Life and Artists

Medici Family- Florence, Italy

• Considered the Godfather’s of the Renaissance
• Wealthy family from Florence, Italy
• Paid artist & architects to create new buildings & works of art throughout the region
• Artists inspired by Greek & Roman works

Society Changes

• Business & trade increased along Europe’s rivers
• Merchants became the new class of aristocrats
• Growing economy improved the quality of life for many in these areas
• A new class of people emerged from the surge in the economy- a middle class
• The Middle Class earned moderate profits from their businesses which led to them having leisure time, reading, & lived in the towns

Importance of Education

• Education & the arts became ways of showing wealth & had high importance
• Men would study art and read the classics
• Women would learn to be well-rounded and to act like a perfect “Lady”
• Studying grammar (proper use of language) lead to better understanding of what they were reading which resulted in better writers & speakers
• History – Study the past to avoid problems in the future

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Life During the Renaissance

• The Renaissance benefited mainly the upper class
• Only wealthy people had time to study classical texts and to examine humanist ideas.
• Most members of the middle and lower classes were not well educated.
• Over time, however, Renaissance ideas gradually spread to more of the population as more people became educated.

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Leisure Time

• Reading
• Music
• Art

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Lifestyle

• Shops and business on ground floors, while there was crowded living above.
• Garbage was thrown out onto the street.
• Wealthy people had large homes, but little privacy, servants slept on floor.

People of the Renaissance

Leonardo da Vinci

• Leonardo da Vinci was a �true “Renaissance Man”
• He was a painter & �sculptor whose art was known for incredible realism & emotion
• He was also an inventor �& scientist whose sketches reveal observations about human anatomy & new engineering technology

His “Last Supper” shows Jesus’ last meeting with �the 12 apostles before the crucifixion; the facial expressions, detail, emotion made it a masterpiece

Leonardo da Vinci’s greatest masterpiece was the “Mona Lisa” which was known for its emotion & depth

Donatello

• Donatello was the 1^st great sculptor of the Renaissance
• Donatello revived the classical (Greco-Roman) style of sculpture that were realistic & could be viewed from all sides
• Donatello’s “David” was the 1^st large, free-standing human sculpture of the Renaissance

Michelangelo

• Michelangelo was one �of the most famous Renaissance artists:
• He was a painter, sculptor, architect, �& poet
• His sculptures & paintings showed realism, detail of �the human body, & expression to show personality & emotion

Raphael

• Raphael “perfected” Renaissance painting
• He improved perspective and realism by studying Leonardo & Michelangelo
• Raphael became the favorite painter of the Pope because of his amazing detailed paintings showing �a combination of famous Greeks & Romans along with Renaissance people

Raphael’s “Betrothal �of the Virgin”

Shakespeare (1564-1616)

• He is recognized as the greatest English writer.
• Wrote tragedies, comedies, histories, romances, and sonnets.
• Characters he created were often loved or hated because they were flawed (imperfect).

Elizabethan Theatre

• Mystery plays – complex retellings of legends formed from biblical stories
• University drama – recreated Greek tragedies
• Masque plays – told of ethics and myths… included singing, dancing, and elaborate costumes.

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Johannes Gutenberg - Printing Press

• Johann Gutenberg invented the movable type printing press
• The invention of paper also provided bookmakers with an effective way to spread ideas in a more inexpensive way
• Classic writing from Greece and Rome as well as from current authors were easily spread throughout the land

Effects: Religion

• Helped spread Catholicism
• Spread great opposition to the Church and spurred new ideas about religion.
• Printing of the Gutenberg Bible
• Once people could now own their own Bible they felt that they could develop their own relationship with God

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Effects: Science

• Allowed for the spreading of new scientific information
• Helped to spread The Scientific Revolution
• Cumulative advance of knowledge

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Effects: Intellectual Thought

• Means of permanently recording information and transmitting it to others
• Aided in the growth of science

Information not as easily lost as in the past

Increased access to scientific thought

Allowed new ideas to be spread more easily and rapidly

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