Renaissance: Means rebirth: from what? Of what?
From: The Dark Ages-> people wanted to break free from the Dark Ages
Of what: Greek/Roman days-> Greco-Roman-> individual, art, they thought it was a much better time period
Renaissance: Renaissance created something new- explain
The Renaissance- A time period of intellectual and artistic creativity and a time when a new world view was forming. Mix of old values and ways, but through the lense of our own time,
-Tried to recreate ancient Greece and Rome and made something new
Patron
Someone who sponsors or pays for the creation of art
Renaissance began in Northern Italy: So why Italy?
Italy has: -Wealth -City states -Large cities -Merchants that created the conditions for the burst of creativity that was the renaissance
Renaissance Values: How are they different from the Middle Ages- Renaissance was a new view of Life: Celebrate the Individual
-People have value
-People could attain wealth, fame, create art
EX: artists sign work, portraits of normal people and self portraits and autobiographies, realism in art
-Belief in individual achievement was important in the Renaissance
Renaissance Values: How are they different from the Middle Ages- Renaissance was a new view of Life: Humansim
Ideal human being did:
-Classical learning (Greeks and Romans)
-Study the humanities (lit, History, Philosophy)
EX: sculpture like Greek and Romans of men at best, realism
Renaissance Values: How are they different from the Middle Ages- Renaissance was a new view of Life: Enjoyment of life
- Secularism
- Enjoying life
- Italian city states have money and spent it on nice things
- Fashion, food, house, art -> about you
What is a Renaissance man? Th Ideal Human being: Men
- Ideals from the Courtir
- Excell at Academics, all subjects (Lit, math, engineering, science, philosophy, art, Greek, Roman, Latin), Physical stuff (Ride, wrestle, sword), Personality (charming, witty), Art, (dance, sing, paint, instrument, sculpt)
What is a Renaissance man? Th Ideal Human being: Women
- Inspire art, not create it
- Academics -> same as men
- Be able to do art like a man
- Charming and witty
- Isabella d’Este -> educated, powerful politically
- Michaelangelo, Da vinci
What is a Renaissance man? Th Ideal Human being: Today
- Still used, but diff, not good at all, only have to be goof at a few
- Someone who excells at a couple things, but not all things
- Oprah-> magazine, tv, acting, schools
Artists and Writers: Artists- New styles of art
-Artists and writers were bridge between Middle Ages and Renaissance
-Realism- everything looked more realistic. included details and emotions -> sad, happy
Depth- Paintings had a sense of distance
Perspective- Like depth, but more pronounced and intentional. Think vanishing point
-Vernacular:writing in comman everyday language
Fresco- New style of painting on wet plaster-> on cieling and walls
Artists and Writers: Artists- Giotto di Bondone
- 1st one
- Painter
- Arena chapel-> was hired to paint there
- Used Fresco painting-> painted on wet plaster : walls and cieiling
Artists and Writers: Writers- Dante Alighieri
- wrote in Vernacular or everyday language. The first to write in Italian
- Fully represented Renaissance
- Divine Comedy- 3 parts: He himself is a character, his journey, goes to hell and them to purgatory and then arrives in heaven where he reunited with his muse
- Comedy of Ancient Greek way-> happy ending and he reunites with muse -> beatrice
- Muse + Beatirce
- Showed religious ideas of Middle Ages and worldy cornerns of the Renaissance (loved Beatrice)
Artists and Writers: Writers-Fancessco Petrach
- Poetry, letters
- “Father of Humanism”
- Muse= Laura
- Wrote in Latin or Italian
- Strove for classical simplicity and purity
- Imitated Roman senator Cicero
Artists and Writers: Writers- Baldassare Castiglione
- Writer
- The courtir
- Wrote about the ideals for a Renaissance man and woman
- set the standards for others
Artists and Writers: Writers- Leon Batista Alberti
- Writer
- Autobiography
- “Man can do anything if he will”
- wrote about his own accomplishments
- Also built several churches and had a study of Churches
Quattrocento
Italian name for 15th century
The Medici Ruled Florence: Cosimo
- 30 years
- The wealthiest man of the time and had control of the government
- Ruled behind the scenes
- Beautified Florence with his own money
- Built first free public library in West europe -> ppl didn’t steal it or ruin it for everyone
- Controlled government for 30 yeras without holding political office
- The power of Florence
- Ran Florence
The Medici Ruled Florence:
- Golden age
- Spent money for everybody
The Medici Ruled Florence: Lorenzo the Magnificent
- Found Michaelangelo
- Got power from Cosimo’s son-> was Cosimo’s grandson
- Ruled with absolute power but kept appearance of Republican government
- Beautified city
- Had goodwill of people with sponsored parties and whatever
Artists and Writers: Lorenzo Ghiberti
- Won contest to make door
- Goldsmith
- Bronze doors
- Hired to make doors for the Bastistry of the local cathedral
Artists and Writers: Brunelleschi
- Worked on the cathedral of Florence
- Capped the Cathedral of Florence with a big dome and is the famous bone of Constantinople’s Hagia Sophia
- Church across street had a contest for Il Domo
Artists and Writers: Donatello
- Studied Greek Statues
- “David” -> first new age sculptor to make free-standing human in the nude-> David and goliath-> Bible story
- Famous for men on horseback statues
- Free-standing, realistic, life-like statues,
Artists and Writers: Masaccio
- “The father of Modern painting”
- Brought depth, perspective, and emotion to works, influenced the rest of the Renaissance painters
