Essay on The Renaissance

Between the 1300s and 1500s, Europe experienced a period of cultural rebirth known as the Renaissance, marking the transition from medieval times to modern times. The Renaissance brought new importance to individual expression, self-consciousness and worldly experience.

The shift between the Middle Ages and the Renaissance was characterized by great socio-economic, political, and religious changes. Politically, the feudal system of the Middle Ages was exchanged for a more stable centralized republic/monarchy system that gave the people more freedom and input. Religiously, secularism became more important as stability gave people a chance to concern themselves with the “here and now” rather than simply the “hereafter.” Socially, there was a shift from dogma and unshakeable belief to humanism and the ability to interpret things for oneself. The Middle Ages began around 400 CE and lasted until 1400 CE while the Renaissance began around 1200 and continued until 1600. The 200 years that overlap between

The Renaissance had a profound part in the development of modern thinking, technology and art. The Renaissance influenced America to what it is today. The Renaissance way of thinking was based more on humanism and less on religion. That resulted in a newer way of thinking than the church's way of thinking. Before the Renaissance all thinking was geared towards religion in some way.

Many things changed from Medieval Times to the Renaissance. The catholic church saw it’s reign secede and individualism increase in the minds of the people of the time. Because of this, people in the Renaissance now looked at themselves in a way that was never seen before. Slowly but surely, the whole world changed. The rise in individualism and humanism signified a change in the way people thought about their purpose in life. In the Medieval Times, people believed that they were at the mercy of God, and they had no control over their own bodies or lives. From the change in Medieval Times to the Renaissance, whole fields were changed, especially art and the medical field, because of the rise of the individual and that way of life.

In the Middle Ages The Black Plague hit the population. Because of a declining population, other aspects of life were affected negatively such as agriculture and politics. The Renaissance, however, saw a turn around for Europe. There were new beginnings in the government and the life of it’s citizens. There was a major culture shift from the 14th to the 16th century. In the Middle Ages, many people were suffering from disease and starvation. It was not a stable time for Europe. The Hundred Year's War compounded their problems. Europeans lost faith in the church resulting in a decline of religious faiths. There were a large amount of Popes going through the Catholic Church during that time known as the Great Schism. The Schism lasted for forty years and resulted from financial mismanagement in the church. The Renaissance was an opportunity to reform European society. Humanism became a common philosophy. Individualism and education were now important. Life did not revolve around religion and the church had less power. More people saw themselves as a greater being than God. The influence of Renaissance Architecture on the rest of the world was significant. There are many government buildings in North American that are modeled after the classical, symmetrical lines of the Renaissance period. Modern architects still study and try to reproduce the beauty, simplicity, and magnificence of Renaissance

Mathematics and the study of sciences are influences that changed the Renaissance era, drastically. They have changed the way we view the world today. People who attended church in the Middle Ages thought that the Earth was in the middle of our solar system. They believed this theory because if God created everything from the planet, and also us, then we must be in the middle of the solar system. Later in the era, Nicolas Copernicus proposed a heliocentric, sun-centered model, to visualize the theory of the universe. Then, Tycho Brahe and Johannes Kepeler helped Nicolas’ theory by setting up an astronomical observatory. But, people weren’t acceptable of this theory, and didn’t like it. Also, since the middle ages, architecture has also improved

If the world had no money or currency of any kind, the choices people made with their lives would be very different than in real life. People would not spend their lives in money-oriented careers. Instead, they would spend their life doing something that they find to be truly meaningful and enjoyable. In a scenario such as this, most people would find themselves pursuing the arts, sciences, or athletic based careers. As amazing as it sounds, there are some who may not be satisfied with this arrangement. Some people may get bored of doing one thing for their entire lives. For these types of people, the most fulfilling things that they could do with their lives are to expand the human consciousness in as many ways as possible. People like this want to be Renaissance men (or women).

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.

The Renaissance was a time of progression in art. It became a more popular job due to the Medici, and therefore art itself changed and grew throughout the Renaissance. Art became more realistic in the Renaissance due to the development of new paint, linear perspective, and the study of anatomy.

The 14th, 15th and part of 16th century was a glorious time for Europe, it was the reformation of many old ideas and the formation of many new, this was called the Renaissance. The Renaissance brought many changes to Europe, the economy was greatly boosted by of all the new explorations. The flourishing economy helped to inspire new developments in art and literature. And from that many new beliefs were formed.

The renaissance time period contained some of the most significant field advancement to the modern day. Of these advancements, the developments in art and literature were the most impactful on the current day world view. Through developments in these topics, people began to shift from the middle age worldview that is centered around heaven, and instead began to focus on their current life.

Would it not be nice if we could go back in time to experience the Renaissance for ourselves? Being able to walk down the streets of Florence, Italy and experience this time period that not only gave rebirth to old values and artistic ways of statement, but also were a period of great individualism. (make this into a sentence…add a subject and a verb to make it flow). Indeed, Renaissance was a period of great individualism based on old traditional values.

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

Throughout history, changes have occurred to better suit society. Perhaps the greatest change during the Renaissance period was art because the Renaissance was a time of rebirth and a time of new ideas. The Renaissance took place in Europe around the 1400’s after the dark ages. During this period, people experienced stability and slowly expanded their wealth. Many wealthy people had enough money to enjoy the luxuries of drawings. Having the rich pay artists allowed painters to have more freedom in creating paintings for they could experiment with different kinds of expensive paints because their expenses were covered. Artists such as Leonardo Da Vinci and Michelangelo arose

The Renaissance was not just famous painters and architects randomly creating masterpieces. It was a culmination of different types of environments and pressure that yielded responses. Different periods meant different restrictions and rules. The medieval period was a time of superstition, the early renaissance was a transition from the previous to rules and Christian control, and the High Renaissance to Baroque period created divisions and links that would last at the same time. Renaissance men were born and died, large families gained power and lost, popes took power and had it resisted. However, through all these centuries a few characteristics stayed the same. Religion was the over-arching layer but deep inside the frescos and churches, courtly aesthetics, corruption and Christian propaganda dominated the time.