The Renaissance: Contradictions and Supports
During the Renaissance, the works of artists and politicians such as Michelangelo, Machiavelli, Alberti, and Brunelleschi triggered new perspectives in understanding arts, politics, and literatures in relation to Catholic and classical values. As a result, the Renaissance played a bigger role in defining the advantages and disadvantages of Catholicism and classical values during this time period.
Humanists and their advancements, along with Brunelleschi supported the classical values during the Renaissance. Some evidences are: the recovery of old classical texts, the advancements these texts provided, and Brunelleschi’s construction of the dome. Humanists were considered the first historians,
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for they translated and revived old classical texts (Kishlandsky, 336). Through this, advancements in all aspects of Renaissance were made, such as medical advancements using the works of Hippocrates and Galen, and Copernicus, who challenged Aristotle’s “Geocentric Theory”. Subsequently, Brunelleschi’s construction of the Cathedral of Santa Maria de Fiore’s dome (Kishlandsky, 332) was inspired by the Pantheon and other classical architectures. However, Alberti, the Roman Catholic Church, and religion all contradicted the classical values of Greece and Roman.
Evidences of said contradictions are: Alberti’s different usage of columns, the Church’s prohibition of nude arts, and the shift from polytheism to monotheism. During the classical age, columns were used to support buildings, but Alberti used columns as decorations, especially in making Santa Maria Novella’s facade. Also, the Church’s restriction shows its disagreement with classical values, for most classical artists’ arts were subject to nudity. Furthermore, the shift from polytheism and monotheism greatly divided the classical age and Renaissance, because both Greece and Rome believed in more than one God, in contrast to the Renaissance where citizens believe in one …show more content…
God. Important figures of the Renaissance greatly supported the Roman Catholic Church. The Medici family, Thomas Aquinas, and Thomas a Kempis all supported the Church in their own way. After overthrowing the Albizzi family in Florence, the Medicis’ regained their throne once again. Since they restored Florence’s greatness, the Medici aided the Pope to collect taxes from churches around Florence (Medici: The Godfathers of the Renaissance). This tax collection helped the Pope and the church stay in a rather mediocre power. Thomas Aquinas, an Italian Dominican Frier, meshed the Church doctrine and Greco-Roman philosophy, which in turn supported the Catholic Church greatly. Similarly, Thomas a Kempis’ Imitation of Christ (1423), a handbook for spiritual life, supports the Church through its emphasis on the Eucharist as the key element of spiritual life. On the other hand, the three legacies: Secularism, Humanism, and Individualism of the Renaissance contradicted the Roman Catholic Church.
The most contradicting evidences includes paintings, literatures, and their need for conformity. For example, the growth of Renaissance art contributed to the rise of secularism. Michelangelo’s ¬David (1501) portrayed the bible story David and Goliath with nudity, that contradicts the Roman Catholic values. Leon Bartista Alberti’s “On The Family” (1443) portrays humanism with new urban values such as prudence and thrift that were never used in Roman Catholicism (Kishlandsky, 338). Lastly, the Roman Catholic Church’s need for conformity was clearly shown during Ferdinand and Isabella’s reign over Spain (Reconquista of Spain). Non-Catholic individuals were excommunicated out of Spain, in fear of one’s individualism conquering the homogenous rule of Ferdinand and
Isabella. To summarize, although the forms of art during the Renaissance period does not conform with the moral values of the Catholic Church still, artists are being commisioned to depict the life of Christ, the biblical scenes, and portrait of saints. However, also during Renaissance era, a new interest in Greek and Roman culture has emerged about human form and the innovations in science and mathematics. This lead to the belief that all creation of God especially the human being in particular confirm that God is the greatest and most powerful.
Established in the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries to counter the limited ideals of medieval scholasticism, Renaissance Humanism were educational and social reform ideals that sought to emphasize individualism as a central value in contrast to religious beliefs. Humanists revered the dignity of human kind and called for a life of virtuous action. The writings of Petrarch and Pico exemplify humanist thought by displaying the values of self-knowledge, individualism, and studying lessons from the past; appealing to the authorities of the Greek and Latin classics by Cicero, Vergil, Horace, Plato and Livy. Petrarch and Pico’s thinking can be constituted as a marked departure from medieval attitudes and beliefs, due to the origins of humanist resources being classical and biblical rather stemmed from medieval philosophers and theologians.
