World History II

Arts of the Renaissance

Preface: Art of the Middle Ages

Most of the art that was created in the Middle Ages was
funded by the Church, and made for public spaces
Sculpture was the primary form of fine art
Stained glass artistry came with the large and high
cathedral windows of Gothic Architecture
Most of the visual art, as with writing, was created by
monks
Conscripted labor performed the heaviest and most
dangerous tasks in building the monuments of the age
Skilled stone masons were highly valued
Needlework was largely the province of women, often
nuns

Sant'Apollinare
Nuovo:
interior,detailof
N.wallofnave
showingmosaicof
theThreeMagi,
ca.firstquarterof
6thcentury
Ravenna, Italy

Cimabue
The Santa
Trinita
Madonna
c1260/80
Galleria degli Uffizi,
Florence

Simone Martini,
Christ discovered
in the Temple,
1342.
Liverpool, The
Walker Art Gallery.

Chartres
Cathedral:
exterior,viewfrom
SE.showing
towersofWest
front(begunmid
12thcentury;
N.spireadded
15071514)

Renaissance is a period during the 14th, 15th, and 16th centuries of

revival in classical learning characterized by a sharp increase in secular
values and increased interest in learning the classics. The forms and
values of antiquity are held in highest esteem.

The spirit of the Renaissance is reflected in

Humanism, an intellectual movement initiated by
secular men of letters during the fifteenth century.
Humanism focused on developing the full
potential of man. This included not only the
traditional virtues of love and honor but also
virtues such as judgment, prudence and eloquence.
The effect of Humanism was to inspire men to
abandon the traditional values of the Medieval
Period and bring about new thought and creations.

Humanism
Human nature is the primary study (as
opposed to the Medieval value of religion)
Emphasized the Dignity of Man and his
potential to master nature over the medieval
value of penitence and forgiveness.
Looked to the rebirth of the human spirit
and wisdom over time.

Pico della Mirandola and Oration

on the Dignity of Man
At last the best of artisans ordained that the creature to whom He had been able to give nothing
proper to himself should have joint possession of whatever had been peculiar to each of the
different kinds of being. He therefore took man as a creature of indeterminate nature and,
assigning him a place in the middle of the world, addressed him thus: We have made you neither
of Heaven nor of earth, neither mortal nor immortal, so that with freedom of choice and with
honor, as though the maker and molder of yourself, you may fashion yourself in whatever shape
you shall prefer. You shall have the power to degenerate into the lower forms of life, which are
brutish. You shalt have the power out of your souls judgment, to be reborn into the high forms,
which are divine.
O Supreme generosity of God the Father, O highest and most marvelous felicity of man! To him
it is granted to have whatever he chooses, to be whatever he wills. Beast as soon as they are born
bring with them from their mothers womb all they will ever possess. Spiritual beings, either
from the beginning or soon thereafter, become what they are to be for ever and ever. On man
when he came into life the Father conferred the seeds of all kinds and the germs of every way of
life. Whatever seeds each man cultivates will grow to maturity and bear in him their own fruit. If
they be vegetative, he will be like a plant. If sensitive, he will become brutish. If rational, he will
grow into a heavenly being. If intellectual, he will be an angel and the son of God.

Characteristics of Renaissance Art

Art as Philosophy: Symbols, structure, posture, color as a
means to determine a realistic portrayal of people and
places.
Individualism: Portrays the person as they are in an effort
to describe their maximum or true potential
Classical: Classical forms and realistic technique.
Realism: Realistic portrayal of artistic styles. Mastered
perspective and anatomy as a means to achieve realism.

