WARM-UP You are a 35 year old adult. You ve been working your whole life, doing okay, but usually too busy to enjoy life during the weekdays. Suddenly, a wealthy citizen from Austin offers you a paycheck to produce something beautiful and/productive for your city: art, a building, a daycare cooperative, a new type of school. You no longer have to go to your regular job and have extra free time. What would you create? Why?
The Renaissance Today s Goal: Describe the major causes & effects of the Renaissance & characteristics of Renaissance art This includes political, intellectual, artistic, economic, and religious effects: a lot!
What was the Renaissance? A great rebirth of culture, based on classical Greek and Roman (Greco-Roman) ideas and art, that began in Italy in the Late Middle Ages and spread throughout Europe
Rebirth of the Classical World Cause 1: Travel In the Late Middle Ages, Merchants & Crusaders brought back goods & learning from the East Classical learning that had been preserved in the Byzantine Empire and by Muslim scholars Cause 2: Studying ancient manuscripts Scholars started collecting & reading ancient manuscripts (books) preserved in Catholic monasteries Cause 3: Artistic Inspiration Artists & architects studied classical statues/buildings & became inspired
Also Life in Medieval Europe/The Middle Ages/The Dark Ages was HARD. Feudalism, wars, invasions, slaughter, Crusades, plagues Now, Europeans began to be exposed to the idea that there was more to life than simply work, suffering & dying They embraced it! Of course, this applied more to the middle & upper classes the majority of people were still focused on daily survival
Life in the Middle Ages (aka the Dark Ages, aka the Medieval Era)
What effects did the Renaissance have? Stunning new art & buildings New focus on reason & logic, especially in theological (religious) debate How would this effect the power of the church? New ideas about life Hospitals & universities created universities gave degrees in law, philosophy, theology, medicine Influenced by classical Greek thinkers like Aristotle In addition to art, Classicism (the study of the Greco-Roman intellectual tradition) also resulted in
You will now explore the key changes in Europe that made way for the rebirth in classical arts and learning. Europe experienced a flowering of new ideas in architecture, arts, and learning. You will learn that fueling this growth and change were: Trade and commerce Growth of Italian city-states The development humanism
Growth of Trade and Commerce 1. Increased trade More Contact between East and West Diffusion of Ideas & Information Byzantine and Islamic preservation of classical works 2. Italian cities like Venice were centrally located on the trade routes that linked the rest of western Europe to the East 3. Increased trade on the Silk Road 1. Mongol conquests in Asia made it safer for traders to travel along the Silk Road to China Pax Mongolica Marco Polo s tales of travel encouraged interest in the East
Effects of Growth in Trade and Commerce A bustling economy created prosperous cities use of coins, not bartering A money economy also encourages trade and commerce Merchants and bankers grew very rich Could afford to make their cities beautiful Wealthy patrons (rich families) could pay for New buildings and art Universities
Growth of City-states Cause 1: Renaissance began in Italy s city-states because they were wealthy due to trade Central Mediterranean location in middle of trade routes People came from all over Europe to buy, sell and do banking ($$!) Cause 2: No kings- independent! City got to keep money from trade and taxes (not going to some far off King) City got to make their own laws Cause 3: Typically run by elected councils (often rich families) Medici family in Florence These rich families paid artists to create art Led to an explosion of art in Italy!
Effects of city-states on renaissance? Great wealth and desire to compete with fellow city states Rich families in each city-state paid for creation of buildings statues paintings Universities Hospitals From there, Renaissance ideas spread to the rest of Europe (cultural diffusion)
Growth of Humanism 1. Renewed interest in Classical culture 2. Scholars traveled fro Italy to learn about new Humanist ideas 3. People discovered a new way of looking at life Effects: 1. Individualism 2. Questioning the Church
Effects of the Renaissance Less focus on religion/more secular New inventions Improved art Spread of individualism & humanism More realistic art End of feudalism Idea of a Renaissance Man: idea of a person who is talented in many different ways Life more enjoyable
Now, lets look a some art to identify Classical Influence in Renaissance Art
Classical Art
Medieval Art
Renaissance Art
No need to write any notes on this!
Side by Side Comparison Classical Medieval Renaissance Purpos e of the Art Shows importance of ordinary people, civic leaders, gods and goddesses Teach religion to people who were illiterate Show importance of people and nature Charact -eristics Detailed Realistic http://www.vatican. va/various/cappell e/sistina_vr/index. html Minimal details No background Halos used to indicate who was holy Not realistic Math applied to art: proportions & perspective Realistic Greek & Roman gods landscape Emphasis on individual
Linear perspective
Linear perspective
Linear perspective
Madonna Of Chancellor Rolin - van Eyck (Paris, France @ Louvre) video clip
Classical, Medieval, or Renaissance?
Medieval Renaissance Architect ure Literatur e Gothic, Flying buttresses Religious, epic poems Domes, columns Greek/Roman sculptures Humans Beauty of human form Secular (less religious) Written in vernacular (common language) Spread through printing press
Gallery Walk Each piece of art or literature or architecture is displayed around the room