The Renaissance

2. The Renaissance • Began in Italy---Moved North (tomorrow!) • On scrap sheet of paper, write down everything you think of when I say “Renaissance” • What does it mean?

3. The Renaissance • Art, Perspective, Assassin’s Creed, Leonardo da Vinci! • Renaissance is a French word meaning Rebirth • Big Picture-Was the Renaissance an explosion of creativity & innovation, or was it simply a rebirth of Classical Ideas?*

6. What is the Renaissance? • Economic & Societal Structures changed, allowing new ideas to emerge • These ideas led to a sustained period of renewed interest & remarkable developments in art, literature, science & learning • Arose in Italy in part because of its thriving cities, increased trade & wealthy merchant class

7. How did we “escape” the Dark Ages? • Black Death, War/Invasion & Starvation----Not all bad! Unless, you know, you DIED. • Why? Enormous loss of lifeFarmers producing surplusesSpecialization! • Food prices decline, people could spend $$ on other things, city-states focused on one good & traded w/neighbors

8. How did we “escape” the Dark Ages • Rise of Italian City-States….Why Italy? • Italy had 3 distinct advantages Advantage #1: City-States • Overseas trade, spurred by the Crusades had led to growth of large city-states • Thus, northern Italy was urban while the rest of Europe was still rural • Cities were the place where people exchanged ideas and the site of an intellectual revolution • Survivors of plague could demand higher wages • Merchants had few opportunities to expand business so they pursued art

10. Italy’s Advantages Advantage #2: Merchants and the Medici • A wealthy merchant-class developed in each Italian city-state • Merchants dominated politics • Merchants did not inherit social rank- used their wits to survive • This lead to the rise of importance of individual merit • The Medici banking family came to dominate Florence • Had branch offices all throughout Italy and Europe • Cosimo de Medici was the wealthiest European of his time • Grandson Lorenzo de Medici became great patron of the arts • Patron: someone who financially supports an artist or the arts

11. Cosimo de Medici & Lorenzo de Medici

12. Italy’s Advantages Advantage #3: Geographic Proximity to Greece • Merchant ships from Venice carried Greek scholars seeking refuge from the Ottomans • Brought works by ancient writers that Italians had thought to be lost* • New world of ideas introduced to literate Italians • Began to examine Greek ideas about art, philosophy, and science* • Began thinking more like classical thinkers, who believed in the human capacity to create & achieve

13. Causes of the Renaissance • Increased trade w/Asia & other regions because of the Crusades • Growth of large, wealthy city-states • Renewed interest in the classical learning of Ancient Greece & Rome • Rise of rich & powerful merchant class, who became patrons of the arts • Increased desire for scientific and technical knowledge • Desire to beautify cities

14. Renaissance Ideas-Humanism • Following the discovery of Greek & Roman texts, education practices were questioned • ChurchScholasticEducation that relied on Religion, unity, not individuality • HumanismEmphasis on individuality & achievement; the potential of the human mind is limitless • You could enjoy life (luxuries such as material wealth, expensive art & fine foods…Without offending God! • Rhetoric, Grammar, Poetry, History, Latin & Greek formed the Humanities, and the movement they inspired was known as Humanism

15. Secular Writers • What does Secular mean? • Humanist writers argued that individual achievement & education could be fully expressed only if people used their talents & abilities to service their cities

16. Machiavelli & The Prince • Lived in Florence, during a time of violent struggles for political power • The Prince -philosophy on governance • Most people are selfish & corrupt, so…. • Is it better to be feared or loved? Feared, b/c the threat of punishment keeps people in line • Power more important than Idealism • The end justifies the means

17. Upon this a question arises: whether it be better to be loved than feared or feared than loved? It may be answered that one should wish to be both, but, because it is difficult to unite them in one person, is much safer to be feared than loved, when, of the two, either must be dispensed with. Because this is to be asserted in general of men, that they are ungrateful, fickle, false, cowardly, covetous, and as long as you succeed they are yours entirely; they will offer you their blood, property, life and children, as is said above, when the need is far distant; but when it approaches they turn against you. And that prince who, relying entirely on their promises, has neglected other precautions, is ruined; because friendships that are obtained by payments, and not by greatness or nobility of mind, may indeed be earned, but they are not secured, and in time of need cannot be relied upon; and men have less scruple in offending one who is beloved than one who is feared, for love is preserved by the link of obligation which, owing to the baseness of men, is broken at every opportunity for their advantage; but fear preserves you by a dread of punishment which never fails.

