Cultural Aspects Of The European Renaissance And Humanism

The Renaissance was a period in history that began in Italy dating back to around the 1300s. It followed The Middle Ages and was considered a time of “rebirth”. The people of Europe increased much interest in learning, in the arts and in literature. It also provided the world with a big advancement in science and technology. People questioned old beliefs and were able to turn their miseries into optimism. The Renaissance changed man’s view of man in at least four areas: art, literature, astronomy, and anatomy.

Arguably the greatest and longest impacting movement brought about by the forward thinkers of the Renaissance was humanism. Humanism was a cultural and intellectual movement that emphasized the human potential to attain excellence through direct study of the literature, art, and civilization of the classical Greek and Roman societies (Merriam-Webster). The scholars and believers in humanism sought to change the course of society away from the narrow pedantry of medieval scholasticism and utilitarianism. Humanism was a basic desire for every citizen to be able to speak with eloquence and read and write with clarity, so that common citizens were capable of engaging in the civic life of their communities (Gray). The movement also emphasized the value of a human being as well as the importance of rational thought rather than blind faith in spiritualism or superstition. It also pushed people to explore human desires and pleasures while also enriching their minds. The influential nature of humanism was far reaching and most notable for its effects on Renaissance art, literature, and philosophy.

The Renaissance is a period in Europe, from the 14th to the 17th century, considered the bridge between the Middle Ages and modern history. It started as a cultural movement in Italy in the Late Medieval period and later spread to the rest of Europe, marking the beginning of the Early Modern Age. The Renaissance changed the view of man on the world from how man viewed the world during the middle ages. The purpose of this essay is to show how the Renaissance changed the way man viewed the world. The world was changed in the views of Art, Literature, and Science.

The renaissance is defined as the “rebirth” of civilization in Europe from the 14th to 17th centuries (General Characteristics of the Renaissance). A renewed interest of classical world spread from its beginning in Italy, north to Germany and

The Renaissance was a period in Europe civilisation that immediately followed the Middle Ages. It was an era of cultural growth that was introduced in Italy and was carried on throughout northern Europe lasting the 14th to 17th century. Many artists and scholars of that time period believed that they were contributing in a revival of the ideals and worth of the periods that arrive before them. The Renaissance period open doors for individuals to rediscover one’s will and obligations of observing the environment. It was an opening for them to express themselves in human terms. They shifted their interest from God centred to humans centred, known as Humanism. The Renaissance had expanded into four periods which were classified as Early Renaissance,

The Renaissance is the label we put upon the emergence of a new perspective and set of ideals in Europe. This does not mean that it was sudden, neat and clean. It was gradual, inconsistent, and variable from place to place. The Renaissance had its origins in Italy because a powerful merchant class arose in its cities that replaced the landed aristocracy and clergy as the leaders of society. This new class, along with many aristocrats and clergy, embraced humanist ideals. Generally speaking, humanism was a new worldly ideal to replace the medieval focus on eternal life. Humanism was founded on the idea that humanity is capable of greatness by its own means--through wealth, knowledge, art--and does

Rhiana Bishop CHY4U Mrs.Ritsma September 15th, 2017 Humanism and the Italian Renaissance Many people today do not know what humanism is. Even if they don't what it is, many people in this world are humanist. Humanism is the idea behind humanism is the life on earth can be filled with the value not just items, but abilities and individual worth, as well as that humans, can achieve great things. The humanist movement started with a man named Martin Luther. Luther was a German monk who posted what is now known as the 95 Theses on the door of Wittenberg’s Castle (Newman 50). These theses are what started the Reformation and the Renaissance. In the Renaissance was very influenced by the Martin Luther and humanism. The art the writer and the architecture were all majorly influenced by humanism. This is because that it is more acceptable to have beautiful paintings, awe-inspiring novels, and amazing buildings created not just for religious use but for enjoyment. Leonardo DA Vinci (1452-1519), Michelangelo Buonarroti (1475-1564), Donato Donatello (1386-1466), Sofonisba Anguissola (c.1532-1625) these are some of the prodigious artist known all over the world. Every one of these artists started in the Renaissance era of art. Each one of these artists created art that still inspires artist today. Before the reformation and humanism came into the picture almost all became famous for the works that they did in the Renaissance. The reason these artists became more famous is the art that is much more lifelike and that captures more detail than the art that came before the Renaissance. Some of the art done in the Renaissance that is still based on belief.in many paintings, in the Medieval era, there were paintings of Mother Mary and baby Jesus they were portrayed as gods. But as they were painted in the Renaissance era, they were painted as average people from that time. Every artist famous or not became very popular with the growing support of humanism. Niccolò Machiavelli, Edmund Spenser, Desiderius Erasmus and Thomas More. theses are a few of the famous writers in the Renaissance. The most well known are Thomas More was a well-known humanist at the time. More was trained as a lawyer and he dedicated to the classic learning

The Renaissance was a time of rebirth and progress in Europe. It started in Italy around the thirteenth century and spread continuously toward the north and west of Europe for the following two centuries It was a period of tremendous development in learning and culture.

