Chapter 1 - European Society in the Age of the Renaissance Flashcards
Petrarch
A philogist credited with rediscovering Cicero’s letters, who translated ancient Greek and Roman classics from old Latin into new Latin, and then stressed the study of them in what the Renaissance would introduce as the studias humanitias. He is known as the Father of Humanism, the art philosophy that swept through Italy and spread throughout Europe.
Lorenzo Valla
A critic and a scholar, author of Elegantiae linguae Latinae, an advanced handbook of Latin language and style which gave the humanist philosophy its most profound and combative formulations.
Pico de Mirandola
A pupil of Marisilio Ficino who was infamous for defending his 900 theses of outrageous theological novelties, immediately deemed heretical and banned by the Church. Although excommunicated, he continued to publish his defining work, Oration on the Dignity of Man, which reintroduced free will as a provocative human autonomy apart from God. Humans had inate potential and capability, he argued, that could be used from purposes other than religion.
Leonardo Bruni
Bruni was renowned from his biographies, and most notably his history of the city of Florence. He is often credited to be the first historian.
Leon Battista Alberti
Known for his foundational treatises on architectural and pictorial formulas, Alberti helped establish Renaissance art theory. He concurred with the concept of idealism.
Niccolò Machiavelli
Author of the Prince, a book on how to effectively govern. It appealed to autocrats, as Machiavelli was sponsored by the Medici family who would not benefit from a Republican government. It described a good ruler as cunning and ruthless, and found its greatest example in Alexander the Great.
Patronage
The system in which noble, clerical, or wealthy merchant families would sponsor artists and commissions great works.
Humanism
The study of human nature, proposed by Petrach and adopted by the majority of Renaissance thinkers. While in the Medieval Age, those enabled to persist in scholarly pursuits were limited to the emphasized feilds of theology, mathematics and some sciences, and perhaps military, the profound impact of the translation of ancient Greek and Roman texts revived a fascination with history and visual and written arts. The value of the complexity of human character was redisocovered and descended upon.
- Civic Humanism: the re-evauation of how people are best governed, taking into account human nature and the philosophical purpose of government. Republicanism was a newly revived preference.
- Christian Humanism: the combining of elements of Christianity with the enlightenment of Greek and Roman texts in order to enrich people spiritual lives. Christian humanists were located more in the North.
Renaissance
The rebirth of classical Greek and Roman ideals in the realm of art, this time period marked the end of the Dark Ages and saw the establishment of new art styles, with depth and perspective significantly evolving the skill, as well as philosophies, with humanism leading a generation of scholars in their studious pursuits. A new class began to emerge and add fluidity to the previously rigid social structure of feudal societies, that is, the New Elite. This age would proceed to open up doorways to exploration and the decoupling of Church and State.
Florence, Italy
Italy was the center of the Renaissance for four main reasons. It had been the first to suffer devastation from the Black Plague carried into its ports, and so was also the first to emerge from it and repopulate. Being a pennisula, Italy was characterized with many ports and was a trading hub for routes from the East. It was also home to the Vatican City, the home of the Pope, who was in effect the religious ruler of Europe, and therefore was scattered with several concentrated and economically flourishing cities. Lastly, Rome was located in Italy, and the remnants of once the greatest empire in the world had no small effect on the moral and distinction of the thinkers and creatives in its vicinity.
Virtú
Virtú was, according to Renaissance thinkers, the ability of an individual to shape the world by one’s will. Ultimately the goal of the Renaissance Man was for aquired characterists—literacy, etiquette, rehotirc, republicanism—to enable him to influence society in turn, with texts added to the classical canon or paintings exhibited in the most astound musuems.
printing press
Guttenburg was the first in Europe to develope a metal based printing press with moveable type, which made the proccess of copying, printing, and distributing books exponentially more rapid and efficient. Print shops began to spawn across Europe as the spread of ideas was facilitated. The continent saw an increase in literarcy. A most profound effect was the independence from the preisthood the estimated twenty million printed Bibles allowed the serviles classes of body of Christ.
Titian
A prominent painter of Venetian art who, the style of using deep, rich colors with an emphasis on patterns and surfaces, introduced Mannerism, which was the artistic style of over contorting the body to express emotion.
Michaelangelo
One of the trinity of the master Renaissance artists, Michaelangelo is known for his work in scuplture, most notably David, and his endeavorous artistic achievments, most notably the Sistine Chapel, including the Last Judgment, which was commissioned by a Pope.
Leonardo da Vinci
One of the trinity of the master Renaissance artists, Leonard da Vinci was known as the ultimate Renaissance Man. He was adept in art, architecture and design, anatomy, and was notorious for his sketches of futuristic innovations.
