The Renaissance in Italy

Renaissance

• “Rebirth”- creativity, political, social, economic and cultural change

• Why Italy?– Influence of Rome and the Roman Empire

• Architecture• Art work

Italian City-States

• North– Florence– Milan– Venice – Genoa

• Central– Rome

• South – Naples

Influence of the Wealthy and Merchant Class

• Political and economic leadership• Education• Individual leadership• Patrons of the arts

Florence and the Medicis

• Florence: energy and brilliance– Arts flourished here

• Medicis: Banking family Who became one of the richest in Europe

• Money=culture= political power

Continuation

• Medicis were “uncrowned rulers” for years– Cosmo de’Medici gained control of the

Florence Government in 1434• Lorenzo “the magnificent”

– Grandson of Cosmo was know as a great patron of the arts

1500-1700’s Europe

Viewing the World Medieval vs. Renaissance

• Medieval– Ideals based around religion– Scholars focused on Life and Death

• Renaissance– Ideals based about the world– Scholars focused about the here and now

Adventure and questions

• Exploration– World and Universe

• Christopher Columbus• Copernicus• Galileo

Humanism

• Worldly subjects • The father of Humanism

– Francis Petrarch • Created the first form of a library by collecting

Greek and Roman manuscripts

Humanism meets the Arts

• Artists often portrayed Religious figures in Roman settings

• Many paintings and sculptures depicted important figures and events in Greek and Roman History

• Some even told stories

Techniques and Artists

• Techniques– Perspectives– Shading– Etching– Studied Human form and body

• Artists– Da Vinci– Michelangelo– Raphael

Leonardo Da Vinci

• Sketches• Portraits• Studied cadavers• Inventor

• Famous Art work– Mona Lisa– The Last Supper– Vitruvian Man

Michelangelo

• Sculptor• Engineer• Painter • Architect• poet

Raphael

Blended Christian and Classical styles

Often portray the Madonna

The school of Athens (paintings) Great thinkers and

scientists