RenaissanceRenaissance•overview•origins•characteristics•ThethreegeniusesofRenaissanceOverview•14th–17thcenturies•culturalmovement•European•BeginninginItaly•literature,philosophy•art,music,politics,•science,religion,OriginsSocialandpoliticalstructuresinItaly•TheuniquepoliticalstructuresoflateMiddleAgesItalyhaveledsometotheorizethatitsunusualsocialclimateallowedtheemergenceofarareculturalefflorescence.Italydidnotexistasapoliticalentityintheearlymodernperiod.Instead,itwasdividedintosmallercitystatesandterritoriesBeginningoftheRenaissanceTheItalianRenaissancehadplacedhumanbeingsoncemoreinthecenteroflife'sstageandinfusedthoughtandartwithhumanisticvalues.IntimethestimulatingideascurrentinItalyspreadtootherareasandcombinedwithindigenousdevelopmentstoproduceaFrenchRenaissance,anEnglishRenaissance,andsoon.WhytheRenaissanceemergedinItaly?•It’sprosperoustradeandproductionofhandicraft.•It’srichvarietyofurbansociallifecoincidingwiththeemergenceofmorecities.•ThewealthofculturepasseddownfromtheartisticandarchitecturalheritageofRomeandthefourthwastheuseofLatinasacommonlanguageintheItaliansociety.CulturalconditionsinFlorence•IthaslongbeenamatterofdebatewhytheRenaissancebeganinFlorence,andnotelsewhereinItaly.ScholarshavenotedseveralfeaturesuniquetoFlorentineculturallifewhichmayhavecausedsuchaculturalmovement.Lorenzode'Medici,rulerofFlorenceandpatronofartsCharacteristics•Humanism•Art•ScienceWhytheRenaissancebeganinFlorence•ManyhaveemphasizedtheroleplayedbytheMedici,abankingfamilyandlaterducalrulinghouse,inpatronizingandstimulatingthearts.•Lorenzode'Medici(1449–1492)wasthecatalystforanenormousamountofartspatronage,encouraginghiscountrymentocommissionworksfromFlorence'sleadingartists,includingLeonardodaVinci,SandroBotticelli,andMichelangeloBuonarroti.•WorksbyNeridiBicci,SandroBotticelli,LeonardodaVinciandFilippinoLippihadbeencommissionedadditionallybytheconventdiSanDonatoagliScopetioftheAugustiniansorderinFlorence.Humanism•Thehumanistsbelievedthatitisimportanttotranscendtotheafterlifewithaperfectmindandbody.•Thistranscendingbeliefcanbedonewitheducation.•Thepurposeofhumanismwastocreateauniversalmanwhosepersoncombinedintellectualandphysicalexcellenceandwhowascapableoffunctioninghonorablyinvirtuallyanysituation.•Thisideologywasreferredtoastheuomouniversale,anancientGreco-Romanideal.TheeducationduringRenaissancewasmainlycomposedofancientliteratureandhistory.•Itwasthoughtthattheclassicsprovidedmoralinstructionandanintensiveunderstandingofhumanbehavior.PicodellaMirandola.HewrotethefamousOrationontheDignityofMan,whichhasbeencalledthe"ManifestooftheRenaissance"Art•Thedevelopmentofperspectivewaspartofawidertrendtowardsrealisminthearts.Tothatend,paintersalsodevelopedothertechniques,studyinglight,shadow,and,famouslyinthecaseofLeonardodaVinci,humananatomy.Underlyingthesechangesinartisticmethod,wasareneweddesiretodepictthebeautyofnature,andtounraveltheaxiomsofaesthetics,withtheworksofLeonardo,MichelangeloandRaphaelrepresentingartisticpinnaclesthatweretobemuchimitatedbyotherartistsMichelangelo'stombintheBasilicaofSantaCroce,Florencescience•Oneimportantdevelopmentwasnotanyspecificdiscovery,butratherthefurtherdevelopmentoftheprocessfordiscovery,thescientificmethod.•Itfocusedonempiricalevidence,theimportanceofmathematics,anddiscardedAristotelianscience.•Earlyandinfluential...