What truly defines the Renaissance? One may argue that the transition from a religiously centralized mindset to a focus on secular and humanistic values was the key change that made the Renaissance distinct from the Middle Ages. This transition is evident in written stories, paintings, treatises, and orations given by prominent characters of the Renaissance (e.g. Shakespeare, Michelangelo, and Mirandola). In this essay, I will elaborate on the significance of the “transition” on differing views during the Renaissance, and the extent in which figures of the Renaissance portrayed secularity and the extent of divinity in their works.
The Middle Ages was a time in history where everyone was faithful to religion as well as others. Also, in the Middle Ages, people were encouraged to always try their best; they were encouraged to strive for the highest achievement possible and to never give up. The Renaissance, however, was more focused on becoming matured and finding a way to be successful at everything one does. During this era, people strived to become all-sided men, also known as; renaissance men. This means they are not only successful in one type of art but in all types of art, as well as math, science, and literature. The Renaissance was a distinct period in time that was separated from the Middle Ages and began a new era.
The Renaissance Period is widely known for the abundance of amazing portraiture that circulated around Europe. During the Renaissance, Albrecht Dürer, a German artist painted a self-portrait in 1500 that had qualities that differed from the usual style of artist in that time (Chauhan). Jean Clouet also painted a portrait for the King of France and became the official court painter. Both artists had a talent for portraiture, while their styles were quite different. King Francis I wanted to be seen as a powerful man, and appointed Clouet to paint him in a classically renaissance way that highlights his wealth and authority. Dürer, described as a cocky, self-centered man, painted himself in a light that is unique and puts him on a ‘holy’ pedestal (Stokstad 356). In this essay I will show how although both paintings have clear differences with their style, both men in the compositions are conveyed in a great and very powerful sense.
The Renaissance as a Time of Change The Renaissance was a time of social and economic change, feudalism was nearly abolished and money became a heavy commodity rather than loyalty and promises. The church became secularized and people put more emphasis on science and arts. Ideas and values enveloped the land. At this time the peasant population was around ninety percent of the overall population.
In this paper I'm focusing mainly on Renaissance art work, since that was the assignment, but I feel it's important to also mention the other important parts of the Renaissance, architecture, science, politics and religion.
The Italian Renaissance developed in cities such as Florence, Milan, and Venice, which had emerged during the 12th and 13th centuries as new commercial developments allowed them to expand (Paolucci 12). This mercantile society contrasted sharply with the rural, tradition bound society of medieval Europe. A significant break with tradition came in the field of history, as Renaissance historians rejected the medieval Christian views of history (Cole 40). Studies such as the Florentine History (1525) of Niccolo Machiavelli revealed a secular view of time and a critical attitude toward sources (Cole 44). This secular view was expressed by many Renaissance thinkers known as humanists. Humanism was another cultural break with medieval tradition; under its ideas scholars valued classical texts on their own te...
The decline of great empires like the Greeks and Romans inspired the rise of a great period of time—the Italian Renaissance. The Italian Renaissance originated in the city of Florence, Italy, which gave the city a surplus of culture and religion. The Renaissance emerged after a period of time that was known as the Dark Ages and lasted from the 14th century and lasted through the 16th century. After the Roman Empire ended, it left much of Europe in a state of cultural incompetence. The Roman Empire, known as the last great empire, was a part of Classical Antiquity and its deterioration left the people of Europe without the “light” it needed to thrive. The transition from the Dark Ages to the Renaissance can be reflected through imagery. Greco-Roman culture was particularly grandiose and was one of the main reasons that Classical Antiquity lasted as long as it did. Without the strong foundation of civilization during the time Classical Antiquity, the Italian Renaissance would not have its precedent for a new era. The Italian Renaissance was an amalgamation of a shift in religious beliefs and embracing predecessors to create a time of innovation and new forms of enlightenment.
The shift between the Middle Ages and the Renaissance was characterized by great socio-economic, political, and religious changes. Politically, the feudal system of the Middle Ages was exchanged for a more stable centralized republic/monarchy system that gave the people more freedom and input. Religiously, secularism became more important as stability gave people a chance to concern themselves with the “here and now” rather than simply the “hereafter.” Socially, there was a shift from dogma and unshakeable belief to humanism and the ability to interpret things for oneself. The Middle Ages began around 400 CE and lasted until 1400 CE while the Renaissance began around 1200 and continued until 1600. The 200 years that overlap between these two periods contain many pieces of “transition” art in which it is obvious that the change is beginning to take place. These collective changes that took place in this period dictated change in art as well. There were changes in iconography, style, purpose, and patronage that facilitated the overall transformation of art from a sense of illustrating what you are told to believe is true to optical realism and conveying how you yourself interpret that “truth”.
