Italian Renaissance Religion

Religious artwork has been prevalent throughout all of history. Christian artwork has been ever changing and evolving based on what it going on during the time period in which the work was created. In Romanesque artwork, art was imaginative and involved mysticism along with themes that represented their fears of the end of the world. In Gothic artwork, the art turned away from evoking fear and instead had the goal of bringing people into the church. In the fourteenth century, the religious art responded to the crises of the time period. During the Renaissance, artwork shifted to an interest in realism, which can be seen in Raphael’s Madonna and Child with the Young Saint John. The medium for this work of art is oil paint. it was painted in 1500 and is 47 inches in diameter.

The Italian Renaissance was one of the most colorful, vital, and exciting times in history. Renaissance eventually comes from the French word "Renaistre," meaning "to be born again." The Renaissance was a revival or a rebirth of cultural awareness and learning among art, law, language, literature, philosophy, science, and mathematics. This period took place between the fourteenth and sixteenth centuries. The Renaissance in Italy flourished in the 15th century and spread throughout most of Europe in the 16th century.

Individualism and Secularism were ideas that were introduced in the Renaissance and became fairly popular with the citizens who had experienced this time period. Secularism and Individualism though separate terms have a lot in common. They both have to do with separation of church from daily life. Secularism separating the government, and individualism pushing people to look less at what the Bible said and more at what was relative to their day to day lives. The emphasis on these two ideas during the Renaissance affected the way people wrote, drew, and created architecture, by pushing them away from religion and focusing more on day to day life and the people involved with it. So, the ideas of secularism and individualism had affected the

The Renaissance period is known for the revival of the classical art and intellect born in ancient Greece and Rome. The Renaissance is also a time that is marked by growth, exploration, and rebirth. The Italian Renaissance started in Florence and progressively made its way into Venice and then into the great city of Rome. During the Renaissance, Rome was home to some of the most renowned works of art and the finest architectural masterpieces in the world - too many that still holds true today. Along with the delicate architecture and grand artistry, Rome was also home to a mixture of people and cultures. It is in this cultural context and through the book A Street Life in Renaissance Rome: A Brief History with Documents, that understanding how men, woman, and specifically Jews and Christians lived in Rome becomes important to better understand this period of renewal.

Over through course of time religion has been a big part of people's life. During the 1300 there was a sudden change in behavior and belief. The Italian started, and it caused a change in belief. The belief of Humanism as well caring more about how they live now than the afterlife. It was the sense of rebirth at the time, but caused a lot of problems. While the Renaissance lead Italians to accomplish great things, in relationship to Christianity it was disrespectful to social norms.

Boundless World History. "Italy during the Renaissance". Lumen. Boundless World History. 27 May 2018. (-- removed HTML --)

The Italian Renaissance was a time for great cultural change and achievements, which began in Italy approximately during the 13th century and lasted up until the 16th century. It marked the transition between the Dark Ages and Early Modern Europe. The European Renaissance originated in Central Italy, and centered in the city of Florence.i The distinctive characteristics of northern Italian states such as art, literature, philosophy, and culture produced an atmosphere of learning and artistic expression.

During the Italian Renaissance, people were influenced by positive values that helped change human expectations. The values that people based their lives on we're humanism, secularism, individualism, skepticism, generalism, and classicism. Humanism was the idea that people have the ability to do what they want in life. Those who believed in secularism tended to focus more on what they want to do in life rather than focus on religion. Artists show individualism through their artwork by creating more unique pieces. The people were always willing to ask questions due to their skepticism as well. Many talented individuals had skills with several activities expanding generalism is him in the Italian Renaissance. There was also an interest in classicism as people wanted to learn about ancient Greece and Rome.

