Northern Renaissance A closer look

The Beginnings  Spread from Italy to cities all over Northern Europe.  Key cities were Antwerp, Amsterdam, and London due to wealthy merchants who patronized painters, writers, and scientists.  The humanistic ideas gave rules a new perspective on the world.

Printing Press- Key Invention  Middle Ages- information spread by word of mouth or through handwriting. Books were produced by scribes.  During Renaissance Johann Gutenberg (German) invented the printing press with movable type.  Books could now be produced quicker and on paper instead of parchment (cheaper)

 Books were now able to reach the middle class not just the wealthy.  Artists used the printing press to mass produce wood look prints.  Albrecht Durer was key artist.  Process: set the type, operate the press, dry the printed sheets, and bind the sheets (picture on 229)

Northern Art  Artists were influenced by the Southern Renaissance but still produced gothic and religious art common in the Middle Ages.  Compared to Italian art: darker, religious, medieval.  Albrecht Durer- master etcher and woodcutter, studied from Italian artists. Wrote a book to help Northern artists create natural looking works (like Italian artists)

 Northern painters developed the idea of light and shadow. This allowed the artist to achieve realism and convey more about the subject.  Rembrandt van Rign explored light and shadow, stressing non-religious themes

Scientific Revolution  14 th /15 th Century- science separates from religion.  Scientists abandoned studying things from the perspective of the Bible, which resulted in findings that went against the teachings of the Catholic Church.  There was risk for scientists challenging the Church’s teachings.

Copernicus-Scientist  Nicholas Copernicus (Poland) stated in 1534 that the Earth was not the center of the universe.  He was a lawyer, doctor, mathematician, and church administrator (Humanism)  He used math to calculate the orbits of the planets around the sun. This lead to finding that the Ptolemy Universe model was incorrect. (Page 232)

 Using math he also found the Earth moves in two ways: revolving on its axis, and orbiting the sun.  He wrote a book but died after receiving his copy.  1616 the Church condemned the book, but too many copied had been printed and his work had inspired others (Galileo)

Galileo Galilei- Scientist  Born in Pisa in 1564, studied to be a doctor but was interested in astronomy and physics (popular in Northern Europe)  In 1609, Galileo heard of the kijkglas (looking glass) and decided to make one to study the stars.  Galileo made a telescope that made things appear 1000 times larger and 30 times nearer.

 He saw the moon was solid and its surface pitted and scarred (went against present knowledge).  He proved Copernicus correct, the Earth revolves around the Sun!  His discoveries went against the teachings of the Church and the readings of the Bible, so he was called to an Inquisition (church court to try heretics)

 Church court ordered Galileo to accept the Earth as the center of the universe.  Galileo believed that people could believe in both the Bible and science.  The court threatened him with torture and Galileo said he would accept the Church’s view.  He was sentenced to indefinite house arrest.