The Middle Ages and Renaissance where worlds apart in every aspect of life. In areas of art, tools such as perspective, realism, and individualism showed the great leap in creativity during the Renaissance. Likewise, the worldly individual, or the “Renaissance Man”, was an improvement over the ignorant, spiritual man of the Middle Ages. Also, the revival of classical learning and education that occurred in the Renaissance was the exact opposite of the suppression of learning during the Middle Ages. The amount of unique advances made in the Renaissance in all areas cannot be paralleled by the progress set forth during the Middle Ages. The word Renaissance itself means rebirth, or the start of something new. Thus, with all these great

The Renaissance is described as “a new intellectual and artistic movement in Italy, a movement strongly critical of the present and admiring of a past that had disappeared with the western Roman Empire and the end of Italy’s greatness.” (Pg. 292). Literature from all over Europe was being found and philosophical work also was being spread to more people, and these same people became obsessed with the classical past and soon competition between city-states about their symbols, art, and artifacts began to grow. Humanism also became very popular because of the Renaissance and the goal was “...of a humanist education was the understanding of human experience through the lenses of the classical past, in the service of man’s individual potential in the present.” (Pg. 294).

The Renaissance was a new age for people ideas and thoughts. The Renaissance lasted over the course of three hundred years and was the period after the middle ages. Humanism greatly influenced art and anatomy during that time. With Humanisms new way of thinking in people's minds many ideas that were influenced by god became a question to be solved by the people of the Renaissance.

Beginning roughly around the year 1400 an era in Europe began; one that would shape the ideas and the lives of men. This era of rebirth or renaissance came within the fifteenth century through the revival of classical texts. One central effect of the Renaissance was the production of a new intellectual idea: humanism. Humanism being defined as a, “[t]erm invented in the 19th century. . . [regarding] developments relating to the revival of Classical literature and learning in European culture from roughly 1300 to 1600” left its mark on all of Europe leaving nothing untouched not even the artist. Both northern and southern art would be affected by humanism but in different ways ranging from changes in the human form, new choices of

The renaissance or “rebirth” was a cultural awakening which spanned from the fourteenth to sixteenth century. A growing interest in humanist traits and classical ideas heavily influenced the art during the renaissance. A growing community of artists provided much needed competition for their profession. The renaissance introduced many different and modern ideas but also remained obedient to classical belief. The unique art of the renaissance spread throughout Europe. Northern European art differed tremendously from Italian art.

Module twelve is on the study of the Renaissance and Humanism era. The first source I used to connect Module twelve with this commentary for this discussion post is “Renaissance and Humanism” from our Instructor Commentary – Module Twelve. This source gives a summary of the development of the Renaissance Humanism era. This era was considered the “rebirth” due to the extreme trouble times many people experienced during the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries. During this period, the term Humanism came into play. Some of the buzzwords of humanism consisted of “respect for integrity of fellow humankind, strive for quality and precisions, open channels of communication, self-realization, and education” (Darty 1-2). The first humanist was Francesco Petrarch who was a “canon lawyer” and “loved nature and garden”. Petrarch had a special interest in the meaning of words which led him to study rhetoric. (Darty 1-2). It was also led by humanists that the Renaissance artists began to flourish. Possibly without the interest and ideas of the humanist, the well-known Michelangelo’s statue of David would never have been created. The renaissance and humanism era brought new excitement and new art into society and changed the sixteenth century in history.

Humanism, a popular movement during the Renaissance, spread ideas such as self-pleasure, self-knowledge, and human importance, which received a lot of opposition from movements like the Protestant Reformation. The Bible itself has laid down an all powerful law, that man must obey at all costs. Obviously, either the Reformation or the Renaissance, had it right and the other had it wrong. The question is whether the Renaissance or the Reformation was closer to the Biblical view in regards to Man and God.