Renaissance

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Renaissance

• 1400 - 1600

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Life in the Renaissance-The Bad

• In many respects, life was similar to Medieval
• Life expectancy was 35 w/50 infant mortality
  rate
• Wars in some areas made life very dangerous

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Life in the Renaissance-The Good

• This was a time of economic growth relative
  prosperity
• Particularly in Italy the Netherlands
• This was true in Florence Rome where art,
  wealth education flourished

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The Humanistic Movement

• This was a reaction to the Medieval idea of
  education
• The study of man became more important than the
  study of religion
• Took learning away from the church

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What This Means

• This caused a rebirth of the ideals of the
  Greeks and Romans
• Study and Art became more human
• Start of scientific exploration
• People ask how why to gain understanding

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Comparing Medieval Renaissance Art
Medieval
Renaissance
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The Renaissance Philosophy

• The Arts reflect a new freedom of thought and
  expression
• Promotes the Greek Roman thoughts practices
• Art reconciles faith reason

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Visual Art

• Moves toward the refinement of artistic
  techniques
• Produces images that appear realistic
• Subject matter is religious but believable
• Form replaces Shape

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More Visual Art

• Artists used perspective
• Gave images a 3-D look
• Oil paint invented
• Allowed better blending with slower drying time
• Viewed the human body as a thing of beauty
• Pushed limits of society church

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Leonardo da Vinci

• One of the greatest geniuses of all time
• Studied in many fields art, math, science,
  invention
• Used art to add to science studies
• Kept 120 notebooks

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More Leonardo

• Wrote backwards to code his work
• Could be considered sedition by the church
• Dissected cadavers in a time when it was outlawed
  punishable by death

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Even More Leonardo

• Inventor of many things
• Employed as a weapons designer
• Gentle vegetarian who kept himself clean
• Bought birds to set them free

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Famous Works
The Last Supper
Vitruvian Man
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Mona Lisa
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Michelangelo Buonarrti

• One of the greatest artists of all time
• Gifted in sculpture and painting
• Ill tempered, ego centric and did not bathe
• Worked for Pope Julius-Highest position of the
  time

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Michelangelos Sculpture

• Said the stone told him what it wanted to be
• Sculptures are life like and perfect
• Every detail is evident and in proportion
• Pieta carved in his early 20s

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The Pieta
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David
Moses
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Fresco Painting

• Wet plaster is applied
• Charcoal etching next
• Paints are last
• Only small sections can be done at a time
• Like putting together a large jigsaw puzzle

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The Sistine Chapel Ceiling

• 60 ft. above the floor
• Curved 40x130 ft.
• Done in Fresco style
• Tells the story of the creation
• Took 4 years to finish
• Michelangelo saw it as impossible

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The Ceiling
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Music Counterpoint

• The art of combining two simultaneous lines of
  music
• Row, Row, Row Your Boat is an example
• Melodies were combined and Harmony resulted

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Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina

• Commonly known as Palestrina
• Set up the classic model of polyphony of the time
• Composed for the Pope so music is mostly sacred
  in nature
• 1st Famous Musician

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Drama Commedia dellarte

• Most stories comic (funny now)
• Troupes travel and perform in town squares and
  roadsides
• Pass the hat to get paid
• Wore masks
• Made up actions as they went along

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Masks
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William Shakespeare

• Called the greatest dramatist of all time
• 3 types of plays tragedies, comedies histories
• Writing not only tells a good story, it also
  tells actors how to act vocal inflections
• Words are poetic and may have multiple meanings

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More on Shakespeare

• His plays are required study for all modern
  actors and playwrights
• Each of his 36 plays is considered a gem
• He could be extremely funny, sad or insightful
  depending on the mood

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Dance Court Dances

• Nobility put on spectacular pageants to show
  wealth power to competitors
• These became Court Dances
• Many princes emptied their treasuries to try to
  show up one another

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More Court Dances

• Movements were organized, regal measured
• Participants would only dance with their hosts
  permission
• The larger the gathering, the more power the
  noble displayed