1. The Origins of the Renaissance

2. What is “The Renaissance”?
“Rebirth” of learning in Europe between 1400 and 1600
Knowledge of Greece and Rome was recovered
The arts (painting, sculpture, etc.) flourished

3. Italy The Renaissance began in northern Italy
City-states like Pisa, Genoa, and Venice had grown wealthy from trade
Bankers made large profits by loaning money to princes and popes

4. Italy in the 1400’s-it’s not a country yet!

5. The new wealth of these city-states supported the Renaissance
The wealthy middle class had the time and money to become patrons of the arts
The Medici family in Florence was the best known of these

6. Lorenzo de Medici
Catherine de Medici

7. Renaissance “isms”

8. Humanism
Renaissance scholars believed civilization had reached its height in ancient Greece and Rome
Middle Ages were a barbaric time when civilization declined
Therefore, scholars encouraged a return to subjects taught in Greek and Roman schools

9. Renaissance scholars attempted to recover original Greek and Roman sources
The humanities would be revived (study of grammar, rhetoric, poetry, history, etc.)
Goal was a well-rounded education

10. Petrarch is considered “the father of humanism”

11. Secularism
Italian Humanists didn’t abandon God, but did tend to focus on the things of this world rather than the next
Enjoying life on earth was a good in itself

12. Humans were noble creatures capable of great accomplishments, not just sinners in need of salvation
Depictions of secular (non-religious) subjects in art became more common

13. Individualism
For Renaissance Humanists, human beings were the pinnacle of God’s creation (“man is the measure of all things”)
Individual accomplishment and genius began to be praised
Artists began to take credit for and sign their works