Transcript World History Chapter 17A

World History
Chapter 17A
Italy: Birthplace of the Renaissance
Italy’s Advantages
• Renaissance means rebirth
• Renaissance refers to a revival of art and
learning
• The men and women of Italy hoped to bring
back to life the culture of classical Greece and
Rome
• The contributions made during this period led
to innovative styles in art and literature
City States
• Overseas trade, spurred by the Crusades, had
led to the growth of large city-states in
northern Italy
• Northern Italy was urban while the rest of Italy
was rural
• These Italian cities were perfect breeding
grounds for intellectual revolution
Merchants and the Medici
• More citizens were involved in political life in
large Italian cities where there were lots of
merchants
• Merchants dominated politics
• Merchants did not inherit social rank (they
were self-made-men)
Continued
• Florence came under the influence of one
powerful family, the Medici
• The Medici owned banks with several
branches all over Italy
• Cosimo de Medici won control of Florence’s
government in 1434
• For 30 years he was the dictator of Florence
• After his death in 1469, his family continued
to control Florence
Cosimo de Medici
Lorenzo de Medici
Cosimo’s grandson will take control of Florence
after his death
Looking to Greece and Rome
• Renaissance scholars looked down on the art and
literature of the Middle Ages
• How they achieved returning to classical art and
literature:
1. The artist and scholars of Italy drew inspiration
from the ruins of Rome that surrounded them
2. Western scholars studied ancient Latin
manuscripts that had been preserved in
monasteries
Continued
3. Christian scholars in Constantinople fled to
Rome with Greek manuscripts when the Turks
conquered Constantinople in 1453
Classics Lead to Humanism
• The study of classical text led to humanism,
an intellectual movement that focused on
human potential and achievements
• Humanist studied classical Greek text to
understand ancient Greek values
• Humanist popularized the study of subjects
common to classical education, such as history,
literature, and philosophy
Worldly Pleasures
• Humanist suggested that a person might enjoy
life without offending God
• Most people remained devout Catholics
• The basic spirit of Renaissance society was
secular or worldly rather than spiritual and
concerned with the here and now
• Even Church leaders became more worldly
Pope’s Palace
Patrons of the Arts
• A Patron of the Arts, financially supported
artist
• Renaissance merchants and wealthy families
were patrons of the arts, as were Church
officials
Renaissance Man
• A man that excelled in many fields was praised
as a “universal man” or “Renaissance Man”
• Baldassare Castiglione wrote, The Courtier
which taught how to become a Renaissance
Man
Baldassare Castiglione
The Renaissance Woman
• Renaissance women, according the
Castiglione, should also know the classics and
be charming but they should not expect fame
• Isabella d’Este married the ruler of Mantua
• She was a patron of the arts and built an
impressive art collection
• She was also skilled in politics
• When her husband was taken captive she
defended the city and won his release
Isabella d’Estes
The Renaissance Revolutionizes Art
• Medieval artist had used religious subjects to
convey a spiritual ideal
• Renaissance artists often portrayed religious
subjects, but used a realistic style copied from
classical models
• Renaissance painters used the technique of
perspective, which shows three dimensions on
a flat surface
Perspective
Realistic Painting and Sculpture
• Michelangelo Buonarroti used a realistic style
when depicting the human body, which he
glorified
• Donatello also made sculpture more realistic
by carving natural poses and expressions that
reveal personality
• Donatello’s statue of David was the first
European sculpture of a large, free-standing
nude since ancient times
Donatello’s David
Leonardo, Renaissance Man
• Leonardo da Vinci was a painter, sculpture,
inventor, and scientist
• He was a true Renaissance Man
• His best known painting is the Mona Lisa
• He also painted The Last Supper
The Mona Lisa
The Last Supper
Da Vinci’s Inventions
Self Portrait of da Vinci
Raphael Advances Realism
• Raphael Sanzio learned from da Vinci and
Michelangelo
• His favorite subjects was the Madonna and
child
• His greatest achievement was the painting, The
School of Athens
Raphael’s The School of Athens
Anguissola and Gentileschi
• Renaissance society generally restricted
women’s roles
• Sofonisba Anguissola was the first woman
artist to gain an international reputation
• She is best known for her portraits of her
sisters and of prominent people such as King
Philip II of Spain
• Artemisia Gentileschi painted pictures of
strong, heroic women
Philip II by Anguissola
Artemisia Gentileschi
Renaissance Writers Change Literature
• Renaissance writers followed Dante’s example
of writing in the vernacular or everyday
language
• Renaissance writers wrote either for self
expression or to portray the individuality of
their subjects
Dante Alighieri wrote, The Divine
Comedy
Petrarch and Boccaccio
• Francesco Petrarch is called the father of
Renaissance Humanism
• He wrote poetry in both Latin and Italian
• He wrote sonnets (14 line poems)
• His sonnets were about a mysterious woman
named Laura, who was his ideal
• He is the first to use the term, “Dark Ages”
Petrarch
Boccaccio
• He is best known for writing, Decameron
• It is full of off-colored stories
• The stories are told by a group of people that
are in a rural villa in France and they are trying
to avoid the plague
Boccaccio
Machiavelli Advises Rulers
• Machiavelli writes, The Prince, which is a
political guide book
• He explains how a ruler can gain and keep
power
• He says that a ruler must be crafty enough to
overcome the suspicions but also gain the trust
of others
Machiavelli
Vittoria Colonna
• Women writers of the Renaissance usually
wrote about personal subjects, not politics
• She exchanged sonnets with Michelangelo
Vittoria Colonna
Michelangelo
• He was a great sculpture and painter
• He carved, The Statue of David and The Pieta
• He painted The Sistine Chapel
Michelangelo
Sistine Chapel
TA17B
• Read pages 480-485
• Copy and define terms on page 485
• Copy and answer questions 11 and 12 on page
502