2. • Wealthy merchant families were involved in
business and politics. In addition, many were
patrons (supporters) of the arts.
– Medici Family of Florence
a. Cosimo de Medici was involved
in banking, ruled Florence,
and was a supporter of artistic
and scholarly projects.
3. b. Lorenzo de Medici (also known
as Lorenzo the Magnificent) was
involved in banking and also ruled
Florence. He was a patron to
many artists, most notably
Michelangelo.
Michaelangelo’s
David
Lorenzo de
Medici
4. – Sforza family in Milan
(Caterina Sforza ruled Milan)
– Isabella D’Este of Mantua
was a patron of the arts.
Isabella D’Este
Caterina Sforza
5. • Trade flourished in Italy during the Middle
Ages and the Renaissance,
creating unprecedented
wealth in Florence, Genoa,
and Venice. Goods traded
included woolens, leather,
and silk. Florence was
particularly known for
banking (Medici family) and
textiles.
6. • Usury (charging interest on money loaned)
and using letters of credit became accepted
practices during the Renaissance.
• The Italian city-states
were independent and
enjoyed a democratic
atmosphere. The Pope
during this time was in
Avignon and did not
interfere with politics.
7. Intellectual Movements
Humanism—a movement celebrating the glory and
power of humans as an important part of the world.
Classicism—a return to the ideals of Greece and Rome
in intellectual thought, art, and architecture.
Secularism—interest in the non-religious world and
enjoyment of worldly pleasures.
Left: Saint Peter’s
Basilica, built around
1500
Right: The Pantheon,
built around 126
Both are built in a
classical Greek/Roman
style
8. Humanism and Literature
• Petrarch is considered the “father of humanism.” He
wrote in prose and poetry about classical virtues and
his unrequited love for a woman he called “Laura.”
He wrote in both Italian and Latin. Supposedly, he
died with a pen in his hand.
• Dante’s The Divine Comedy
emphasized politics and human
interests. He wrote in the
vernacular instead of Latin
9. • Castiglione wrote The Courtier,
a handbook on how to be a
“Renaissance Man.” Castiglione
thought that men should speak
Greek and Latin; be charming,
polite, and witty; and be
physically strong and graceful. Baldassare Castiglione
The book is organized as a series of fictional
conversations that occur between the courtiers
of the Duke of Urbino in 1507.
10. • Machiavelli’s The Prince served as a secular
treatise on how to be a good ruler. An idea
attributed to Machiavelli is “The ends justify
the means.” He frequently discusses ancient
leaders as illustrations of what a good ruler
should do.
The Prince was first
published in 1532. It
is still studied today.
11. • Erasmus wrote The Praise of Folly, which
poked fun at the clergy, scholars, and
merchants. He was from Flanders, a center of
the Northern Renaissance.
• Shakespeare, an English playwright, wrote
about the human condition in both tragedies
and comedies.
12. Art
Early Renaissance Artists
–Giotto di Bondone painted frescos (painting wet plaster) of
human figures that show depth and emotion.
–Ghiberti carved the doors to the Florence Baptistry.
–Brunelleschi designed the dome of the Cathedral of Florence,
the first dome since antiquity.
The doors
of the
Florence
Baptistry
Begun in 1296, the Cathedral
of Florence was completed
in 1436.
13. • Donatello sculpted the first
freestanding nude statue
of “David”.
• Masaccio used perspective in painting to show
distance and is considered the “father of
modern painting.”
Donatello’s David
A close up view of
Masaccio’s “Tribute Money”
14. High Renaissance Artists
• Michelangelo sculpted the “David” and the “Pieta”;
he is likewise known for painting of the Sistine
Chapel ceiling with “The Last Judgment.” He also
designed a dome for St. Peter’s Cathedral in Rome
for Pope Julius II.
“Pieta”
“The Last
Judgment” took
four years to
paint, and is 40
feet wide and
45 feet tall.
15. • Leonardo da Vinci painted “The Last Supper” and
“The Mona Lisa”; he is also a renowned engineer and
architect. A later patron of Leonardo is Francis I of
France
“Mona Lisa”
was painted
around 1503
Jesus an his apostles are
depicted in “The Last Supper”
This triple-barreled
cannon was found in
Croatia in 2011. It is
believed to be based
on DaVinci’s design
16. • Raphael painted “The School of Athens” and many
Madonnas.
The “Sistine
Madonna”
The “School of Athens” was
painted in 1509-10
17. Northern Renaissance Artists
• Durer created woodcuts and engravings.
• Hans Holbein the younger is famous
for his portraits, including “Henry VIII”.
• Van Eyck is known for his paintings
with vivid color and detail,
such as “The Marriage Portrait.”
The original Henry VIII was destroyed
in a fire. This is one of may copies.
Painted in 1434, this painting is
considered one of the most complex
paintings in Western art. The entire
scene is reflected in the mirror on the
back wall.
18. • Peter Bruegel the Elder is known for his paintings of
weddings, festivals, and detailed peasant life.
The “Peasant Wedding”
1566-69
“Hunters in the Snow” 1569
“The Painter and The
Connoisseur,” 1565, is
thought to be
Bruegel's self-portrait
19. Important Cultural Centers of the
Renaissance
• The center of the Italian Renaissance
in the 1400s (Quattrocento) was
Florence.
• In the 1500s, Rome became a center
of art with Pope Julius II (1503–1513).
He loved art and power and built a
new St. Peter’s Cathedral with the
help of Michelangelo.
20. • The Renaissance spread north as artists and
ideas traveled. We refer to this as the
“Northern Renaissance.”
Flanders (the region of
present-day Belgium)
was a center of the
Northern Renaissance.
Flanders
21. Art and Humanism of the Northern
Renaissance
• The Northern Renaissance saw a fusion
between Christianity and humanism. Art and
literature were still primarily
based on religion.
–Northern Renaissance artists
included Durer, Hans Holbein
the Younger, Van Eyck, and
Peter Bruegel the Elder.
One of Albrecht Durer’s most
famous woodcuts
22. • Northern humanists included Erasmus
and Sir Thomas More. Their writings
tended to be infused with Christianity.
• In 1450 Johannes Gutenberg
invented a printing press that used movable type.
The Bible became an instant best seller.
Sir Thomas
More
A page from the
Gutenberg Bible
Only 48 copies of the
original Gutenberg Bible
still exist.
A replica of Gutenberg’s
printing press
23. • Protestant Reformation – Martin Luther breaks away
from the Catholic Church
A 1533 portrait of
Martin Luther. His
battle with the
Catholic Church
began over the sale
of “indulgences” to
forgive sins.
The Ninety-Five Theses were
written by Martin Luther in
1517, and are widely regarded
as the initial catalyst for the
Protestant Reformation.