The periods between 14th and 17th century were marked by a return to classical ideas and culture, known as the Renaissance. The Renaissance or some may say “Rinascita” meaning rebirth, represented a break away from conformist society and culture of the previous medieval Europe to the revival of lost knowledge. This cultural movement, where changes occurred in almost every aspect of intellectualism, we know evoked in the in the heart of Florence, Italy. The unique characteristics of this city enabled an atmosphere of learning and artistic expression. An independent city like Florence was quickly capable to grow prosperous through trade and banking creating a class of wealthy businessmen who became patrons to individual artists providing them with fund and other necessities. It were these men too who become the most prominent face of the Renaissance movement. The Renaissance marked an important moment in human history and ending of the dark ages. Having changed the way in which people thought has given us many of the freedoms we have today. This essay will be further exploring the que...
Therefore, this lead to a new life for the people’s marriage and family life, patronage of the arts, the society’s secular outlook on things, and even their individualism. It is believed that the development of the Renaissance was caused because of the women not being able to remarry after the passing of their first husband, but they receive all of their husband’s inheritance. Therefore, this caused a larger number of singles which is believed to be why the Renaissance reputation was sodomy, prostitution, and love triangles. However, women had the advantage because if they were married they had wealth and after their husband’s death they had their freedom. Art served as a political function because of its power that it served like that of civic pride for patriotism. Art became so important that it caused it to people to begin to buy it as an investment. Secularism and Individualism were outlooks on the Renaissance. Secularism grew because of the ability for people to fulfill their lives with anything that their money could buy which helped the art and literature during the Renaissance.
A central focus of the Renaissance was humanism. Humanism was an intellectual movement that claimed the heart of the Renaissance. Humanists studied the classical cultures of Greece and Rome. They used their newly acquired knowledge to develop a better understand of their own times. Humanists, although they were mostly Christian, did not focus of religion. Instead they were fixated on worldly subjects. It was believed that education should stimulate one’s creative mind. Humanists emphasized humanities, which are classic subjects such as grammar and poetry.
However, as the times changed, some ideas became outdated, except for one. Based on his writings, Leonardo Bruni’s vision of the renaissance and opinions of the government are most applicable to today’s global society. Leonardo Bruni was a renowned humanist in the late 1300’s to the early 1400’s. He looked to authors like Plato, Livy, and Thucydides for inspiration for his work.
The Italian Renaissance included some of the greatest artists we have ever seen from Leonard Da Vinci, to Michelangelo, and Raphael. The Renaissance took place from the late thirteenth to sixteenth centuries and is know as the ‘rebirth’. The idea that the rebirth of the arts after being asleep for a thousand years is an amazing thing to grasp. This time brought back light to liberal arts, which were on the brink of being extinct. (Murray 2) What is also interesting about art during this time was that most of the art had Christian in its roots, for example, Botticelli’s The Allegory of Spring (Faure 1) is said to have had a Christian interpretation. (Murray) “Every Italian artist, willingly took the title of architect, sculptor, and painter” (Faure 2). At the beginning of the fifteenth century, the Italian painters had asked the Flemish painters for their secret techniques because the Italians felt like the language of painting was one that was always meant for them. (Faure 4) The sculptors claimed their inspiration from ancient works. Lastly the Renaissance introduced idea of individualism, which helped the Italians get away from everything that was going on during that time. Art during the Renaissance included painting, sculpting and architecture, all of which were an important part in expressing the idea of individualism and making art what is is today.
Through the transition from the Middle Ages to the Renaissance, as well as political literature and diplomatic advancements, the Renaissance significantly influenced modern politics. This has been proven through the conversion evidences of Charles VII and Louis XI, The Prince and Discourses on Livy by Machiavelli, and the diplomatic developments made by Machivelli and Henry VII. In the end, despite the era being only three hundred years and happening several centuries ago, the Renaissance was a key point in the modern world’s political history.