Italian and Northern Renaissance Flashcards
Baldassare Castiglione
author, wrote “The Book of the Courtier”
Courtiers
educated aristocrats- “renaissance man”
Niccolo Machiavelli
author, wrote “The Prince”
The Decline of the Italian Renaissance
Disunity of Italian states Invasion by French troops Italian monopoly on Eastern trade declines Italian power and influence fades Rome sacked by mercenaries in 1527
Italian Renaissance Style
The Church was not the primary patron of the arts
Artists had more control over subject matter and styles
Key= individualism, humanist ideals
Italian Renaissance Art
Used color, line and composition to focus the eye Realism- more lifelike Non-religious subjects Oil paint instead of Tempera 1st use of the laws of perspective
Chiaroscuro
Element used in art
Light and shadow (dark) to focus the eye
Sfumato
Element used in art
glazing, layering of paint, semi-transparent
Giotto Di Bondone
Early Artist of the Italian Renaissance
Brunelleschi
Used artistic techniques in architecture
Used architectural line to move eye to the focus
Famous for Brunelleschi’s Dome in Florence
Used the rules of perspective
Donatello
Early sculptor
Revived Roman style of sculpture
1st to develop the “non-finito” style, works were purposely left unfinished
most famous for his bronze sculpture of a nude David- caused a scandal
`The High Renaissance
Artists of this period refined earlier techniques
The peak of Renaissance art, an era with many great genius artists
Perfected the style of emotion and realism
Raphael Santi
Painter of the High Renaissance
Helped develop both the chiaroscuro and sfumato techniques
Advanced painting of drapery and human form/anatomy
Works were usually of Madonna (mary) and child
Leonardo da Vinci
Painter and genius of the High Renaissance
Painted The Last Supper and The Mona Lisa
Was multi-talented and interested in many subjects, so rarely finished anything
Before he was an artist, he served Duke of Milan, then an engineer and architect, then served Cesare Borgia, the Duke of Romagna, and also served King Louis XII of France, Pope Leo X and French King Francis I
Michelangelo Buonarroti
Architect, sculptor, poet and painter of the High Renaissance
Went to the school of Lorenzo The Magnificent
Studied frescoes of Giotto and Masaccio
Painted the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel which is what he is most known for
Studied anatomy which got him into trouble
Made beautiful marble statues with drapery and excellent human form
The Beginning of Northern Renaissance
Humanism spread north from Italy and a form of it called Christian Humanism was formed
Characteristics of Northern Renaissance
Emphasis on Christianity
Stressed biblical and early Christian themes
The best of antiquity combined with Christian culture
The Focus of the Northern Renaissance
Secularism and individualism- but within a Christian context
Importance of the Individual
Impact of the Printing Press
The Printing Press was invented by Johann Gutenberg
The Bible was mass printed
People formed their own ideas about the lessons of the Bible and what was right vs. wrong
Led to the Reformation- split within the Christian church
Sir Thomas More
English writer of the Northern Renaissance
Wrote Utopia
Was decapitated by Henry VIII and was sainted later on
Desiderius Erasmus
Dutch writer of the Northern Renaissance
Wrote Adages and Praise of Folly
Used satire
Looked for church reform, not replacement
Praise of Folly was a humanist translation of the New Testament
William Shakespeare
English poet/playwright of the Northern Renaissance
Possibly the greatest poet/playwright of all time
Wrote histories and tragedies- Henry IV, Henry V, Romeo and Juliet, Julius Caesar, etc.
Wrote in the English vernacular
Francois Rabelais
French friar and classicist
wrote romances like Grantua and Pantagruel
Satirized education, the Church, politics and philosophy
Albrecht Durer
the “Leonardo of the North”
Regarded as the greatest German Renaissance artist
Famous for his metal and wood engravings as well as the “Praying Hands”
Hans Holbein
Portraitist of the Northern Renaissance
Painted portraits of famous people and royalty
Frans Hals
Dutch painter of the Northern Renaissance
Painted portraits of everyday activites
Used the chiaroscuro technique
Famous for The Laughing Cavalier
Jan van Eyek
Flemish (today’s Belgian) painter of the Northern Renaissance
Painted in oils
Focused on realism and details
Pieter Bruegel
Flemish painter of the Northern Renaissance
Painted scenes of everyday life and real people, scenes of peasant life (not royalty)
Conveyed political and moral messages in his work
Rembrandt
Considered by many to be the greatest Dutch painter of the Northern Renaissance
Famous for realism and dramatic use of chiaroscuro
Religious subjects as well as everyday life
Famous piece: The Dissection
The Origins of the Italian Renaissance
The Italian Renaissance began in 15th century Italy, specifically Florence
Was a “re-birth” of art and learning
Model was the golden ages of greece and rome
Focus of the Italian Renaissance
HUMANISM- individualism and creativity
Why Italy?
It was the 1st country in Europe to pull out of economic depression
Was not involved in the destruction and chaos of the Hundred Years War
Had strong ties to the Middle East
Why Florence?
Had a history of literacy and scholarship
Was a key power during times of Italian turmoil
Had an improved educational system
participation in city politics was encouraged (like in Athens)
Francesco Petrarch
the “Father of Humanism”
A trained Florentine lawyer and clergyman
wrote Letters to the Dead- conversations with dead ancient writers
Rediscovered works by Cicero, Virgil, Homer and Livy in monasteries
Pushed the study of Latin, Greek, classics and rhetoric
The Medici
Powerful Florentine banking family
Supported the arts
Lorenzo “The Magnificent”
Governed Florence at its height
Patron of the arts
Opened schools for artists/sculptors (ex. Michelangelo)
Humanism
Liberal Arts Education Respect for classical past Celebration of individuality Individuals can affect change Celebrates human achievement and education Pursue perfection **The essence of the renaissance
Virtu
“the cult of the individual”
Humanist idea
Studia Humanitatis
Renaissance education idea/method
means “wisdom and eloquence”
Ideas included Rhetoric(communication) and individualism
Goal: to create responsible, active, intelligent and moral citizens and leaders; to make individuals the best they can be
This is the foundation for 20th cent. Liberal Arts colleges
