What was the Renaissance?

The Renaissance was a period of time in European history, between the 14th and 17th centuries, where people began to renew their interests in all forms of art and literature. The middle ages had halted the development of Greek and Roman art. However, the Renaissance was able to revive these former forms of art, literature, and architecture, as well as developing some new ones. These new artistic endeavors focused mainly on the beauty of the individual and the natural world surrounding them.

Leonardo Da Vinci

• 15 April 1452 - 2 May 1519
• Creator of the Mona Lisa, Last Supper, and Salvator Mundi.
• Born in Vinci, Republic of Florence
• Worked in Milan for Ludovico
• Worked in Rome under Pope Leo X for the last few years of his life.
• Died in the Amboise Kingdom of France​
• Importance Today: His paintings of the Mona Lisa and The Last Supper greatly influence our art today. His ideals and artistic ideas influenced painters after him. His observations in anatomy and geology influenced people to keep an open mind and always discover new things in their careers.
• Impact on the Renaissance: Leonardo Da Vinci was an example of a “Renaissance Man.” His paintings completely altered the way people viewed and created art at the time.
• A quote from Leonardo: “Tears come from the heart and not from the brain.”

Francis Drake

• 1540 – 28 January 1596
• The first captain to circumnavigate the globe without dying.
• Born in Devonshire, England
• Traveled to the Americas at 23 years old commit illegal slave trades with Spanish plantations. The Spanish attacked and killed many of Francis’ men.
• He later stole from the Spanish ports on the West side of South America under the rule of Queen Elizabeth I.
• In order to get home, he sailed across the Pacific and was knighted for being the first captain to successfully circumnavigate the globe.
• Died in Portobelo, Colón, Panama
• Importance Today: Without Francis Drake’s boldness in circumnavigating the globe, we may have never attempted long journeys like that in the future. His boldness inspires people to be adventurous throughout their life.
• Impact on the Renaissance: He gave new hope to the English people, despite the Spanish settlements already in the Americas. He inspired sailors of his time to be adventurous and bold.
• A quote from Francis: “There must be a beginning of any great matter, but the continuing unto the end until it be thoroughly finished yields the true glory.”

Nicolaus Copernicus

• February 19, 1473 – May 24, 1543
• Developed the Heliocentric Solar System
• Born in Torun, Poland
• Traveled to Italy in 1496
• He spent the rest of his life in a residence in the Frombork Cathedral.
• Died in Frombork, Poland
• Importance Today: Nicolaus made advancements in astronomy and created the idea of a Heliocentric Solar System. He also provided formulas for calculating a planet's position. Without these advancements, our view and research of celestial bodies may have been very different today.
• Impact on the Renaissance: Many religious leaders despised Nicolaus’ ideas of Astronomy that he published in the Commentariolus. This defiance against religious leaders helped artists and scientists break away from the religious restriction and laws that held back their research and progress. He became a symbol of opposition to “the way it's always been.”
• A quote from Nicolaus: “At rest, however, in the middle of everything is the sun.”

Sofonisba Anguissola

• 1532 – November 1625
• One of the first internationally known female artists during the Renaissance, known for her portrait paintings.
• Born in Cremona, Italy
• In 1559 she traveled to Philip II’s court in Madrid to paint portraits
• Died in Palermo, Italy
• Importance Today: She influenced the way women’s role in society is and was seen. Although not intentionally, she opened up the path for other female artists to follow in her footsteps.
• Impact on the Renaissance: Her marvelous paintings were rare and beautiful. However, her most important impact on the Renaissance was the impression she made on society. By showing men that she was a very competent painter, she broke down any argument that a man would have against women painting.
• A quote from Sofonisba: “Life is full of surprises, I try to capture these precious moments with wide eyes.”

Donatello

• 1386 – 13 December, 1466
• As one of the greatest Italian Renaissance artists, he sculpted the famous sculptures of David, St. George, and Gattamelata.
• Born in Florence, Italy
• In 1443, he moved to Padua to make a sculpture for Erasmo da Narmi.
• Died in Florence, Italy
• Importance Today: Donatello's techniques and style are still used by many sculptors today. His depiction of personality through newly developed techniques, such as shallow relief, still influences the way sculptors make their art today.
• Impact on the Renaissance: Donatello developed the Renaissance style of sculpture through studying classical forms from ancient Greece and Rome. He invented the shallow relief technique which makes sculptures seem deep and pronounced without actually using that much material. Donatello also made sculptures that truly focused on the individual. Lastly, Donatello was one of the first sculptors to use Bronze.
• A quote from Giorgio Vasari about Donatello: “The world remained so full of Donatello’s work that it may be said with confidence that no artist has ever produced more than he did.”

The MVP of the Renaissance

Leonardo Da Vinci was the most influential and important figure of the Renaissance. Although much of his advancements were centralized in painting, he studied a wide variety of subjects including sculpting, architecture, anatomy, literature, mathematics, science, astronomy, and history. He made incredible advancements in science and technology, but many of his inventions (including the parachute, helicopter, and tank) were left hidden for many years. As such an amazing individual, he captured the ideals of humanism and truly was the ultimate “Renaissance Man.”

