The Renaissance Era

The Renaissance, or the reawakening, was the burst of sudden interest in Greek and Roman culture. Artists like Michelangelo, and writers like Shakespeare, were popularised. The Renaissance’s base lied on humanism, or the idea that individuals should pursue their own interests. However, humanism was not exclusive to the Renaissance. Humanism impacted the Renaissance, Scientific Revolution, and Protestant Reformation by encouraging individual thought, causing people to learn from each other, and pressing people to criticise traditions, and authority.

When historians use the term “Renaissance humanism” they are talking about the revival of the “worldly spirit of the ancient Greeks and Romans, which [the humanists] believed had been lost in the Middle Ages.” Humanists liked ancient writings and looked for “guidelines for living life well in this world,” as well as models and styles to follow for their own books and other written works. The humanists thought that the ancient Greeks and Romans had written beautifully and were extremely intelligent, so they wanted to copy their ancient styles and learn about them. Some humanists also began focusing on things that were happening in the world, and ways to enjoy life more on this planet. They stopped looking at religion so much and started focusing

The Renaissance was a time of rebirth. People questioned everything, turning towards secular ideas, and reviving ancient Greek and Roman ideas. During the Renaissance many things changed including mans view of man and the rest of the world. In this time people improved on areas such as art, science, and literature. The Renaissance became a bridge that connected the Middle Ages to the New World.

Nyctophobia; the fear of the dark. However, it’s not exactly the fear of darkness itself, but rather, what could be lurking within it. Now, the Dark Ages weren’t actually “dark”, but it was a time of rapid decline in Europe in which historians don’t have much information. After the fall of the Roman Empire, Europe was thrown into a never ending battle of hardships. From the Black Plague to the loss of beloved heroes and heroines, the country really was left in the dark, until a flicker of hope emerged offering a new beginning: the Renaissance. The Renaissance lasted from the 14th to the 17th century and was an era of “rebirth” in European history. During this period, culture throughout Europe underwent a dramatic reformation where classic

The Renaissance period was impacted by humanism strongly because people were now starting to realize, they weren’t just peasants that worked for a lord but they too were people that could make their own decisions. People valued their self-worth now, and they wanted to learn about reading, writing, and the

Italy can be looked at as the home of the renaissance and consequently the immergence of great art. Artists such as Michelangelo, Botticelli, Da Vinci, and Raphael are some of the greats and are looked at for standards. But what about the artists whose lives are mysteries, and their works that were influenced by the greats? These artists hold just as much importance in the history of art as do the artist’s whose names can be recalled off the top of an average person’s head. During the sixteenth century things began to change in the art world, and that change was the Baroque. This new style of art brought a revolution to how subject matter was painted, it brought upon “… a radical reconsideration of art and its purposes…” (249) and how artists of all ranks could learn to paint the up and coming style of Baroque.

One of the main ways that the art of the Renaissance was affected by humanism was that many artists of the Renaissance began to turn away from religious themes, unlike their predecessors from the Middle Ages. Humanism was embraced by artists of the Renaissance without hesitation. When humanism spread throughout Italy and Northern Europe, there was an eager audience for the new findings of classical traditions and art. In the beginning of the Renaissance, artists used themes that were taken from Renaissance humanist beliefs and philosophies. These themes were mostly secular, and sometimes involved a slight religious aspect, but usually depicted a scene of an ordinary place. This is different from the Religious scenes that were widely used during the Middle Ages because almost

flourished during the Renaissance, bringing religion with it. The main religion that came from humanism is Christianity, although the churches were mainly Catholic, such as the Roman Catholic Church which led to the reformation. The beliefs that people have to this day have been followed through from this time period and the words of the Bible.

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.

Even though the idea of Christian Humanism was to make a more critical view of Christianity, it still let the massive witch hunts and the belief of witchcraft become widely accepted. Little is known as to why or what caused the sporadic and massive outbreak of witch hunts and executions of those accused of being a witch or warlock. This shows that there were still some negative changes occurring during the Renaissances, but there were still many positives including the art of the

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.

Religion in Europe was starting to become not so literal, but more of a personal connection with God, instead of a strict public connection. The start of the Renaissance, commoners or nobility was not focused on taking over the family business, but focusing on other career options of interest. The ideas and the development of Humanism were established during the Renaissance through the idea of religion being more personal. Humanism is the practice that emphasizes reason, scientific inquiry, and human fulfillment in the natural world (Gardner and Kleiner 418). Humanism came from the Greeks and Romans interest in the World and the human being. Greek and Roman literature and philosophies were being read again during the beginning of the 15th century. From reading Greek and Roman philosophies, humanism was developed and artwork was reflecting this new trend of individuality. Artist in the 15th century started to claim their artwork and signing their work due to the idea of human fulfillment in the natural world.

The Italian renaissance was a period of creative explosion. The term renaissance symbolizes rebirth, which is exactly what occurred in Italy during this time. An entire culture was remade through art. There was a resounding interest in the classics created by ancient artists. The humanist movement encouraged the study of humanity’s history in order to create a deeper understanding of how to move forward as a society. There was a seemingly unquenchable thirst for knowledge and creation. Many new art forms developed in this period, including opera. The Florentine Camerata, a group of scholars, created early forms of opera. Claudio Monteverdi, a renaissance composer, developed opera into the art form that is still performed today. The work of the Florentine Camerata and Claudio Monteverdi worked in harmony to create and develop this new form of music. Monteverdi’s educational background, his rebellious drive to create, his serendipitous career, and his unequaled talent allowed him to develop opera into an art form that no other composer of the time could have produced.

The Renaissance began in Florence, Italy around the 1500’s to about the 1700’s. Florence, Italy was the mecca of this rebirth because at the time Florence was extremely wealthy and the people of the city had political freedom and those new ideals of the Renaissance were not being condemned in Florence as they were other cities. This was a time where the arts and the logic of one’s own mind was valued rather than criticized, the antiquated medieval ideals no longer matched the needs of those who were living during the early Renaissance. Eventually, a term for this way of thinking arose and was called Humanism, and what humanism is, is an ideology where humans can lead themselves to create a prosperous life and instead of leaning on supernatural forces for answers. Humanists believe that humans have enough logic to create conclusions themselves. This brand-new way of thinking caused a lot of controversy because it did question God’s ability and the church’s power, but the ideas behind it are still heavily used today, even in the 21st century. Humanism in the early Renaissance is important because it called for thinking with reason, it allowed an appreciation for human body and mind, inspired authors and caused a shift in power.

With the arts the artists began to think on their own and those movements began to spread. It was not just what the church said anymore that was right. Humanism, one of the new beliefs which was formed during the Renaissance, said that people should read the works of the greats and focus on writing, and the arts. Humanists believed that they were equal with the ancient Greek and Roman writers and philosophers. Petrarch was the original humanist, and a writer who wrote many letters to the people of ancient Rome. In those letters he spoke as if he was an equal with them. Another of the new beliefs was scholasticism, which was the opposite of humanism. Scholastics thought that people should spend more time the sciences, they also wanted the church and science to be brought together as one. As new scientific discoveries were made many of the churches theories were beginning to be questioned.