Transcript The Renaissance: A Rebirth of Greece and Rome

The Renaissance: A Rebirth
of Greece and Rome
World History-Schoellhorn
Waking Up from the Dark
Ages
• At the end of the Middle Ages, the church began to
lose power.
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Couldn’t stop the plague
Became power hungry and corrupt
Uneducated people bought their way into the church.
Couldn’t regain the Holy Land
• People began to “wake up” from the dark and see
the light.
– Realized the church couldn’t give them all the answers.
– Realized people like Muslims were doing well studying
Greek and Roman advances.
– Began searching for new knowledge, breaking away from
the church.
There’s No Place Like Rome
• People in Europe realized
that before the dark ages,
the Greeks and Romans
had been pretty smart.
– Began studying ancient
Greek and Roman ideas to
find new answers the
church couldn’t provide.
– Developed new ideas that
were Secular: not based on
religion.
Renaissance: The Rebirth
• Renaissance means “rebirth”
or “reawakening” in French
– Began around 1400 AD, 1000
years after Rome fell!.
– During this time period, people
were “waking up” from the dark
ages
– Roman and Greek ideas were
“reborn” and “reused” across
Europe.
For Example: Hello
Humanism!
• The Ancient Greeks
believed in Humanism
• Humanism: The belief that
humans and their lives are
more important or equal to
religious/supernatural
things.
– Basically, humans were as
awesome, if not more awesome
than the gods and should be
studied, celebrated.
What do Humanists believe?
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God/gods made humans
God/gods gave humans talents
God/gods gave humans an earth.
Therefore…..
– Humans are awesome, not evil (like the
church said)
– Humans should use/show off those
talents.
– Humans should learn about their earth.
• Anatomy
• Biology
• Science
A picture is worth a
thousand words
• One of the best ways to
see the Greek belief in
humanism is by looking
at their art.
– You can actually see the
Renaissance happening!
• For example, what does
this sculpture say about
the people who created
it?
– How do they view
themselves?
Let’s Recap of the
Classics…..
• Classical: Art, architecture or
ideas from or inspired by
Ancient Greece and Rome.
– Believed humans were awesome.
– Explored man’s abilities
– Man was made by the gods….gods
were awesome…so man was
awesome! Show that body off!
– During the Renaissance,
humanism led to a “rebirth” of the
classical style and the philosophy
of humanism
The Body Beautiful
• During the Renaissance,
humans (especially artists)
adopted the ideas of
humanism.
– Began viewing humans as
beautiful, not ugly or sinful like
the church said they were.
– During the middle ages, the
church required all people to be
covered up in art.
• During the Renaissance, nudity was
accepted to show off the body.
Wait…Why do the Classics
include Greece AND Rome?
• Roman artists,
sculptors and architects
copied Greeks as the
standard of excellence.
• Roman art looks more
real, to celebrate
personality of a person.
The Awesomeness of
Classical Art
• Classical Greek/Roman
artists show the belief of
humanism.
– Made sculptures/art look as
real as possible, almost
impossibly real.
– Showed talent and skill
– Nudity was fine, showing off
the body
– Gods were okay to show in
art, made to look like man
The Church Changes the
Middle Ages
• Constantine legalized Christianity in
313 AD.
• When Rome fell, Christianity
remained the most powerful thing in
Europe, even controlling the art.
• Christians did not want to look like
polytheistic Romans.
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No more statues
No more realism
No more humanism
NO more gods/goddesses
Absolutely NO nudity
The Rules of Religion
• During the M.A., focus of art was on
Christianity, Bible stories, and churches.
– Used mainly to tell a story or teach a lesson,
NOT show talent.
• Art didn’t completely die during the
Middle Ages, but humanism did.
• Showing off your talent was a sin,
vanity.
– Only create art to tell a story or message, not
to show off.
• Art was used as control to scare ignorant
people.
What Happened?!
Before Rome fell…
After Rome fell, during the
Middle Ages
Ancient Rome…..
Middle ages
Charlemagne is the
Exception
• Charlemagne wanted
to “recreate” Rome.
• Used Roman and
Greek styles in art and
architecture….until
his empire fell.
• The Middle Ages
ALMOST ended early
under Charlemagne
Secular Studies
• Humanists of the
Renaissance began
studying/painting things
that weren’t religions.
• Secular: Non-Religious.
– Some even included Greek
and Roman gods/goddesses
in their work.
– Celebrate THIS life, not
worry about the afterlife.
It First Came to Florence
• Florence, Italy: The Birthplace of the
Renaissance.
– Really close to Rome, the inspiration for
the Renaissance.
– Italy never really used Feudalism,
actually had money to spend on
art/artists.
– Not really supervised by the church,
allowed freedom of new ideas.
• The Commercial revolution made
middle class people wealthy with
money to spend on nice stuff…..like
art.
Meet the Medici
• Medici’s were a banking in
Florence family, loaned money
to other city states.
• When someone wanted to
attack the Medici, they called
in that city-state’s loans.
So…no one ever attacked
them.
• Medici used their wealth as
Patrons to local artists like
Michelangelo. They sponsored
the Renaissance.
Why Was it Easy for the
Italians?
• The Renaissance began in Italy
because….
• 1. No Feudalism, lots of money
• 2. Most people already spoke
Latin/Greek, could read
classical texts without
translation.
• 3. Surrounded by Classical
art/architecture, easy to copy
and change.
The Medici chapel designed
by Michelangelo
• How can you
see humanism
and classical
influence
here?
The Return of the Amazing
Architecture!
• Even Greek and
Roman
architecture was
reborn during
the Renaissance.
• What do you see
in this building
that shows
classical
Greek/Roman
influence?
How does this….
Compare to
this?
Humanism Everywhere!
• Artists weren’t the only
ones using humanism as
their inspiration.
• Writers, scientists and
even rulers began using
humanism to figure out
how to be the best humans
possible.
Writing in the Renaissance
• Literature in the Middle
Ages became focused on
humans and individuals.
• Niccolo Machiavelli
– Writer from Florence
– Friend of the Medici family
– wrote “The Prince” examining
how a king should rule as a
human being.
• Is it better for a ruler to be loved
or feared by his people?
A Whole New World
• During the Renaissance,
Europe woke up from the
Dark Ages by returning to the
classical styles and ideas of
Greece and Rome.
• We can see this the most in
the art, architecture and
literature (culture) of the
Renaissance.