1. Renaissance Italy By: Rose Statzell, Brigid Magdamo, Nick Pecharo, and Sofia Montgomery
2. Introduction Renaissance means rebirth. Time period: around 13th to 15th century At this time, many people were interested in the ancient Greek and Roman ideas and customs. This was also a time of scientific advantages and many voyages of discovery.
3. Social Life People’s lives in the Renaissance era of Italy were full of dangers and insecurities. To cope with this they relied on relationships with other human beings. i.e. They would involve themselves in a musical or art group. Common jobs back then were an artist or merchant. Social class was shown by the colors you wore. The colors also had other meanings: Green=love, gray=sorrow, yellow=hostility, Blue= loyalty (except in low-class countries where it represented the opposite, adultery), red=nobility, wealth, black= poor/lower class
4. Social Life (continued) Plays at the theatrewerea common form of entertainment. Italians sought to incorporate as much literature, arts, music and religion into their everyday lives as possible. Religion and art were very popular and the two combined created a very religiously inspired era of art. i.e paintings of Mary and Jesus in church windows, in several art paintings such as the famous artwork on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel.
5. Arts Artists of the time treated paintings as “windows into space”. Ideas started to go towards realism in the art world. They had a linear perspective and studied light, shadow, and human anatomy. Tried to depict the beauty of nature and tried to unravel the “axioms of aesthetics.” Used paint and a canvas.
6. Arts (continued) Famous artists/painters Masaccio- The Holy Trinity with the Virgin, St John and Two Donors Donatello David Brunelleschi The Sacrifice of Issac Leonardo da Vinci- Mona Lisa Michelangelo Buonarroti -Sistine Chapel Titian Venus of Urbino Tintoretto Susanna At Her Bath Bellini Greek Madonna Botticelli Birth of Venus Caravaggio Amor VincitOmnia Ghiberti Abel Giotto Raising of Lazarus Raphael La Muta ~If you would like to see paintings/sculptures done by these artists, check out their famous works of art [listedundertheir name.]~
7. Arts (continued) The most famous work of art from the Renaissance era is probably the Mona Lisa or the Last Supper. Famous example of a sculpture is David by Donatello. Art was closely related to religion and science. Sculptures and architecture was also recognized as well as paintings. Many of the artists were also scientists. Sculptures: classicized positions, such as contrapposto pose (weight shifted to one leg) Sculptures were usually nude. Three dimensional impressionism came into popularity.
8. Arts [Architecture] Contained of Ancient Greek and Roman architecture. Gothic & baroque was also commonly used. Italians emphasized on: symmetry, proportion, geometry, and regularity of parts. Buildings were complex because of their many parts: columns, pilasters, lintels, semicircular arches, hemispherical domes, niches, aedicules, and entablatures. Fillipo Brunelleschi spread the Renaissance style. Italian architecture commonly incorporated these styles: Tuscan Doric Ionic Corinthian Composite
9. Poetry Most poets would write in their native language as opposed to Latin, which was considered scholarly. Writers of the time were influenced by the ideas of humanism and the revival of interest in the classical world (Ancient Greek and Roman.) Classical forms of writing included: The epic The pastoral The satire In the late 13th century, the poet Dante Alighieri (1265-1321) published 31 love poems called ‘Vita nuova’. It was written in Italian and it influenced many other writers to start writing in Italian also, so it was starting to become commonly used in literary work.
10. Poetry (continued) Boccaccio (1313-1375) verses were influential and popular. ‘Il Filostrato’ told an ancient story of Troilus & Cressida (lovers during the Trojan war) which was an inspiration for Shakespeare’s play “Troilus & Cressida” Petrarch (1304-1374) was devoted to classical learning & language. He had written a collection of love lyrics and sonnets in Italian (called the Canzoniere.) It was about a married lady who he had admired from afar for sixteen years. Poetry in Italy had gained influences from other European countries like France and especially, England. Other influential poets of the time: Sir Philip Sidney Edmund Spencer
11. Poetry (The Sonnet) It was created by court poets in Sicily in the 15th century. It always had 14 lines: The opening 8 lines known as “octane” which posed a problem or question or described difficulty which needed a resolution. The last 6 lines called the “sestet” contained a twist or a new point of view that answered the question or resolved the problem. The sonnet is perfectly suited to the elegant expression of feelings, especially romantic feelings. English poets invented their own particular form of the sonnet (consisted of three quatrains-four lines a verse, followed by a rhyming couplet.) English poets also loved to write sonnet sequences which told a story. i.e. Sir Philip Sidney’s sonnet sequence (Astrophel & Stella) which told the story of his idealized love for Lady Penelope.
12. Poetry (the Sonnet continued) Shakespeare’s sonnets were different compared to others of the time. Instead of telling a story, they touched on all different topics like the changeability of the human heart, the short life of beauty, and the power of poetry. Other poets to check out: Ludovico Ariosto (1474-1533) who wrote Orlando Furioso. Francois Villon (1431-1463) who had lyric poems with intense emotional energy and tough realism.
