The World of European Culture Chapter 14-4

European Culture The religious & political conflicts of the 17th century were reflected in the periods art, literature, & political thought of the time Art produced aroused the emotions, literature spoke of the human condition, political thinkers debated concerns over power & order

Art After the Renaissance Mannerism & the baroque movement began in Italy & quickly spread throughout Europe The art that was produced depicted the tension of religious spirituality Mannerism emerged in Italy in 1520 & lasted until 1530 As the Reformation brought political & religious turmoil the enthusiasm for the Renaissance declined as people sought a more spiritual experience Mannerism art reflected this new desire as principles of balance, harmony, color, etc. were put aside in favor of showing figures that represented suffering, heightened emotions, & religious ecstasy

Art After the Renaissance Mannerism reached its high point in the work of El Greco El Greco was not only a painter but also an author as he wrote many books on painting His career stalled for a period as many believe that It was because he criticized the work of Michelangelo while he resided in Italy Once he moved to Spain his career again gained prominence The mood of his work reflect the tensions created by the religious upheavals of the reformation

The Baroque Period Mannerism was eventually replaced by the Baroque movement This movement began in Italy at the end of the 16th century and eventually spread to the rest of Europe and Latin America It was eagerly adopted by the Catholic reform movement as shown in the richly detailed buildings at catholic courts Baroque artists tried to bring together the classical ideals of Renaissance art and the spiritual feelings of the 16th century religious revival In large part Baroque art and architecture reflected a search for power Perhaps the greatest figure of the borough. Was the Italian architecture and sculptor Gian Lorenzo Bernini, who completed Saint Peter’s Basilica in Rome

The Baroque Period The baroque painting style was known for its use of dramatic effects to arouse the motions The baroque style of art did not just flourish in Italy as Peter Paul Rubens embodies the baroque movement in Flanders, the Spanish Netherlands Rubens is best known for his depictions of the human form and action

England’s Shakespeare A cultural flowering took place in England in the late 16th and early 17th centuries The period is often called the Elizabethan Era, because so much of it fell within the reign of Queen Elizabeth Of all the forms of Elizabethan literature, none expressed the energy of the era better than drama Of all the dramatists, none is more famous than William Shakespeare Elizabethan theatre was very successful as they supported many theaters, including the Globe, a circular, unrest structure holding 3000 people, to the Blackfriars, a roofed structure that held only 500

England’s Shakespeare The Globe’s admission charge of one or two pennies enabled even the lower classes to attend The higher prices of the Blackfriars brought an audience of the will to do Because Elizabeth audiences varied greatly works were created that please nobles, lawyers, merchants, and vagabonds alike William Shakespeare was a complete men of the theater as he had long been viewed as a universal genius In this tragedies and in his comedies, Shakespeare showed a remarkable understanding of the human condition

Spain’s Cervantes & Vega One of the crowning achievements of the golden age of Spanish literature was the work of Miguel de Cervantes His novel Don Quixote has been hailed as one of the greatest literary works of all time The theater was one of the most creative forms of expression during Spain’s golden century as well The first professional theaters were run by actors companies, as they were in England

Political Thought The 17th century concerns with the order and power were reflected in the political thought of the time The English revolutions of the 17th century prompted very different responses from two increased political thinkers, Thomas Hobbes and John Locke

Thomas Hobbes Hobbs was alarmed by the revolutionary upheavals in England He wrote Leviathan, a work and political thought, to try to deal with the problem of disorder Hobbs claimed that before society was organized, human life was “solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short” Humans were guided not by reason and moral ideals but by a ruthless struggle for self preservation To save themselves from destroying one another, people made a social contract and agreed to form a state, which comps called the state “ had great Leviathan to which we owe our peace and defense People in the state agreed to be governed by an absolute ruler who possessed unlimited power and where rebellion was suppressed Two Hobbs, such an absolute power was needed to preserve order in society

John Locke Locke wrote his views on political thought in his Two Treatises of Government in 1679 and 1680 His works were viewed as too radical and too dangerous to be published and would not first appear until 1690 Locke would argue against the absolute rule of one person He would describe how governments are formed and what justifies them

John Locke Locke believe that before society was organized, humans lived in a state of the quality and freedom rather than in a state of war In his state of nature, no one was necessarily sovereign over any one else as he believed all humans had certain natural rights-rights with which they were born These included rights to life, liberty, and property Like Hobbs, Locke believed that problems existed in the state of nature or that people found it difficult to protect their natural rights For that reason, they agreed to establish a government to ensure the protection of their rights and to judge those who violated them

John Locke The contract between people and government involved mutual obligations The government would protect the rights of the people, and the people would act responsibly to force the government However, if a government broke the contract the people would be within their rights to remove or alter the government says it betrayed their trust Locke was not an advocate of democracy, but his ideas proved important to both the Americans and the French as they were used to support demands for constitutional government, rule of law, and detection of rights Locke’s ideas are found in both the American Declaration of Independence and United States Constitution