Renaissance Reformation Flashcards
What made Italy such an attractive place for the birth of the Renaissance?
- Thriving Cities,
2. Wealthy Merchant Class , - Classical heritage of Greece and Rome.
What does the Renaissance mean?
“Rebirth”
What is the relationship between the Plague and the Renaissance?
With the death of many laborers survivors demanded greater wages, with few opportunities to expand businesses, the middle class begins to pursue other interests, such as art.
What were the merchants roles in the Renaissance period?
Merchants dominated politics in Italy.
Unlike nobles, becoming a merchant was not based on social rank, but successful business.
Therefore, individual achievement becomes a major factor of renaissance life.
Who were the Medici Family?
- A powerful banking family that ruled Florence, Italy.
- Cosimo de Medici was the wealthiest European of his time, for 30 years (1434-1464) he was the unofficial dictator of Florence.
- The family would continue to rule Florence until the late 1400’s.
Describe how the Greco-Roman Culture was revived in the Renaissance?
- Artists and scholars studied Rome.
2. Scholars studied ancient Latin manuscripts.
- Christian scholars in Constantinople fled to Rome with manuscripts they gained from conquering in 1453.
What is Humanism?
An intellectual movement that focused on human potential and achievements.
How did the view towards consumption and “pleasure” change from the middle ages to the Renaissance?
In the Middle Ages, the idea of having wealth and enjoying life was looked upon as a risky way of living, because god could get angry at you.
In the Renaissance era, peoples begun to believe that you can “enjoy life without angering god”.
What is the secular movement?
The movement where people began to focus on less religion, where people are focusing more on the “now” than the post-death life.
How did the church contribute to the Renaissance movement?
They became Patrons.
They supported many artists through providing money for them to create new pieces of art.
Describe what makes a “Renaissance Man”.
An ideal individual strove to master all arts. A man who excelled in many fields was praised as the “universal man”.
Many view Leonardo Da Vinci as the original “renaissance man, because he was an architect, scientist, engineer, inventor, painter, and designer.
Who was Isabella d’Este?
She could be considered as a “renaissance women”. She was a skilled politician from the city of Ferrera.
Who was Donatello?
What is his most famous piece?
- Well known for his details in his sculptures and statues.
- Revived a classical form in his statue of David in the 1460s..
What are some of Da Vincis master pieces?
Mono Lisa, The Last Supper, Virtruvian Man, Self-portrait.
What is the Mona Lisa?
What makes it significant?
The most famous piece of art in history.
It is believed to have taken Da Vinci over a decade to finish.
Various aspects of the painting remains a mystery.
The person being painted is suspected to be Lisa del Giocondo, but there are other theories that she could be Isabella of Aragon or Da Vincis self-portrait.
Many of the artistic techniques used in the piece were also considered revolutionary.
Who was Raphael?
Younger than Michelangelo and Leonardo, he studied their works to become a better artist.
His most famous piece is School of Athens. The piece includes many famous figures including Michelangelo, Leonardo, himself and philosophers such as Plato and Aristotle.
Who was Machiavelli?
He examined the imperfect conduct of human beings. His most famous piece of work was “The Prince” where Machiavelli explains how rulers can gain power and keep hold of their powers.
He believed that by nature people were selfish and corrupt.
He believed a good leader believes in what is politically correct, not what is morally right.
Which War ended allowing the Northern Renaissance to begin?
The 100 Years War.
During the Renaissance period, what was the difference in terms of how governments and cities were run when comparing England/France to Italy?
England and France had strong monarch while Italy was split into various city-states without a central leader.
__________ developed a technique where he would place layer up layer of paint, a skill still used by people today.
Jan van Eyck
