Renaissance In The Middle Ages

The renaissance was a time in history when people began to have a new outlook on life. Individualistic views and glorification of the human self and body became very prominent during this time especially in the art and renaissance culture. In paintings, emotions and the beauty of the human anatomy were captured more eminently and sculptures of the human body were shown with pride for its comeliness. Literature projected the human mind and its intellect and much like literature, education was promoted because of the boastfulness of humans.

The renaissance was one of the first time periods to show baroque styles of art and value to the human form. Many artists painted and sculpted the human body to an accurately with more complex details.

On the other hand, the artistic styles of the Middle Ages were flat and showed a great deal of religious depictions especially of the divine being. Although, in the renaissance even religious works showed a great amount of respect for the human form. One of the most recognized sculptors of this period was Michelangelo's David. This piece, at the time, was a religious work that bravely displayed the entire human body in its naked form. In Masaccio’s ¨Expulsion from the Garden of Eden,¨ we see raw human emotion as Adam and Eve are forced to leave the garden. In both of these works, especially in the David, we see not only human emotion but a clear view of how highly they thought of themselves and their bodies.
In the renaissance, literature became increasingly secular, notably highlighting men in a secular world. In Machiavelli’s ¨The Prince,¨ there is a big focus on the individual and how one can improve upon themselves. The renaissance also brought great advancements including the printing press invented by Johann Gutenberg. This allowed the expansion of writings and most notably the dispersal of the bible. In previous times people wrote about how one could improve their spirit. Renaissance writing showed a large view of how to improve as an individual.
The new secular way of thinking prompted a more civil education to develop.

Many scholars began to study the classics. In the Middle Ages, usually only clergies or those taught by the clergy were educated. Although most places of learning were in religious areas, many people began to stray from the teachings of the Middle Ages and venture to studying the classics. Many people studied different styles of architecture and techniques of the Romans. Unlike the way people thought before in the Middle Ages, people in the Renaissance saw themselves as individuals who had the capacity to learn new things and to be intellectual in order to accomplish different achievements.

The renaissance was a time in history when people began a new outlook on life. Individualistic views and glorification of the human self and body became very prominent during this time especially in the art and renaissance culture. The new view of individualism showed in every phase of the renaissance. Art in the form of paintings and sculptures, mirror the glorification of the human form. Literature was more secular and exhibited individualism and improvement of individuals, this was also shown in education. As well as the revival of the classics and the new outlook on the human mind and it’s

capabilities.