Chapter 17 Section A

• Time Period: 1300-1600• During the Renaissance, scholars and artists

developed new cultural and artistic ideas based on the rediscovery of the literature of Classical Greece and Rome.

• The Reformation will lead to the founding of Protestant Churches.

• The invention of the printing press aided the spread of revolutionary ideas.

Italy: Birthplace of the Renaissance

Renaissance means “rebirth”.It begins in northern Italy and later spreads northward.

Three advantages for the Renaissance beginning in Italy

1. Wealthy merchant class2. Thriving cities3. Classical heritage of Greece & Rome

Florence, Italy

• Ruled by the Medici Family• Cosimo de Medici rules Florence for 30 years

as the defacto dictator.

Lorenzo De Medici (Lorenzo the Magnificent) comes to power in 1469

• Lorenzo supports the arts.• Medici power comes from a system of banks

the family owns.

Classical & Worldly Values

• Humanism-focused on human potential & achievement.

• Humanism suggested that a person might enjoy life without offending God.

• The basic spirit of Renaissance society was secular & concerned with the here and now.

• Popes & wealthy merchants became patrons of the arts.

Renaissance Man-should strive to master almost every area of study.

Baldassare Castiglione wrote The Courtier to teach how to be a Renaissance Man.

Renaissance Woman-should strive for the same thing as a man but not expect to

seek fame. They were expected to inspire art but rarely create it.

Donatello-Made sculpture more realistic by carving natural posture that revealed personality. He carves the first European sculpture of a large, free-standing nude since ancient times.

Masaccio-Rediscover the technique of perspective.

Leonardo da Vinci-A Renaissance Man. He was a painter, sculptor, inventor, and scientist. He painted the Mona Lisa and The Last Supper.

Mona Lisa

Da Vinci Inventions

Da Vinci Sculptures

Michelangelo’s David

Michelangelo Buonarroti-He excelled in almost every area of study. He is most famous for the way he portrayed the human body in painting and sculpture. He designed St. Peter’s Basilica, painted the Sistine Chapel, and carved the statue of David in Florence.

St. Peter’s Basilica

Michelangelo’s Sculpture

Michelangelo’s Self Portrait

Raphael Desante-Learned from the styles of da Vinci and Michelangelo. His favorite subjects were the Madonna and Child. He portrayed them with gentle & calm expressions.

Raphael's most famous work was his School of Athens

Women Painters

• Sofonisha Anguissola-First woman artist to gain international reputation. She is known for portraits of her sister & prominent people.

Artemisia Gentileschi-Painted pictures of strong heroic women.

Renaissance Writers

• Renaissance writers wrote for self-expression or to portray the individuality of their subjects.

Francesco Petrarch

• He was the earliest and most influential Humanist. He wrote poetry (sonnets).

• Considered the Father of Humanism• First to use the term, “Dark Ages”

Boccaccio-His best known work, Decameron,is a series of realistic & sometimes off-color stories.

Niccolo Machiavelli-wrote The Prince. This is a political guidebook that examines how a ruler can gain power & keep it. He was not concerned with what was morally right, but what was politically effective.

Women Writers

• Women that gained fame usually wrote about personal subjects, not politics. The most famous of these was Vittoria Colonna. She wrote sonnets.

TA17B

Read Pages 478-485Copy and Define Terms (3) on Page 485

Copy and Answer Questions 11 & 12 on Page 502