18. Machiavelli in Assassin’s Creed

19. Castiglione & the ‘Renaissance Man’ “[A gentleman should] speak not always of serious subjects, but also of amusing things such as games and jests and jokes, according to the occasion. He should always of course, speak out fully and frankly and avoid talking nonsense… [A gentlewoman should] know how to choose topics suitable for the kind of person she is addressing…She should not introduce jests & jokes into a discussion about serious things. She should not…[pretend] to know what she does not know, but she should seek modestly to win credit for knowing what she does.”

20. The Renaissance Man • Universal, accomplished in the classics, but also a man of action who could respond to all situations • Had to: Speak of serious subjects (not just amusing ones), have a knowledge of Latin & Greek, well-acquainted w/Poetry & History, as well as being able to write Prose & Poetry. • Castiglione’s Renaissance Man represented the very best of Italian Society at this time… • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0CRX_mqpzdU

21. Renaissance Man Activity! • Turn to your neighbor, discuss what 4 characteristics you would choose for a Modern-Day Renaissance Man • Why did you choose those 4? What makes them better than your fellow classmates, or even mine? • Is the idea of the Intelligent, Skillful, Elite unique to the Renaissance? • https://docs.google.com/document/d/1rgyNDlA3rXcgHhTIgs3MEJRxUoY6vglnwPl0qS8EvGw/edit?usp=sharing

22. Science • Following the rediscovery of ancient texts, natural sciences became important avenues of inquiry, challenging the church’s teachings about the world • Copernicus-Sun the Center of the Universe, not Earth…Contradicted the Church…Didn’t release his works until he was on his deathbed…Why? • Galileo- Italian who argued that the Earth orbited the Sun…Church put him under House Arrest

23. Art & Architecture • Arts reflected the new humanist spirit---Medieval artists had used idealized & symbolic representations of religious themes while Renaissance artists depicted the things they observed in nature • Patrons, or buyers of art, could be wealthy individuals, city governments, or the Church----Displayed your Power/Stature • Innovation & Advance because….It paid better than anything else! • Development of Perspective---Allowed for 3-Dimensional to be painted on Flat Surfaces

25. Leonardo da Vinci • True Representation of a Renaissance Man • Could do it all, and did! • Painter, writer, inventor, architect, engineer, mathematician, musician & philosopher • 20,000 pages w/notes recording his ideas for building an armored tank, flying machine, sketches of human anatomy • Designed and built canals, developed a machine to cut threads in screws & designed the 1st machine gun

26. Leonardo da Vinci

27. Mona Lisa

28. Last Supper

30. Michelangelo • Renaissance sculptor who studied human anatomy in an effort to make his statues more lifelike • David • Pieta • Sistine Chapel

31. Pieta-sculpture of Mary, the mother of Jesus, holding her son after his death; themes of grief, love, acceptance & immortality

32. Sistine Chapelhttp://vatican.com/tour/sistine_chapel_3D About a year after creating David, Pope Julius II summoned Michelangelo to Rome to work on his most famous project, the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel.

33. Creation of Adam Creation of Eve The Last Judgment Separation of Light and Darkness

34. Raphael • Renowned painter & architect; • The School of Athens-Fresco that shows Plato & Aristotle surrounded by Philosophers from the past and present who were admired by humanists • Many paintings of the Madonna, or mother of Jesus

36. Alexander the Great & Socrates Raphael (back) Plato and Aristotle

37. Donato Bramante • Rome’s Chosen Architect • His designs formed the basis of Saint Peter’s Basilica • Tempietto in Rome

38. Review! • How did we escape the Dark Ages? • What is a Renaissance? • Why did it begin in Italy? • What is Humanism, and why is it significant? • Castiglione? Machiavelli? • The Ninja Turtles! • Leonardo da Vinci---Ultimate Renaissance Man?

39. Review-Central Focus • Big Picture-Was the Renaissance an explosion of creativity & innovation, or was it simply a rebirth of Classical Ideas?* Creativity & Innovation- • Humanism, Writing, Science, Art (Perspective, Subject) Classical Rebirth- • Humanism, Philosophy, Math, Art, Science…Individual Achievement