His contributions to Renaissance art included the paintings of the Mona Lisa and The Last Supper. These paintings focused on the individual and the details of their beauty. His paintings captured emotion and expression through certain artistic techniques. Leonardo’s view of painting helped solidify the ideas of humanism and breaking away from common forms of art. Leonardo held a great knowledge of anatomy and geology. Through this knowledge, he was able to create paintings that captured human life and emotions. Leonardo’s view of the world was logical and supported by reason instead of superstition. This was uncommon at the time.

Other artists began to follow in Leonardo’s path by focusing on the detail and expression of a human being in all forms of art. Artists began to use logic and scientific reasoning to make their artistic endeavors appear more realistic.

In conclusion, Leonardo’s philosophical view of art and creativity marked the beginning of the Renaissance. Without his focus on individualism and other certain artistic techniques, the Renaissance may have never taken off and become as widespread in European culture as it did. Other painters and sculptors of the Renaissance age may not have been influenced to focus on the deep human characteristics inside of their art.

What is Humanism and Scholasticism?

Humanism was the renewed belief in the importance of the human being and individual. It also stresses the importance of logical and secular reasoning over the belief in a divine or supernatural being. Instead of focusing on religious ideals, people began to value education by ancient Roman and Greek writings. Humanistic works of art during the Renaissance include the Mona Lisa, the sculpture of David, The Creation of Adam, the Pieta, The Last Supper, Venus and Mars, Virgin of the Rocks, Venus of Urbino, the Annunciation, and the School of Athens. Scholasticism, on the other hand, was not a belief, but rather a form of studying. Scholasticism focused on using logical reasoning to make deeper analysis and inferences on subjects. It also promoted curiosity and debate in order to reach a more informed conclusion on a topic. Scholasticism did not reject religious beliefs but instead strived to apply its roots in critical thinking to decipher the deeper meaning of the Bible and other religious texts. These ideas of Humanism and Scholasticism are ultimately important to the Renaissance because they influenced the development of new art. The secular ideas of humanism helped artists to explore new forms of art outside their religious boundaries. This truly freed artists from any restrictions that prevented them from making new and innovative art.

In Depth Information

The Renaissance began in an Italian city-state called Florence. Florence originally got its fame from being a center of flourishing trade in Rome. Later, Florence became a center for artistic endeavors. The politics were controlled by the wealthy Medici family who patronized many famous painters and sculptors. The most famous of these was Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo. The second Italian city-state to take on the Renaissance was Milan. The Sforza family took over the politics of Milan in 1450. The Sforza family brought an end to their war with Florence and inspired many citizens to focus on creative and artistic matters instead. Milan’s economy also played a very important role in the popularity of the city-state. With its location in the center of Northern Italy, it was a popular place for trade. The last city-state to take part in the Renaissance was Naples. Naples was conquered by Alfonso I in 1443. He was a patron of many Renaissance artists, sculptors, and writers. Naples’ main contribution to the Renaissance was their development of music and instruments, such as the mandolin.

The Renaissance was largely influenced by the Ancient Greek, Ancient Roman, Islamic, and Byzantine empires. Ancient Greece largely influenced the literature and paintings of the Renaissance. The Greeks used linear perspective to properly draw out a design for a building or city landscape. William Shakespeare was largely influenced by Greek forms of literature, as Greek was the main written language of the time. The sculptor, Donatello, and the architect, Brunelleschi, were both largely influenced by the works of the Roman Empire. When Pope Martin V moved the papal seat back to Rome, architects were forced to reconstruct many of the ruined churches and buildings. This led to a revival of Roman architecture. Lastly, the Byzantine empire helped preserve Greek culture for the Renaissance.

The Renaissance wasn’t just a revival in paintings or sculptures, it was a revival in all forms of art. In architecture, Filippo Brunelleschi made major advancements through his Cathedral in Florence. He revived the concept of linear perspective from the Greeks. This allows painters and architects to lay out an entire building or landscape from a single point. In painting, Leonardo da Vinci made major strides in the revival of individualism through art. His contributions included the Mona Lisa and The Last Supper paintings. Sofonisba Anguissola made a way for other female Renaissance painters to gain success in their fields. In sculpting, Donatello and Michelangelo made advancements in technique and use of material. Donatello formed the technique of shallow relief through his famous sculpture of David and St. George. Michelangelo also made a statue of David that is known to be near perfect in detail. In literacy, writers such as William Shakespeare, Thomas More, and Machiavelli created amazing pieces of literature and plays. William Shakespeare is famous for his play called Romeo and Juliet. Machiavelli is the father of modern political science. He helped publish the ideals of humanism. Thomas More pointed out what was wrong in European society by writing his famous novel called Utopia. Lastly, the Renaissance was a time of pushing boundaries and going beyond the known limits. Francis Drake did the impossible by circumnavigating the entire globe while maintaining the captain position. Nicolaus Copernicus pushed the boundaries of what was normal for society by developing and publishing his research on a heliocentric solar system. All of these painters, sculptors, architects, and literalists were able to revive an important part of ancient Roman and Greek culture.