The Renaissance brought about major changes in European politics, economics, sciences, and cultures. New schools of thought, most notably Christian Humanism, techniques of painting and sculpting, systems of government, and ways to communicate forever changed the face of Europe. These changes, however, were not uniform in their influence or their style. The Southern, especially Italian, Renaissance focussed particularly on both the individual and the Church, through studying old Roman Catholic doctrines and Greco-Roman classics, whereas the Northern Renaissance looked at how society and the Church could be improved economically and politically. Cultural and geographic differences were the main causes of the differences between the Southern

In the course of the Renaissance, many scholars and philosophers speculated about humans and their purpose on earth. Most of the population in Eastern Europe used religion to make sense of the world. During the Renaissance, the Church had influence in several countries and the Church organized the education and what was being taught. Throughout the Renaissance, people developed a new understanding of the world which resulted to advances in mathematics, science, and art. The scientific theories proposed during the Renaissance tested the Catholic Church’s teachings, and as a result, reason became the common enemy of the Catholic Church.

The Italian Renaissance, in contrast to the conservative attitude of the Middle Ages, introduced a society dominated by a secular, humanistic spirit. One of the most historically significant events of the Renaissance was the Reformation. Some people argue that the Reformation was a rejection the secular spirit of the Italian Renaissance. Others assert that the Reformation was an embracement of these secular ideas. However as with many questions, this issue cannot be given a definite answer. The events of sixteenth-century Europe shows that the Reformation rejected secular ideas in some ways and embraced them in others. Martin Luther defied the Catholic Church and formed his own ideas on salvation, embracing secularism. In England, Henry VIII would reject Catholic authority, thereby accepting the secular spirit. However, he also rejected secularism by continuing to uphold traditional Catholic theology. Edward VI and Mary I would both establish national religion, of which there was no questioning, and reject the secular spirit. Elizabeth I also established a national religion, but her more conservative religious policies reflected her embracement of secular ideas. On the other hand, John Calvin created a religious sect that was dedicated to ardent religious devotion and righteousness, thereby rejecting secularism. Thus, the Reformation both rejected and embraced the secular spirit of the Italian Renaissance.

Since the church was the monetary power at the time, it also had the biggest influence when it came to art. The church would commission paintings that reflected religious imagery; some would then be shown

Raphael was born in the Renaissance Italian city-state of Urbino in central Italy. Urbino was said to be one of the cultural centers of Italy, a place where artists went to be successful. His father, Giovanni, was a painter and poet for the local Duke. As at a young age, Raphael started leaning basics of painting from his father. His father died when he was 11 years old. Even after the death of his father, Raphael never gave up on art. Working out of his father’s workshop, he improved his artistic skills. He was said to be the most talented artist in his town as of that time. When he turned 17 he moved to Perugia a city in Italy. While in Perugia he worked with Pietro Perugino an artist that had a huge reputation in the art industry at that time. While maintaining and developing his unique style, he also leant form Perugino. In 1504 Raphael moved to Florence where we has considered a master painter. It was said that even as a master artist, it never stopped him from studying other great artist such as Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo. He incorporated the influence of this grates artists in his work which made him one of the greatest icon of his time (getty.edu).

Italy is a Christian country, 83% of the population belonging to the Roman Catholic church. The relationship between Italians and religion is special. There have been many spiritual people before the Romans came along. Italy is, essentially, a nation embracing, all creeds, and religions, where the relationship between state and the church is regulated and sanctioned by constitutional laws. The question is why is there quite a variety of the number of atheists and agnostic rising? Along with religious minorities, Islam is the largest, followed by Eastern and Oriental Orthodoxy, Protestantism, Jehovah's Witnesses, Buddhism, Sikhism, and Judaism. Along with that many do not practice religion around 12% of the population in Italy follows no religion.

The renaissance and the reformation were two of the most significant changes in history that has shaped our world today. Both of these great time periods are strikingly similar in some ways and totally different in others. This is because the renaissance was a change from religion to humanism whether it is in art or literature; it is where the individual began to matter. However, the reformation was,” in a nutshell,” a way to reform the church and even more so to form the way our society is today. The first half of this paper will view the drop in faith, the economic powers, and the artistic and literary changes during the renaissance, while the second half will view the progresses and changes the church makes during the reformation.