Northern Humanism, Renaissance, and Late Mannerism

In sixteenth-century Europe, the Protestant Reformation was brought in with artworks that questioned religion. In this time period, Protestant reformers began to split from the Catholic Church and challenge the ideas of the Catholic hierarchy. The artwork embodied much of the cultural, religious, and political environment of the time in which it was made. Additionally, it embodied the philosophies of those who split from the Catholic Church and questioned how society understood what was right and what was wrong. Satire of the Papacy was an etching by Lucas Cranach in 1555.

Northern Renaissance humanists placed more emphasis on early Christian history and works than their Italian counterparts. They studied the Holy Scriptures and the works of several early church fathers, such as Augustine and Jerome. They believed that the Christian church was much simpler than the church of their time. They were also noted for their reform program, in which they believed that they need to change the humans in order to improve society. Erasmus, a famous humanist, wrote that he “would [prefer] that even the lowliest women read the Gospels and the Pauline Epistles.” (Spielvogel 337). His quote reflected the attitude of many Christian humanists at that time. Christian humanists support the use of education since they believed

During the Northern Renaissance, the role of the artist and art in Northern Europe during the 16th century followed new patterns of thought that focused on humanism, individualism, skepticism and secularism. The Northern Renaissance artists placed ‘perspective’, an importance of everyday life. The theme of the Northern Renaissance was a return to the Roman culture and Greco classics. However, Netherlandish painter Hieronymus Bosch had a perspective unlike any other painter, until 400 years later.

As the Renaissance began spreading northward out of Italy it began mixing and combining new ideas, creating a Northern Renaissance. The social changes in Italy were inspired by humanism. Italian artist, writers, and philosophers were motivated to study classical antiquity, and explore the importance of individuality. They had the belief that humanism led to more worthy people. Not having any ancient work to depend on, northern beliefs were more concerned with religious enhancement. Believing Rome had drifted too far from Christian

During the Renaissance of the sixteenth century, Europe experienced a golden age of new works of art, literature, and advancement in medicine. However, as these advancements spread across the European nation-states, the order of the Protestant Reformation began to rise. Christian humanists and middle-class patrons opposed the religious mores, creating unorthodox standpoints of the European Christendom. Likewise, in Erasmus' The Praise of Folly, the allegorical figure, Dame Folly, criticizes the follies of influential groups and individuals of the sixteenth century. Rather than creating a written work that agrees with the conventional views and methods of the period, Erasmus takes a modern approach instead. Erasmus uses a peculiar technique

The growth of the western countries resulted in trading, more military power, colonization, production of goods and more advanced technology. The Renaissance in Italy was a political evolution of the City-States that was eventually turned into urban centers. Italy was the first country to be modernized and start the Renaissance. The Scientific Revolution was a big era in Western’s history. This era brought new technology, higher performances from Greek philosophers and experimentation on the world.

As Europe was going through a rebirth, this transformation was known as the Renaissance. It was a period of time where intellectual and philosophical interest sparked new innovative ideas. It was also the beginning of the motivations for exploration. Studier ships and new technology, such as the

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 was a great age of colonization and exploration, with Europeans visiting North and South America, many parts of Africa, and Asia. Trade and colonies swiftly followed these discoveries.

The influence of the Italian Renaissance affected northern Europe at the beginning of the Fifteenth Century, called the Northern Renaissance. This renewal of cultural activity was marked by an acute interest in human beings and by the use of natural detail in paintings. An interest in ancient art and a knowledge of linear perspective did not develop in the north until the Sixteenth Century; and even then, not all artists used the discoveries that were made in Italy.

There were many changes during the transition from the Middle Ages to the Renaissance. There was a major shift in theology, which impacted the Catholic Church. The protestant reformation, which was from 1517 to 1648, split the church into Protestants and Catholics. The protestant reformation decreased the impact of the Roman Catholic Church by declaring the Bible as the only authority of the church. This change in the culture is reflected in the art of this era. Instead of religious paintings and icons the subject of portraits and sculptures turned to more everyday life. Families, farmers, singular

The Renaissance was a time of “rebirth” and a transition from the medieval time to the Early Modern World. It emphasized human beings, their achievements, interests, and capabilities. This time period was a “gateway” to the modern world and was essential for the improvement of human life. At the time there were two main Renaissances, the Northern, and the Italian.

In 1517, the Catholic Church split into two branches of Christianity: Protestantism and Catholicism. Martin Luther’s list of grievances, called the 95 Theses, listed the issues with the Catholic Church. These problems include the rigid hierarchy in the Church that ultimately promoted an elitist culture within the religion. Almost all Christian Bibles were written in Latin, meaning only the wealthy and educated could have a relationship with God. Additionally, Luther and his followers believed that Christian art produces idolatry and therefore distracts an individual from developing a personal relationship with God. This clashes with the Catholic belief that visual imagery promotes piety, ultimately heightening one’s chances of going to Heaven if an individual chooses to be a patron to Christian art. As a result, Pope Paul III held a series of meetings over the course of almost twenty years. Called the Council of Trent, these meetings lasted from 1545 to 1563 and consisted of various Catholic leaders seeking to improve the Church’s declining reputation. This Catholic Counter-Reformation paved way for new forms of art.

This period was characterized by spectacular art and architecture. The church’s position facilitated the development of structures such as cathedrals and monasteries that served the entire religious and political leadership of the time. Some of the economic and cultural developments that saw the development of the renaissance took place around the 12th century. Economic power characterized by the developments in art and architecture began shifting from eastern Mediterranean to Western Europe. Apart from development of towns and cities, communication

The Renaissance era is expressed by its architecture, sculptures, and paintings which display its originality and artistic brilliance. Conversely, the intellectual characterization of the Renaissance was humanism, which based its studies on Greek and Roma literature . These distinct characteristics of the Renaissance created a unique environment where the time flourished with prosperity. Specifically, the political and economic prominence created the essential elements for which the society prospered. This paper will discuss the economic and political circumstances demonstrating the most important of the two elements in creating the Renaissance to flourish is economic.