Renaissance Literature
The Printed Word C. 1455 printing press invented by Johann Gutenberg in Germany Decreased costs and time of printing Made material available and affordable for many Encouraged writers and literacy Spread ideas more quickly
Italian Renaissance Writers Change Literature Use of vernacular Dante (Divine Comedy) Petrarch (Sonnets to Laura) Boccaccio (Decameron) Style Petrarch – Italian sonnet Boccaccio – Humor used to illustrate “the human condition” Content Humanism Emphasis on here and now “How to Books”
Humanism Literary movement of the Renaissance Concerned primarily with individuals and the human condition rather than with the soul and life everlasting Drew inspiration from classical civilizations
Important Italian Writers Petrarch – “Father of Humanism” Wrote in both Latin and Italian Developed Italian Sonnet Inspired others to study classics Boccaccio – Decameron Collection of 100 stories told by 10 young people seeking refuge from the plague Uses both tragic and comic views of situations Presents characters as individuals
Castiglione The Book of the Courtier Describes the perfect courtier Well-educated Well-rounded Well-mannered Master of many fields
Machiavelli - The Prince Guide to rulers on how to gain and maintain power Realistic rather than idealistic “The end justifies the means.” “ It is better to be feared than loved.” Strong influence on world politics
The Northern Renaissance
Flanders today Northern Belgium Prime location – North Sea (English Channel)
Northern Humanism Like Italian Humanism stressed education and classical learning Unlike Italian Humanism - emphasized religion as well - looked to early Christian church for models - believed that the revival of ancient learning should be used to bring about religious and moral reform - more emphasis on community than on the individual
Erasmus Dutch priest and humanist “Father of the Northern Renaissance” The Praise of Folly used humor to expose ignorance, immoral behavior, and corruption including in the Church
Sir Thomas More English Renaissance Utopia Describes ideal society in which men and women live in peace and harmony Today, “utopia” means “an ideal society”
How did the Renaissance spread to the “North”? Through religious, military, and commercial contacts Through artists who traveled and studied in Italy Printing Press (Johann Gutenburg 1450)
O Romeo, Romeo! Wherefore art thou Romeo? My kingdom for a horse! Something is rotten in Denmark. To be or not to be – that is the question. All the world’s a stage…
William Shakespeare “greatest poet and playwright of all time” Peak of English Renaissance Comedies, Histories, Tragedies Characterizations
Rabelais Gargantua and Pantagruel on surface: adventures of 2 gentle giants also, satire on behaviors
Cervantes Spanish Renaissance Don Quixote uses satire to mock feudal society and chivalry about a mad, old knight and his trusty servant, Sancho Panza Don Quixote by Picasso – drawn in only a few minutes
Art of the Northern Renaissance
Albrecht Dürer German Studied in Italy Famous for woodcuts and engravings Major influence in the spread of the Renaissance to the North
The Hare
The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse
The Madona of Chancellor Rolin – Van Eyck
Detail of the Virgin’s robe
The Ghent Altarpiece Polyptich - The altarpiece represented a "new conception of art", in which the idealization of the medieval tradition gave way to an exacting observation of nature.[3] The altarpiece consists of a total of 24 framed panels, which make up two views, open and closed, which are changed by moving the hinged outer wings.
Hans Holbein the Younger Specialized in portraits that are almost photogenic in detail Henry VIII
Portrait of Edward, Prince of Wales c Portrait of Edward, Prince of Wales c. 1539 Oil on oak, 57 x 44 cmNational Gallery of Art, Washington
Bruegel – The Peasant Wedding
which allegorical and peasant themes run strongly which allegorical and peasant themes run strongly. His paintings, including his landscapes and scenes of peasant life, stress the absurd and vulgar, yet are full of zest and fine detail. They also expose human weaknesses and follies. He was sometimes called the "peasant Bruegel" from such works as Peasant Wedding Feast (1567). He developed an original style that uniformly holds narrative, or story-telling, meaning. In subject matter he ranged widely, from conventional Biblical scenes and parables of Christ to such mythological portrayals as Landscape with the Fall of Icarus; religious allegories in the style of Hieronymus Bosch; and social satires. But it was in nature that he found his greatest inspiration. His mountain landscapes have few parallels in European art.
Hunters in the Snow
Children’s Games
Triptych of Garden of Earthly Delights by Hieronymus BOSCH c Triptych of Garden of Earthly Delights by Hieronymus BOSCH c. 1500Oil on panel, central panel: 220 x 195 cm, wings: 220 x 97 cmMuseo del Prado, Madrid
Center Panel
Portion of right panel
Spain’s El Greco: A View of Toledo
Pieta – El Greco
Flemish Painter – Peter Paul Rubens
Rembrandt Dutch Known for use of color and light
The Syndics of the Clothmaker’s Guild (Staalmeesters)
Nightwatch