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
  • Allowed for prestige
• 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
  • Commonly commissioned
• 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
  • Florence Cathedral
• 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

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