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The Renaissance Begins

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The Renaissance Begins The RenaissanceBegins 2a.1 lntroduction Toward the end of the Middle Ages, a greatflowering of culturecalled the Renaissance beganin Italy and spreadthroughout Europe. In this chapter,you t, will learn what the Renaissancewas and how it began. rlf Renaissanceis a Frenchword that means"rebirth." The Renaissancegot its name 1l from a rebirth in interestin classical art and learning that took placefrom the i l300sthroughthe1500sc.e. (Classical referstotheculturesof ancientGreekand Rome.)Although therewas no suddenbreak with the Middle Ages, the Renaissance changedmany aspectsof people'slives over time. You may recall from Unit I that medievalEuropean society was basedon feudal- ism. Most peoplelived on feudal manorsin the countryside.The Roman Catholic Church encouragedpeople to think more aboutlife after deaththan aboutdaily life on Earth. Exceptfor the clergy,few peoplewere educated. By the Late Middle Ages, changeswere occurring that helpedpave the way for the Renaissance.Trade and commerceincreased, and cities grew larger and wealthier.Newly wealthy merchantsand bankerssupported the growth of the arts and learning.A renewed interestin classicalculture starteda flood of new ideas.Greek and Roman examples inspired new stylesof architecture,new ap- proachesto the arts,and new ways of thinking. Beginningin Italy,a philosophycalled humanism developed.Humanists believed in the worth and potentialof all individuals. They tried to balancereligious faith with belief in the power of the humanmind. Humanists took a fresh interestin human societyand the naturalworld. This way of thinking contributed to the burst of creativityduring the Renaissance. In this chapter,you'll explorehow the Ren- aissancediffered from the Middle Ages and clas- sicaltimes. Then you'll look at somechanges in Europeanlife that led to the Renaissance. The RenaissanceBesins 315 28.2 What Was the Renaissance? The Renaissancebegan in Italy in the mid 1300sand spreadto other ry { perspective the appearance partsof Europein the 1400sand 1500s.Let's look more closely at this of distanceor depthon a flat "great rebirth" of interestin classicalart and learning.Then we'll use surface,as in a painting art to explore the link between the Renaissanceand the classical world. Renewed lnterest in the Glassical World The I Renaissancebegan with the rediscoveryof the classicalworld of i ancient Greeceand Rome. After the fall of Rome in the fifth century S'J c.e., classicalculture was neverentirely forgotten.The Roman Catholic Church helpedkeep knowledge of ancienttimes alive by copying doc- umentsthat survivedfrom the classicalperiod. Still, this knowledge reachedrelatively few peopleduring most of the Middle Ages. In the Late Middle Ages, merchantsand crusadersbrought back goodsand ideasfrom the East,including classicallearning that had Plt Thisexample of classical art was beenpreserved in the ByzantineEmpire. Europeansalso read classical createdin 450 e.c.r. A Romanstatue works that cameto them by way of Muslim scholars. of a discusthrower. it celebratesthe This flow of ideas led to a rediscovery of Greek and Roman culture. classicalideals of balanceand power. Scholarsstarted collecting and readingancient manuscripts from mon- i asteries.Artists and architectsstudied classical statues and buildings. The renewed interest in classical culture led to the great flowering of 7r art and learningthat we call the Renaissance. Exploring the Rebirth of Glassical ldeasThrough Art We can trace the link between the classical world and the Renaissanceby looking at art. Let's explore someof the characteristicsof art from classical,medieval, and Renaissancetimes. t ? Classical Art The classicalperiod lastedfrom about500 B.c.E.to 500 c.B.The classicalartists of Greeceand Rome createdsculptures, pottery, murals, and mosaics.The purposeof much of their art was to show the importance of peopleand leaders,as well as gods and goddesses.Here are additionalcharacteristics of classicalart: + + . Artists valued balance and harmony. Figures were lifelike but often idealized (more perfect than in real life). Figureswere nude or drapedin togas(robes). Bodies looked active,and motion was believable. Faceswere calm and without emotion. Scenesshowed either heroic figures or real peopledoing tasksfrom daily life. In paintings,there was little backgroundor senseof pen spective (for example,showing people and objectsbigger or smaller to make them look closer or farther awav). t 'e 316 Chapter28 Medieval Art The medievalperiod lasted rt' from about500 to 1300c.e. Medieval artistscreated , stainedglass windows, sculptures,illuminated man- uscripts,paintings, and tapestries.The purposeof ,6sr"r"l/i much medievalart was to teachreligion to people who could not read or write. Here are additional -is,-$f characteristicsof medievalart: .tu,,'.i# f," . Y,' . Most arl was religious,showing Jesus, saints, .:'l,li'li{f -.'i \.