, and religious life
Her poetry, written in the vernacular, was widely published during her lifetime
Vittoria Colonna was the first secular woman writer to attain high literary status in Italy, and her achievements made her a role model for later women writers