Renaissance: The Era of Prosperity and Rebirth

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Leon Battista Alberti once said, “Men can do all things if they will.” The Florentine architect perfectly summarized the greatest value of the age of rebirth. The Renaissance, meaning “rebirth” was an era of European prosperity lasting from the fourteenth to the seventeenth century. Greco-Roman culture was reintroduced to the lives of dismal Europeans. As a result, the dark Middle Ages were transformed into a new period of radiance and opulence. Contrary to the practice of self denial during the Dark Ages, people began to live lives of hedonism during the Renaissance. Furthermore, intellectuals emphasized human worth. In order to live more pleasant lives and become well rounded people, they began to appreciate education, and the beauty of art. The antiquity-inspired principles of the Renaissance were preserved to this day in the numerous masterpieces of the Italian and Northern Renaissance. A new vision of the world, inspired a new artistic style. Humanism …show more content…

Leonardo Da Vinci advanced beyond realism, and focused on capturing both the internal and external appearance. In Last Supper Da Vinci attempts to use gestures and positioning to reveal each of the apostles’ inner thoughts, after Jesus announces that one of them will betray Him. Leonardo spent many years dissecting human bodies, to portray the body in an idealistic way. Likewise, Michelangelo followed the classical philosophy of Neoplatonism to embellish the human form. Neoplatonism includes that beliefs that humans resemble God, and their goal is to become close to divinity. This ideology is evident in the Creation of Adam on the Sistine Chapel ceiling. Adam is pictured as a perfect, muscular figure to represent divine beauty. Undoubtedly, the “modern” Italian Renaissance ideals were visible not just at philosophical schools, but in churches and wealthy households, as

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