13. Music Secular music is non-religious music and it was becoming more popular during this time. There was a rise in instrumental music and dance music, too. Since the printing press was created, music could be printed quickly. At this time, people sang without instruments. Vocal music was more important than instrumental music. Madrigals were popular during the Renaissance. These song forms were performed in groups of four, five, or six singers. A madrigal is secular music. This is non-religious music. Madrigalswere usually love song
14. Music (continued) As previously mentioned, Italy had many European influences through arts and social customs. i.e. German chorales were performed in Protestant churches. Listen to Hey Ho, Greenwood a madrigal by the English composer William Byrd. This is a polyphonicwork, which means it has many musical lines of equal importance. This piece is sung with lots of imitation, which means the voices take turns singing the same melody.
15. Music (continued) Religious music was still very important. Choral music of the Renaissance was an extension of the Gregoriuan chant. It was sunga capellaand sung in Latin. Motets were popular during this time. A motet is a polyphonicwork with four or five voice parts singing one religious text.
16. Religion Martin Luther was the Father of the Protestant Reformation. A German priest who altered the course of European history all himself. Joined a monastery because of his promise to St. Anne. The promise was if he had been saved by lightening then he would become a monk. Luther was troubled by the church’s beliefs and he believed that salvation did not come from good acts but from the mercy of God.
17. Religion (continued) Luther found his answer in 1515. He was a professor of theology who oversaw 11 monasteries. Answer came through Romans 1:17 “Righteous God punishes sinners.” Luther began to hate God even though he knew he should love Him. Realized that salvation only comes through faith. Truth is in the Bible, not in mass or sacrifices made by priest. Challenged church with his thoughts.
18. Religion (continued) Roman Catholic Church Reformation in mid sixteenth century to early seventeenth century. Initiated by Council of Trent Conference church of officials Council in 27 sessions in 1545-1563
19. Government Monarchy rule by single power, king or queen. Monarchs didn’t have absolute power. They worked with representatives to help with laws and taxes. Oligarchy rule by a set number of men. Led by merchants in city who would represent interests of people. Cities called republics. Laws with rights to all citizens and limited power for members of government. Despotism relationship between master and slave. Aristotle said unlawful power used to advance interest of a few people . Some say despotism is between monarchy and tyranny.
20. Government (continued) Absolutism form of government with central authority with unlimited control or heads of state answer to God, govern without agreement between the people. Jean Bodin, a French writer, favored monarchy. He felt that stability of state need rule by single leader and through rulers, they could make rights but needed to respect rights given to groups and people. They had the right to use power to govern all the people and didn’t need to use restriction for emergency. He also didn’t believe people should resist the government.
21. Government (continued) The 1600’s were considered “the divine right of kings.” Supports claim that rulers should get power from God instead of power from the people. 1500-1700 was the age of absolutism. States increased power. It hurt representatives, officials and church. State power grew, bureaucracies enlarged and armies were constructed. Monarchs exercised authority in legislation and finances.
22. Philosophy At this era, there was a revival of classical civilization and learning. Beliefs and teachings credited to Aristotle and Plato. Enthusiasm for occult and hermeticism and humanism. Philosophers saw “man” as a rational and sentient being, with the ability to decide and think for himself. This was the main principle. Religion also had an influence in philosophy. Renaissance philosophers: Pico dellaMirandola Francesco guicciardini Giordano bruno Marsilioficino Michel de montaigne Niccolomichiavelli
23. Science Considered natural philosophy. Most practitioners learned from Greek writings from Aristotle. Much knowledge was theoretical & logical rather than practical. Their goal was to understand nature and explain it rather than do experiments and make new discoveries. Aristotle’s beliefs consisted of the sun & other planets/objects orbiting the Earth (which was later disproven by Copernicus.) Inventions: 16th century-the printing press was created. Books were published quickly and cheaply and ideas could spread rapidly. Many books were published about practical trades (metallurgy, mining, pottery, and dyeing.) Galileo Galilee (1564-1642) conducted many experiments related to motion and acceleration of falling bodies. He laid groundwork for future work in physics by Sir Issac Newton (1642-1727.)
24. Science (continued) A myth that had been believed for centuries was alchemy. Alchemy is the false idea that base metals can turn into gold. The substance that could achieve this was believed to be the “elixir of life” that would cure illnesses and make people immortal. Swiss alchemist & physician Paracelsus (1493-1541) experimented with chemicals such as: Mercury Sulfur Iron Early medicines were made from plants. Robert Boyle (1627-1691) helped establish a modern science of chemistry in the 17th century. Galileo observed spots on the sun and craters and mountains on the moon with the new telescope that he had created.
25. Science (continued) In 1543, anatomist Andreas Vesalius (1514-1564) published De HumaniCorporisfabrica [On the Structure of the Human Body] Based on his own dissections, he pointed out many anatomical errors made by Galen which had been undetected for over 1000 years. Many authorities like Aristotle & Galen said that disease was caused by the imbalance in the four “humors.” Paracelsus rejected the theory and urged physicians to observe the natural world and experiment themselves. He also promoted the use of chemical medicines. The Aristotelian world view was under attack and a revival of Plato’s works of the mysterious writings of “Hermes Trismegistos” were supposedly based on revelations made by the Egyptian god Thorth. These works promoted the idea that there were correspondences between the physical world and hidden, natural forces. This stimulated interest in “natural magic” which was considered a type of science that required the understanding and manipulation of hidden forces such as gravity.
26. Science (continued) As the 16th century was ending, people began to believe that they could not only discover the secrets of nature, but also could bend nature to their will. Natural philosophers increasingly tried to understand nature so they could master & control it for the betterment of mankind.
