I NTELLECTUAL AND A RTISTIC R ENAISSANCE – 17.1, 17.2

I. I TALIAN R ENAISSANCE H UMANISM A. Secularism – worldly, an indifference to or rejection of religion or religious consideration. B. Humanism – an intellectual movement based on the individual. This was based on the study of the classics, the literary works of ancient Greece and Rome. Today known as the humanities. C. Petrarch – father of IR. Looked for forgotten manuscripts – put in libraries emphasis on using pure classical latin. Used Cicero and Virgil emphasized a life of solitude, reject family and community

D. Florence – 15 th c. changed to a movement towards an active civic life. One’s duty is to use humanities in service of the state.

II. V ERNACULAR L ITERATURE the language of their own regions, not Latin A. Dante – “Divine Comedy”, a soul’s journey to salvation, from Hell into the light of Heaven. B. Chaucer – “The Canterbury Tales” a collection of stories told by 29 pilgrims heading to Canterbury and Saint Thomas a Becket Tomb. C. Pizan – a Frenchwoman – “The Book of the City of Ladies”, wrote in defense of women that they can be educated.

III. E DUCATION A. Liberal Studies – emphasized these. The Humanities. Enabled people to reach their fullest potential, in body and mind. History, philosophy, grammar, logic, poetry, math, astronomy, music, rhetoric. B. Physical Education – also important. Followed Greek example. C. Purpose – All this was to be a practical preparation for life. Make citizens not scholars. Humanism provided the educ. Model for Europe through the 20 th c. D. Females – largely absent. Those who attended did not study math or rhetoric. Religion and morals to be good “mothers”.

IV. A RTISTIC R ENAISSANCE IN I TALY Sought to imitate nature in their work with emphasis on human beings at the center. A. Painting – Frescos : done on fresh wet plaster with water based paints, used laws of perspective, 3 dimensional. 2 Aspects perspective and organization movement and human anatomy B. Sculpture and Architecture – Statues like Greeks/Romans Arch. – inspired by classical Rome, human centered world, not overwhelming the worshipper.

C. Masters of High Ren. – final stage of Ren. painting ( ) 1. Da Vinci – realistic painting, then moved to idealized forms, capture perfection of nature an individual. 2. Raphael – Madonnas, achieve an ideal of beauty. Also known for frescos in Vatican Palace. 3. Michelangelo – a painter, sculptor and architect. Very passionate. Sistine Chapel – people with perfect proportions. The more beautiful the body the more godlike the figure.

R APHAEL ’ S “S CHOOL OF A THENS ”

M ICHELANGELO P ORTRAIT & P IETA

M ICHELANGELO ’ S “C REATION OF M AN ” Characteristics of Renaissance Art Realism: Realistic portrayal of artistic styles. Mastered perspective and anatomy as a means to achieve realism. Classical: Classical forms and realistic technique Individualism: Portrays the person as they are in an effort to describe their maximum or true potential Art as Philosophy: Symbols, structure, posture, color as a means to determine a realistic portrayal

V. N ORTHERN (E UROPE ) A RTISTIC RENAISSANCE Artistic approach different from Italy. Due to circumstances. A. Low Country Artists - Churches in Italy allowed for Frescos due to huge walls. In north gothic churches with st. gl. windows did not allow for this. Painting was illustration for books or wooden panels on alterpieces. Flanders – most important school of art in north. Jan Van Eyck – first to use oil painting. Imitated nature not by using perspective but by observing reality.

J AN V AN E YCK ’ S “P ORTRAIT OF A M AN ”

J AN V AN E YCK ’ S “A RNOLFINI P ORTRAIT ”