Renaissance Artists
Writers

Dante Allegheri
Divine Comedy:
Traces a journey from
Hell into the light of
Heaven. Dante is led
on this journey by
Virgil, a Roman poet
who embodies all
knowledge.
Dantes Inferno

Petrarch
Known for his sonnets of love, particularly
to his love, Laura. His work is considered to
be the "perfected" Italian sonnet.
He was absorbed with the classics and
introduced them to his contemporaries,
championing the use of modern languages
along with knowledge of the ancient ones
Father of Humanism

The Ascent of Mount Ventoux

To-day I made the ascent of the highest mountain in this region, which
is not improperly called Ventosum. My only motive was the wish to
see what so great an elevation had to offer. I have had the expedition
in mind for many years; for, as you know, I have lived in this region
from infancy, having been cast here by that fate which determines the
affairs of men. Consequently the mountain, which is visible from a
great distance, was ever before my eyes, and I conceived the plan of
some time doing what I have at last accomplished to-day. The idea
took hold upon me with especial force when, in re-reading Livy's
History of Rome, yesterday, I happened upon the place where Philip of
Macedon, the same who waged war against the Romans, ascended
Mount Haemus in Thessaly, from whose summit he was able, it is said,
to see two seas, the Adriatic and the Euxine. Whether this be true or
false I have not been able to determine, for the mountain is too far
away, and writers disagree. Pomponius Mela, the cosmographer - not
to mention others who have spoken of this occurrence - admits its
truth without hesitation; Titus Livius, on the other hand, considers it
false. I, assuredly, should not have left the question long in doubt, had
that mountain been as easy to explore as this one.

Erasmus
He reflects the
humanist desire to
draw on all wisdom to
create new works.
Praise of Folly is one
of his best-known
works. In this work he
is critical of the form
(but not the values) of
the Church of the time.

Those who are the the closest

to these [the theologians] in
happiness are generally called
the religious or monks, both
of which are deceiving names
since for the most part they stay
as far away from religion as
possible and frequent every sort
of place. I cannot, however, see
how any life could be more
gloomy than the life of these
monks if I [Folly] did not assist
them in many ways.

Machiavelli
The Prince: Political
satire. Develops the
issue of political ethics
through exploring
such questions as do
the ends justify the
means and is it safer
to be feared or to be
loved?

The Prince
That Which Concerns a Prince on the Subject of the Art of War
The Prince ought to have no other aim or thought, nor select
anything else for his study, than war and its rules and discipline; for
this is the sole art that belongs to him who rules, and it is of such
force that it not only upholds those who are born princes, but it
often enables men to rise from a private station to that rank. And,
on the contrary, it is seen that when princes have thought more of
ease than of arms they have lost their states. And the first cause of
your losing it is to neglect this art; and what enables you to acquire
a state is to be master of the art. Francesco Sforza, though being
martial, from a private person became Duke of Milan; and the sons,
through avoiding the hardships and troubles of arms, from dukes
became private persons. For among other evils which being
unarmed brings you, it causes you to be despised, and this is one of
those ignominies against which a prince ought to guard himself, as
is shown later on.

Chaucer
Made use of the English vernacular in his
book The Canterbury Tales. Tells the stories
of people traveling to Thomas a Becket's
grave in Canterbury. It is important because
the book allows us to see the spectrum of
classes in England during the fifteenth
century.

Renaissance Artists
Painters/ Sculptors

Italian Renaissance
Frequently artists were patronized by the
religious leaders of the time; Italian
Renaissance art is often characterized by
religious themes.
Frescoes: paintings done on fresh, wet
plaster with water-based pigments.
(Example: Sistine Chapel)
Centered in Florence

Michelangelo
Portrait of Michelangelo

Michelangelo
Creation of Man

DaVinci
The Last Supper

DaVinci
Mona Lisa

Botticelli
Birth of Venus

Raphael
School of Athens

Northern Renaissance
Oil paint. Jan van Eyck was one of the first
to use them.
Masters of painting detail.
Some of the works are deeply religious, but
often patrons were merchants or town
officials, so secular paintings of portraits
and everyday life also developed.

Jan van Eyck

Portrait of a Man

Jan van
Eyck
Arnolfini
Portrait

QuickTime and a
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Hans Holbein,
the Younger
The Virgin and
Child with the
family of
Burgomaster
Meyer

Pieter Breugel
The Harvesters