The birth of the Modern World. The Art of the Renaissance
Europe and the traders
The population growth in the 15th century led to a rise in demand, which stimulated the growth of the economy (agriculture, crafts and trade).
Maritime trade experienced a major boom, especially the Eastern spice routes. This is why this period is known as 'merchant capitalism'.
The bourgeoisie became wealthy thanks to commercial businesses and the development of banks.
Humanism
Humanists discovered the writers of antiquity and promoted a new culture that placed man at the centre of the Universe. They developed the arts and literature and engaged in a new form of science based on reason and experimentation.
The printing press revolutionised the way the new humanist ideas were spread by making it possible to print a huge number of books in less time and more cheaply.
Religious reform
The new humanist mentality was critical of some aspects of the Church , especially the behaviour of some clerics and its wealth.
In Germany, Luther proposed a reformation of the Church and its doctrine and clashed with the Pope in Rome. He was expelled from the Church and his ideas spread throughout Northern Europe.
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The Counter-Reformation
The Catholic Church reacted by convening the Council of Trent, which was tasked with correcting previous errors and establishing the dogmas that all Catholics had to follow.
To prevent the spread of Protestantism, the Inquisition Tribunal was created. This persecuted and judged all those suspected of heresy.
In order to spread the principles of the Counter-Reformation, the Society of Jesus was created and tasked with teaching and evangelising.
Artistic Renaissance
The Renaissance was a new artistic movement that flourished in the first two centuries of the early modern period (15th and 16th) and was closely linked to the humanistic cultural revolution.
Like humanists, Renaissance artists considered themselves the successors of the classical masters and were inspired by ancient Greek and Roman works.
Architects adopted Greek and Roman styles. Sculptors and painters extolled the beauty and proportion of the human figure and invented new techniques, such as oil painting and perspective.
The Italian Renaissance
The Renaissance began in Italy and subsequently spread throughout the rest of Europe.
The new style developed in two stages: the Quattrocento (1400s), which began in Florence and was influenced by the Medici family, and the Cinquecento (1500s), when the capital of art moved to Rome and the popes became great patrons of the arts.
The Renaissance in the rest of Europe
The Italian Renaissance spread throughout the rest of Europe from the 16th century.
The introduction of the new style in France and in the countries of the north was the result of both the influence from Italy and the desire of artists to reflect reality and the human body more objectively and accurately.
The Renaissance in Spain (look from slide 118)
In Spain, the Renaissance began in the 16th century, when the influence of Italian and Flemish artists began to bring the new style to the court.
Three different architectural styles developed: Plateresque, Classical and Herrerian.
GLOSSARY (Artistic terms are highlighted)
aerial perspective (n): the method of creating the illusion of depth.
Anglicanism (n): the faith and practice of the Protestant Church started by King Henry VIII.
auto-da-fé (n): the ritual of public penance by heretics condemned by the Inquisition.
anthropocentrism (n): the belief that human beings are at the centre of everything.
background (n): the part of a painting behind the main subject that appears furthest from the viewer.
Calvinism (n): the faith and practice of the Protestant Church started by John Calvin.
chiaroscuro (n): a technique that uses light and shadow to give volume and contrast to figures and objects.
Cinquecento (n): the period of the Renaissance when the art capital moved to Rome and the Pope acted as patron.
commission (v): to order a work of art, for example, to be produced.
Counter-Reformation (n): a revival of the Catholic Church in response to the Reformation.
courtier (n): a member of the royal court who gave advice or companionship to the monarch.
doctrine (n): a set of beliefs taught by a religion or political party.
dogma (n): a set of principles established as undeniably true by a religious or political authority.
foreground (n): the part of a painting where the subject is represented and appears closest to the viewer.
Herrerian (adj): a Spanish Renaissance architectural style with straight lines, cubic volumes and very little ornamentation.
humanism (n): a cultural movement of the Renaissance that revived interest in ancient Greek and Roman thought.
indulgences (n): exemptions from divine punishment granted by the Church to those who confessed their sins.
Jesuit (n): a member of the influential order of Catholic priests known as the Society of Jesus.
illusion of depth (n): the representation of a three-dimensional world on a flat surface.
Inquisition Tribunal (n): the religious tribunal established by the Pope to suppress heresy in Catholic countries.
Lutheranism (n): the faith and practice of the Protestant Church born from Luther's ideas.
oil painting (n): a type of painting that mixes pigments and vegetable or mineral oil.
patron (n): someone who gives money and support to a person or organisation and their activities.
perspective (n): the technique that gives paintings a three-dimensional character.
Plateresque (adj): a Spanish Renaissance architectural style that introduced new decorative elements to Gothic buildings.
portrait (n): a painting or drawing of a person.
printing press (n): a machine invented in the 15th century for producing text and images in large quantities.
Protestantism (n): the faith and practice of the Christian Church that broke from the Catholic Church during the Reformation.
Quattrocento (n): the period of the Renaissance that began in Florence and flourished under the Medici family.
realism (n): an artistic style that represents people, objects and situations as they are in real life.
Reformation (n): the movement to reform the Catholic Church that led to the creation of the Protestant Church in the 16th century.
Renaissance (n): an artistic movement that flourished during the 15th and the 16th centuries.
sfumato (n): a technique that blurs outlines and details and modifies colour to make a painting more realistic.
sponsor (v): to pay for and support an activity or a project.
theocentrism (n): the belief that God is the centre of everything.
vanishing point (n): the point in linear perspective at which parallel lines meet in the background or at a distance.
worship (n): religious rituals, such as prayers and ceremonies, which express devotion to a god.
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