Lesson 2 The Italian Renaissance

MAIN IDEAS
Economics Wealthy patrons provided financial support to fuel the
Renaissance.
Culture During the Italian Renaissance, artists and writers made many
advances in the arts and learning.
Science and Technology The Renaissance witnessed the development
of new artistic and engineering techniques.

The Renaissance Begins in Italy

ESSENTIAL QUESTION What factors helped make Italy the birthplace of the
Renaissance?

The Renaissance Begins

• Renaissance—movement of great creativity in art, writing, thought
- began in Italy and spread throughout Europe; lasted 1300 to 1600

Growth of Independent Trading Cities

• Italy was center of Roman Empire; artists knew classical period well
• Many trade routes passed through north Italy; urban centers grew
- Florence, Venice, Milan became centers for exchange of goods, ideas

Florence Shines
• Banking, clothing industries brought great wealth to Florence
- one of Europeʼs largest cities by early 1300s; population 120,000
• Many artists, writers settled in Florence
- patrons—financial supporters of artists
- the Medici banking family ruled Florence, supported arts

REVIEW QUESTION
What made Florence an early center of the Renaissance?

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 Advances in the Arts
ESSENTIAL QUESTION In what areas did Renaissance figures make notable
achievements?

New Techniques
• Renaissance writers, painters experimented with new techniques, styles
- sought more realism; abandoned two-dimensional style of medieval art
• Perspective—art technique that produced three-dimensional appearance

Leading Figures
• Leonardo da Vinci—born in 1452 near Florence; painter, inventor, scholar
- created masterpieces such as The Last Supper, Mona Lisa
• Michelangelo—born in 1475 in Italy; sculptor and painter
- Moses, David, Sistine Chapel ceiling are some of his greatest works
• Italian painter Raphael studied the works of da Vinci and others
- The School of Athens was one of his most famous masterpieces

Other Influential Artists

• Titian, used bright colors, broad strokes; painted Crowning with Thorns
• Sandro Botticelliʼs style marked by delicate colors, flowing lines
- paintings were poetic, not as realistic as other Renaissance artists

Architecture and Engineering

• Filippo Brunelleschi was influential Renaissance architect
- designed large domes for churches; including the Duomo
- created techniques for raising construction materials onto buildings

Renaissance Writers
• Renaissance writers focused on portraying real life
• Dante Alighieri wrote nonfiction, poetry in Italian instead of Latin
- his epic The Divine Comedy focused on spirituality, life after death

Cervantes
• Cervantes was influential Spanish writer; greatest work is Don Quixote
- novel tells story of landowner who imagines he is a knight

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 Machiavelli
• Machiavelli published The Prince in 1513; realistic view of politics

REVIEW QUESTION
In what ways did Renaissance works differ from those of earlier periods?

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 Life During the Renaissance
ESSENTIAL QUESTION What groups made up the different social classes in
Renaissance Italy?

The Upper Class

• Renaissance was largely an upper class movement
- only wealthy had time, money to study classics and humanism
• Rich studied many subjects; “Renaissance man” excelled in many areas
• Wealthy women became well educated; some became artists, writers
- Vittoria Colonna was respected writer; corresponded with Michelangelo
• Most women had few rights; main duty in life was raising children

Other Classes
• Majority of Italians during the Renaissance were middle class or poor
- middle class made modest living as tradespeople and merchants
- most citizens of Renaissance Italy were poor; primarily laborers
• Renaissance ideas and breakthroughs did not reach most of the poor
• Renaissance movement gradually spread north into rest of Europe

REVIEW QUESTION
Why did the Renaissance influence mainly the upper class?

Lesson Summary
• The Renaissance first developed in Italy, which was home to large and
thriving cities.
• The Italian Renaissance gave rise to great achievements in the arts.
• The Renaissance influenced mainly the upper class of society.

Why It Matters Now . . .

The artistic and literary styles that emerged during the Renaissance continue to
influence society today.

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