The Renaissance: Humanism and the Rebirth of Art

The Renaissance: The Age of Humanism

The social and cultural transformation of the 15th and 16th centuries is called the Renaissance.

Essential Features

• Humanism
• Current cultural trends

Basic Characteristics

• Care for human beings
• Inspired by literature, philosophy, and art of the past
• Search for truth through reason and experience

Media of Humanism

Printing

Gutenberg's invention around 1440 allowed for the publishing of many books, eliminating the need to hand-copy each specimen.

Academies

Academies served as meeting places for scholars to develop and disseminate humanistic studies.

The Scientific Development

The desire to investigate and learn the fundamentals incentivized the development of humanistic sciences.

16th Century Figures

• Nicolaus Copernicus: Heliocentric theory
• Andreas Vesalius: Anatomical studies
• Michael Servetus: Blood circulation
• Development of other sciences: geography, zoology, botany, cartography

New Style: The Renaissance

The mentality of the time was reflected in art. A new artistic trend emerged: a rebirth of classical art.

Man became the center of art, capturing the idea of beauty.

The Renaissance developed in two stages: Quattrocento (15th century) and Cinquecento (16th century).

Architecture

Classical elements were retrieved. Buildings were proportionally designed, reflecting human proportions, and were generally lower than Gothic structures.

Quattrocento

Brunelleschi is stressed as the first complete Renaissance artist. Alberti was another prominent figure.

Cinquecento

Rome became a great architectural center. St. Peter's Basilica, built by Bramante, Michelangelo, and Maderno, stands out.

Painting

Renaissance painting is characterized by perspective and mastery of space.

It was inspired by classical antiquity.

Special attention was given to seeking beauty and proportions.

Quattrocento

Masaccio was the first fully Renaissance painter.

Botticelli was the most famous Italian Quattrocento figure.

The Big Four of the Cinquecento

• Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519): Worked in many fields, highlighting performances and natural proportions.
• Michelangelo (1475-1564): Created scenes full of movement and expression.
• Raphael (1483-1520): Maximally expressed Renaissance painting due to his perfection.
• Titian (1490-1576): The best Venetian painter, excelling in portraits and thematic mythological paintings.