Chapter 11: The Italian Renaissance
- The Renaissance was the rebirth of classical culture
- Birthed a new spirit of being self aware
- Provided a sense of relief after all the chaos of the 14th century
- Allowed for a sense of self assertion
- Celebration of the human spirit and celebration of potential was also allowed
- Lasted from around 1330-1550
- Had 3 distinct phases
- Phase 1: (1350-1400) declining population & rediscovery of classical knowledge
- Phase 2: (1400-1500) artistic/literary achievements, the population recovered, & the government stabilized
- Phase 3: (1500-1550) Italian political life was transformed due to invasions from France and Spain with said invasions spreading the Renaissance all across Europe
- By the late middle ages, nearly one in four Italians lived in a town
- There were more Italian cities and people who lived in them
- By 1500 around 7/10 of the largest cities were Italian
- Urban areas provided markets for agricultural produce and manufactured goods
- Cities developed into city-states
- Cities were the centers of political and ecclesiastical power
- Rural societies
- Land-ownership/sharecropping were key features of the social structure
- 80% were sustenance farmers
- Urban societies
- Divided based on occupation
- The Black Death caused there to be high death rates
- Aggregate demand diminished, labor supply diminished, overproduction, prices declined, and wages increased
- The standard of living increased for the lower class (poor people)
- The pattern of consumption in general became conspicuous for the wealthy
- Sense of mortality
- Lack of motivation for investing
- The consumption of luxuries allowed for skilled craftsmen to be seen as more valuable
- Grouping of relatives
- primary economic units
- Marriage was seen as either a political or an economic arrangement
- Dowry, status, and patronage were in high consideration
- Men married in their 30s
- Women married in their late teenage years
- Married women were pressured with family interests
- The state had superiority over the church
- The wealthy, upper class were able to hire help
- The poor, lower class had to face high mortality rates
- Life for the lower classes was terrible but had still improved from what it had been before
- Health improved (population grew)
- New foods
- Increased supply of grain
- Starvation wasn’t a big issue
- It was more common for individuals to die due to deadly diseases than to die due to starvation
- Renaissance art commonly portrayed social ideals and the talent of the artist
- Was the leading “edge” of society
- There were several technical advancements in the field of art
- Three-dimensions
- Perspective
- Portraits reflected the significance of people
- The elite (wealthy) commissioned the art and patronized the artists who produced the art
- Renaissance art had 3 mediums with most artists being active in all 3 mediums
- Architecture
- Painting
- Sculptures
- The architecture commissioned during this time period increased an individual’s fame and prestige
- Architecture in the Middle Ages
- Gothic Architecture
- Vaulted Ceilings
- Pointed Arches
- Large Windows
- Slender Spires
- Flying Buttresses
- The goal of the impressive and grand architecture was to impact viewers with the might of God
- Renaissance architecture consisted of a reincorporation of classical features
- A famous artist of the time was Brunelleschi who mixed gothic and classic architecture
- Donatello was a famous sculptor
- Created a sense of reality in his sculptures
- Demonstrated perspective
- In paintings, light and shading was used to create perspective with them also increasing the display of human emotion
- The Expulsion of Adam and Eve (1425)
- Boticelli, a prominent painter was known for classical themes and bright colors
- The Birth of Venus (1478)
- Spring (1478)
- Humanism was an important Renaissance ideal
- Humanism: reaction to an intellectual world that was focused on the church doctrine
- Secular outlook
- There was an emphasis on human achievement
- Ideas of Renaissance were applied to the secular and spiritual world
- Scholars attempting to escape Muslim expansion were extremely influential
- New education standards and standards for studying classical texts were developed
- Liberal Arts
- Grammar
- Rhetoric
- Philology
- History
- Moral Philosophy
- Civic humanism combined the Classical and Renaissance world and was a representation of the first secular understanding of the government
- Powerful families and guilds took over the field of regional governments
- The major industries were those of textiles and finance
- Textiles: Wool, Silk, & Cotton
- Bank branches were established throughout Europe with external conflicts causing a financial crisis
- Byzantine Empire was allowed exclusive trade rights
- The government controlled trade
- Italy was responsible for exporting manufactured goods, capital resources, and cultural innovations
- Wars of Italy (1494-1529)
- Renaissance in Italy is ended
