Northern Renaissance Chapter 1 Section2

Setting the Stage Renaissance people spread to northern Europe especially England, France, Germany, and Flanders.

The Northern Renaissance Begins When the Hundred Year war ended in 1453, the cities grew bigger The merchants became wealthy enough to sponsor artists Started in Flanders and spread to the rest of Northern Europe England and France were unified under stronger monarchs who sponsored artists. As Renaissance ideas spread out of Italy, they mingled with other traditions The Northern Renaissance develop its own character the artists were especially interested in realism

Artistic ideas spread 1494 French king claimed throne of Naples in southern Italy. The king launched invasion through northern Italy. many Italian artist and writers for a safer life went to northern Europe. Took style and techniques of the Italian renaissance with them. Northern European renaissance artists who studied in Italy carried renaissance ideas back to their home land.

German Painters Albrecht Durer studied in Italy in 1494. After returning home he produced woodcuts and engravings. Most of his prints portrayed religious subjects. Others of his portrayed classical myths or realistic landscapes. His work helped spread renaissance styles.

Flemish painters Durer’s emphasis upon realism influenced the work of another German artist, Hans Holbein. Holbein specialized in painting portraits of king Henry the eighth and other members of the english royal family. Artist Jan Van Eyck developed oil-based paints to develop techniques still used today. Van Eyck’s paintings displayed unusually realistics details and reveal the personality of their subjects. Flemish paintings reached its peak after 1550, with the work of Peter Bruegel. He captured scenes of everyday life - weddings dances and harvests.

Northern Writers Try to Reform Society Italian humanists were interested in reviving classical languages and classical texts They wanted to bring back the teachings of the church and inspire people to live a Christian life, creating the movement known as Christian Humanism The focus of Christian Humanism was to reform society, introducing the education of women Desiderius Erasmus Originally from Holland In 1509 he wrote The Prince of Folly, a book that “poked fun” at everyday people Erasmus believed in Christianity of the heart, not by the rules Believed everyone should take time and study the Bible

Northern Writers Try to Reform Society Thomas More 1516 - wrote the book, Utopia About an imaginary world where problems were gone, and there was little use for money More wrote in Latin, and the book was so popular it was later translated into a variety of other languages Christine de Pizan A highly educated woman and writer Wrote in French, wrote several books, and stood up for women and their rights Wanted both genders to have equal education

The Elizabethan Age 1558-1603 it got its name from the period Queen Elizabeth I reigned Queen Elizabeth Well educated Spoke French, Italian, Latin, and Greek Wrote poetry and music Supported development of English art and literature William Shakespeare Most famous writer of the time period

Elizabethan Age cont. William Shakespeare cont. Was regarded as greatest playwright of all time Born 1564 in Stratford-Upon-Avon Wrote poems and plays Drew on classics for influence masterful command of the english language Deep understanding of human being His plays examined human flaws

Elizabethan Age cont. William Shakespeare cont. Famous plays Comidies Macbeth Hamlet Romeo and Juliet King lear Comidies A Midsummer Night's Dream The Taming of The Shrew

The Printing Press Chinese invent block printing A printer carved a word on a block of wood Block of wood was then dipped in ink and and transferred onto paper Bi Sheng invented a movable print Had separate pieces for each letter Since the chinese language has so many letters it didn’t make anything easier On the other hand it was great for the europeans Johann Gutenberg was a craftsman from Muniz, Germany he invented a printing press that had multiple technologies Made printing books very easy and cheap so they could now mass produce books so he made the first mass produced book called the Gutenberg Bible

The Legacy of the Renaissance Great artistic and social changes Break with medieval period thinking Focused on the individual Rise of democratic ideas Printable press invented

Changes in the Arts Used classical Roman and Greek styles as inspiration Paintings and sculptures were more realistic Art was more secular than religious Writers wrote in their common languages (vernacular) Focused on individual achievements

Changes in Society Printing things made learning materials more readily available Desire to learn increased among common people Published accounts created further discoveries in a variety of areas Laws became more clear to people Christian humanists reformed society People questioned the political structures of the time