Chapter 6 - The Rennaisance Flashcards
What does Renaissance mean and how long did it last?
Renaissance means Rebirth and it lasted from the 1400-1500s.
What was the Renaissance?
The Renaissance was a period which saw the rebirth of interest in the ideas of Ancient Rome and Greece.
What was Humanism?
Humanism is a mindset which focuses more on human knowledge rather than god and religion.
What did Humanism inspire artists too do?
Humanism inspired artists to show the real world, real people and nature in their art.
List and explain 4 reasons why the Renaissance started in Italy.
- Fall of Constantinople - Constantinople was the capital of the eastern Roman Empire. It was conquered by the Ottoman Empire in 1453. People fled to Italy, bringing books from Ancient Rome & Greece. The ancient ideas in these books were new to the Italians
- Wealth from trade -Italy is in the centre of the Mediterranean sea. This made It rich from trading Spices & Silk from Asia. Rich merchants could spend money on art & architecture to show off their power.
- New ideas from trade - Italian Merchants travelled to China, India and the Middle East. These countries were very advanced. Italian merchants learned new ideas from these countries. E.g. A lot of maths came from the Middle East at this time, including Arabic numbers.
- Roman Ruins - Italy had been the centre of the Roman Empire. Ancient Roman ruins & art were everywhere. Italian comes from Latin, so it was easier to read Ancient Roman books. So Italians were inspired to copy their Roman Ancestors.
What was important about the De Medici family?
The De Medici family were very wealthy patrons (people who payed artists to make art for them) who sponsored artists and architects and opened a sculpture academy.
What was the difference between Medieval paintings and Renaissance paintings.
Medieval paintings were usually more religious and out of proportion and Renaissance paintings used sfumato (blurring or smudging lines to give them a “smoky” effect) and used perspective (the creation of depth and distance in a painting)
What paintings did Leonardo Da Vinci paint?
The Last Supper (1495-1498) and Mona Lisa (1503-1506)
What was the difference between Medieval and Renaissance sculptures
Medieval sculptures were not very realistic, usually attached to walls and the body’s were covered up by long clothing whereas Renaissance sculptures were free standing and naked a lot of the time.
What famous sculpture did Michelangelo Buonarroti sculpt during the Renaissance?
Michelangelo sculpted David and it took him from 1501-1504 to finish it.
Who created the moveable type printing press and in what year?
Johannes Gutenberg created the moveable type printing press in 1440 but versions of it had already been made in China a few centuries before him.
What impact did the Printing Press have in Europe.
Printed books were much cheaper than handwritten manuscripts, allowing more people to buy them. More people learned to read and write. People read more and were introduced to new ideas. Fiction became more popular as people began to read for entertainment.
What did Andreas Vesalius do?
Andreas Vesalius became one of the first people to accurately record and illustrate human anatomy based on his findings from dissections.
What did William Harvey do?
William discovered that the heart pumped blood around the body.
What did Nicolaus Copernicus discover?
He discovered that the Earth resolved around the Sun but had no way to prove it.
