Pico Della Mirandola

Thus, it was unsurprising to find that Pope Sixtus IV built a library that still remains as one of the richest repositories holding ancient, medieval documents. This movement of humanism was largely praise because the viewed humanity through a Christian lens as Renaissance humanists strongly believed that men and woman were made in the image and likeness of God. For example, Pico Mirandola represented man as one in possession of great dignity in his essay, ‘On the Dignity of Man’. Further, Renaissance humanism caused individuals to become increasingly self-conscious about their current lifestyles and their realization of human potential. Humanism heavily influenced much of the Renaissance culture, causing people to depend upon intellect its role in humanity breakthroughs.

I chose Donatello because he sounded interesting. He was well known because he was an artist and sculptor. His real name is Donato di Niccolò di Betto Bardi. He sculpted a figure of St. Mark in 1411 through 1413. 1407 he went to Rome to study some classical art.

The Renaissance challenged the status quo of the Middle Ages. During the Middle Ages, the Church had authority over most people. These people also had limited rights. All of this changed during the Renaissance. This period of time focused on the philosophy of humanism, which embodied the idea that humans were a significant part of the world. The Renaissance changed man’s view of man through the institutions of literature, astronomy, anatomy, and art.

Before the Renaissance, Italy & most of Europe were entrenched in the Middle Age idea that man is tarnished and unworthy. The viewpoint of the Middle Ages led to obsession with political and religious hierarchies, which greatly contrasted the individualistic mindset of the Renaissance. The Renaissance allowed people to become less absorbed in religious hierarchy and more curious about the capabilities of man. The idea of individualism is essentially linked to humanism and the desire to pursue education in the arts and the humanities. The concept of the individualism gave use to the idea of the Renaissance man, or the all sided man, which is someone who is capable and knowledge of all things.

Before the Renaissance, God was the measure of all things. People believed that everything in life was predestined, and that they could not be anything more than what they already were. During the Renaissance humanism became widespread, and the focus was no longer on God, but rather on man himself. There was a greater appreciation for man, and an emphasis on what humans think. Pico della Mirandola believed that people are able to be whatever they chose to be according to their own will and knowledge, he even believed that man could rise up and be as great as God. He says in Oration on the Dignity of Man, “To man it is to be whatever he choses to be!…he will be an angel and son of God…he removes himself to the center of his own unity, his spiritual soul, united with God…he will surpass every created thing.” (della Mirandola) In this time, man is of the utmost importance. In a sense, man is considered to be one of the most amazing creation that can essentially do anything with the proper knowledge and reason in order to make

This shows how during the renaissance they moved away from religion and more into

The Renaissance describes the period of European history from the 14th century to the late 16th century. During this time The Renaissance was only seen as a form of rebirth, it wasn’t until later in time where people viewed the period differently. Some say it was one of the greatest ages of human cultural achievement. Jules Michelet and Jakob Burckhardt, for example, view the period as being characterized by the rise of an individual, scientific inquiry, and geographical exploration, and the growth of secular values (La Renaissance). “Nicola “said that he had personally broken some tablets that had been placed as a decoration in a church not far from Porcia, declaring it was wrong, and that they did not belong there and were...merchandise...and that figures should not be placed in church.”” (The Cheese and the Worms, Page 20) The Renaissance gave birth to many artistic views and skills. Much of the art involved religion in which Ginzburg points out that no one is supposed to worship any images of God. This points to one thing that Menocchio learned from

First off, a person’s thoughts are what a person should always entitled to. Before the Renaissance, people didn’t decide what was important in life, the church did. “Medieval Christianity restricted individual expression, fostered self abnegation and self annihilation, and demanded implicit faith and unquestioning obedience” (doc. 1). This is the way the church thought about its people in the Medieval times. “Everything was regulated by law and custom. The individual who attempted to challenge authority and tradition” (doc 1). This shows that there was a lot of control, and out of nowhere comes the individual who doesn’t follow the leader and goes on a different path than anyone else. In the renaissance individuals stopped their obedience to the church. Humanism is a way of life that made people

The view of the nature of man had changed significantly, in the Renaissance, since the time of the Middle Ages. Each man was now unique and completely different from his neighbor. Every man’s personality and personas were special to the individual. Men were composed of different amounts and types of talents. Some were great at science, some art, or others engineering. Man’s view on how they wanted to live their lives was also completely opposite then their fellow man. Overall, the nature of man became that of being their own human being and not be exactly the same as the person next

In the realm of art, the portrait is one of the most intimate and relatable subject matters to the average human. In the past, the main purpose of the portrait was to capture the essence of the person that commissioned the work. The beauty of art is the fact that every artist views the world in a different light, which is reflected and understood when many works of the same subject are compared. No matter how hard one attempts to emulate someone else’s work, their own personal touch will innately shine through the piece. Many artists’ styles are so distinct that the viewer will instantly recognize their work, which is the same idea that great musical artists’ work can be identified within the first few seconds of a song. In order to develop a style that is exclusive to one person, they must first master the basic and essential aspects of the visual arts such as composition and the creation of still life pieces. Getting a solid understanding of the world and the skill of close observation is a step that mustn’t be skipped in the development of a personal style or look. Amedeo Modigliani’s portraits can be identified almost immediately, because of the distinctive features he incorporated into his subjects. His diligence in art school and his general desire to become a better artist were crucial aspects of him eventually finding and solidifying his iconic style.

The Italian humanism was able to change an individual's role of society through education, civic humanism, and individualism in art. In the Middle Ages the world was barbaric, but the Renaissance was able to transform many individuals into civilized citizens for their community, civic humanism. Individualism and secularism are both important aspects of the Italian Renaissance that derived itself from humanism.

Mankind ability to adapt and change the natural environment, made by God and supposedly unchanging, to suit himself makes him magical. Pico’s great admiration for man is shown in great depth when he stated how difficult it is for anyone not to admire man:

The Renaissance, a revival of antiquity starting in Italy around the middle of the 14th century, had broad implications for the way western society would operate thereafter. It would no longer focus on the church and its dictates, although they would still play a part. It would no longer have its government seated in Rome, with small pawns of the church controlling the land, although the church would still have a hand in government. It would no longer shun the vast stores of knowledge created in the past and ignored for a thousand years, although opponents would remain. The ideas of humanism, individualism, and secularism would come to play a role in society as they had in the past. Niccolo Machiavelli lived in a time when the

During the shift from the middle ages into the Renaissance period new conceptions of the individual and the human mind quickly came to light. Although art in the Middle Ages was centered predominantly on religion and faith, the incoming art of the Renaissance underwent a drastic change. A vast amount of these changes mainly focused on individualism, secularism, and humanism. Following the collapse of the feudal system, thoughts of individualism quickly rose when people realized that they didn’t have to adhere to a specific group.Throughout the beginning of the Renaissance, religious figures and the Catholic Church began to lose authority which conducted in new ideas of secularism. Comparably, humanistic art and notions became preeminent when individuals focused on glorifying the human body, learning more about it and inclined more towards realistic art.

reason, and by the light of his intelligence. . .” Also in Act II Scene II, the