\'i -.:.r +\f peoplefrom the Bible, and so on. :i, ri': r., II,,r\11 iiiiii,[It,*$r . Important figuresin paintingswere shown as larger than othersaround them. )r . ,fu \r Figureslooked stiff, with little senseof movement. Figureswere fully dressedin stiff-looking clothing. Thisexamole of medievalart was I, rT . Faceswere seriousand showedlittle feeling. createdfor a churchin Francein i . Paintedfigures were two-dimensional,or flat. 110c.E. The sculnture shows Jesus . Paint colors were bright. sendinghis apostles out to preach. Backgroundswere mostly one color, often gold. Renaissance Art The Renaissancelasted from the 1300sto the early 1600s.Renaissance artists created sculptures, murals, drawings, *r and paintings.The aim of much Renaissanceart was to show the importanceof peopleand nature,not just religion. Here are additional characteristicsof Renaissanceart: . Artists showedreligious and nonreligiousscenes. Art reflecteda greatinterest in nature. Figureswere lifelike and three-dimensional, {h reflecting an increasingknowledge of anatomy. Bodies looked active and were shownmovins. Figureswere either nude or clothed. Scenesshowed real peopledoing everydaytasks. Facesexpressed what peoplewere thinking. ${ . Colors were shownresponding to light. Paintingswere often symmetrical(balanced, with the right and left sideshaving similar or identical elements). Full backgroundsshowed perspective. If you comparethese lists, you can seethat Thisexamole of Renaissanceart is J Renaissanceartists were inspiredmore by classicalart than medieval a muraltitled fhe Schoolof Athens. art. Like classicalartists, Renaissance painters and sculptorsdepicted Itwas painted by Raphael around subjectsthat were not alwaysreligious. They tried to show peopleas 1510.Ancient Greek philosophers, lifelike and engagedin everydayactivities. They also tried to capture suchas Plato and Aristotle, are the way things look in the real world. shownsurrounded by some of the Renaissanceafi reflectsa rebirth of interestin I the classicalworld. What Renaissanceartists they inspired I changesbrought aboutthis revival of classicalculture? Let's find out. centurieslater. The RenaissanceBesins 317 I zB,3The Growth of Trade and Gommerce I One reasonfor the flowering of culture during the Renaissancewas +', 9 the growth of trade and commerce.Trade brought new ideas as well as I I goods into Europe. A bustling economy createdprosperous cities and new classesof people who had the wealth to support art and learning. Starting in the l lth century, the Crusadesstrengthened contacts between western Europe and Byzantine and Muslim cultures. Traders brought goods and ideas from the East that helped to reawaken interest 3t in classicalculture. In the 13thcentury, the Mongol conquestsin Asia made it safer for tradersto travel alons the Silk Road to China. The tales of the Italian traveler Marco Polo sparked even greaterinterest in the East. Food, art, and such luxury goods as silk and spicesmoved along the trade routes linking Europe to it s Africa and Asia. Italian cities like Venice and Genoa were centrally located on the trade routes that linked the rest of western ) Europe with the East. They became bustling trading centersthat attracted t * traders.merchants. and customers. So did cities in the north like Bruges and Brussels.Trading ships carried goodsto England,Scandinavia, and present-dayRussia by way of the English Channeland the Baltic and t ? North Seas.Towns along the routes connectins southernand northern This1 5th-century French illustration Europe, such as Cologne and Mainz in Germany, provided inns and showsthe exchange of goodsand other servicesfor traveling merchants. moneyin a Renaissancetown. The increasein trade led to a new kind of economy. During the Middle Ages, people bartered,or traded goods for other goods. During + + the Renaissance,people began using coins to buy goods,creating a money economy. Coins came from many places, so moneychangers were neededto convert one type of currency into another. As a result of all this activity, craftspeople,merchants, and bankers becamemore important in society.Craftspeople produced goods that merchantstraded all over Europe. Bankers exchangedcurrency, loaned t^J money to merchantsand rulers, and financed their own businesses. patron a personwho supports Some merchantsand bankersgrew very rich. With their abundant the artsor otheractivities by wealth, they could afford to make their cities more beautiful. Wealthy supplyingmoney for them patrons commissioned(ordered and paid for) new buildings and art. They also helpedto found (start)universities. Prosperous Renaissance cities srew into flourishins
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