The Characteristics of the Renaissance More important have to do with the great interest that developed this movement by the thought of Rome and Greece.
The Renaissance is a period of history that emerged in Italy in the fourteenth century, although some historians date it to the reign of Frederick II (1215 - 1250). By the 16th century, it spread to the north, including England, and ended in the early seventeenth century.
Florence is the cradle of the Renaissance movement.
In addition to the interest in Greece and Rome, the discovery and exploration of new continents, the substitution of the system of astronomy for that of Copernicus, the decline of the feudal system and the growth of trade, and the invention or application of innovations such as paper , The printing press, the compass and the gunpowder.
For modern thinkers, the Renaissance is a return to the mode of learning and classical knowledge, after a long period of cultural decline and stagnation.
People began to rediscover their origins and try to reproduce them. Latin as language abounded in documents that symbolized the greatness of its past. It can be said that it was an attempt by intellectuals to study and improve the secular world through ancient ideas along with new approaches to philosophy.
This period is best known for the artistic development and contributions of characters such as Leonardo Da Vinci and Michelangelo, who inspired the Renaissance man. You may also like to know The 7 most important features of Baroque , Another outstanding cultural movement.
Highlights of the Renaissance
Three Renaissance artists: Titian, Botticelli and da Vinci
1 - Humanism
He humanism Can be defined as the renewed emphasis given to life in this world, in contrast to the spiritual and beyond life associated with Middle Ages .
The humanists of the Renaissance had a great interest in the dignity of man and his possibilities about life in this world. The human being was appreciated a social creature that could maintain a significant existence associated with other social beings.
Humanism represented a change from the contemplative life to the active life. In the Middle Ages, a great value had been attached to religious contemplation and distant devotion far from this world.
In the Renaissance, the highest cultural values were generally associated with active participation in public life, morality, politics and military action at the service of the State.
The concept of the"Renaissance man"refers to one who participates actively in the public domain, but who possesses knowledge and skills in several areas of knowledge.
Religious values continued to coexist with the new secular values. This association allowed that humanism was not frowned upon by the Church and that the expansion of this form of thought was rapidly spread throughout Europe.
2- Religion
In the Renaissance it was a question of understanding man through his relationship with God. The enthusiasm for classical ideas did not necessarily imply an abandonment of Christianity.
Undoubtedly, there was an increase in the number of pieces of art, both visual and literary, dealing with secular themes. Nonetheless, learning was aimed at a better understanding of God as a tool for acquiring salvation.
Religious Renaissance art was created to inspire reverence and wonder. However, it can also be seen as a framework of ideas aimed at ensuring salvation.
Within Catholicism, salvation could be gained through a combination of faith and good works that bought time outside of purgatory.
Protestantism brought a revolutionary change to the Catholic institution. The changes generated included a reinterpretation of the New Testament through thinkers as Martin Luther .
Under this new conception, there were no intermediaries between man and God and there was no purgatory from which to escape. These new Renaissance values brought with it a massive destruction of religious art in Protestant countries.
3- Mathematics, science and technology
During the Renaissance, humanity was rediscovered with classical Greek studies in the fields of astronomy, anatomy and medicine, geography, alchemy, mathematics and architecture.
One of the greatest scientific discoveries in this period came from the Polish mathematician and astronomer Nicholas Copernicus. In 1530, he published his theory of a heliocentric solar system where the Earth was replaced by the Sun as the center of this dynamic.
Empiricism began to take the reins of scientific thought. Scientists were guided by experience and experimentation, and began to investigate the natural world through observation. This was the first indication of an incipient divergence between science and religion.
The Renaissance man began to recognize these two fields as independent fields of one another. This created a conflict between scientists and the Church to the point where they came to be prosecuted by the institution.
Production in science began to be demonized or to be treated as gossip and even many were imprisoned for expressing their ideas.
Galileo Galilei Was the most persecuted scientist of the rebirth by the experiments that realized. This led investigations that supported the idea of new celestial objects and that of a heliocentric system. The Church forced him to remain the last nine years of his life in his house under arrest.
4- Art and Literature
The origins of Renaissance art can be traced back to Italy in the late 13th and early 14th centuries. During this period the Italian artists and academics saw themselves inspired by the ideas and developments of classical Roman culture.
Writers like Petrarch and Giovanni Boccaccio gave a new look to Greece and Rome, reviving their language, values and intellectual traditions.
The Catholic Church remained the main sponsor of the arts during the Renaissance, through popes and other prelates to convents, monasteries and other religious organizations.
Nonetheless, art works also began to be commissioned by civilian government, courts and wealthy families. In Florence, much of the artistic production was carried out under the orders of the merchant families, most notably the Medici.
The masters Leonardo Da Vinci, Michelangelo and Raphael dominated the scene during the late fifteenth century until the early sixteenth century. These artists came from all walks of life, and usually studied as apprentices before being admitted as professionals and working under the tutelage of a more experienced teacher.
In addition to sacred images, many of these works illustrated domestic issues such as marriage, birth and daily life.
5- Exploration and trade
The tools developed during the Middle Ages for exploration were used during the Renaissance. One of these was the astrolabe, a portable device used by sailors to find the way.
Through the measurement of the distance of the sun and the stars in the horizon, the astrolabe helped to determine the latitude, an important tool in the navigation. Another very used element was the magnetic compass, which was invented in century XII and was improved in the Renaissance.
Maps became more reliable as Portuguese cartographers incorporated information compiled by travelers and explorers into their work. The manufacture of ships improved with the construction of galleons that were driven by the wind instead of by the human force.
While the navigation was still imprecise, the sailors were able to go further than they had ever come. This was important since it allowed an improvement of the economy of the Renaissance by an increasing demand of imported products and new places for the export of local products.
Traders sought the seas as the first choice in the quest to meet the demand for Asian spices. He too East Was a place for the production of priceless gems and silks for the more affluent classes.
6- Music
Music was an essential part of civic, religious and courtly life. The rich exchange of ideas in Europe, as well as the political, economic and religious events of this period led to important changes in composition style, dissemination methods, new musical genres and the development of new instruments for interpretation.
The most important music of the early Renaissance was composed for the use of the Church. However, by the 16th century, patronage was extended to include Protestant churches, courts, and wealthy people in society.
Sixteenth-century humanists studied the Greek treatises on music and discussed their close relationship with poetry, along with the way it might affect the hearer's feelings.
Inspired by this classic world, Renaissance composers were able to unite words together with music in a rather dramatic setting.
References
- Lorenzo Casini. Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Renaissance Philosophy. [Online] [Quoted on: March 22, 2017.] iep.utm.edu.
- The Open University. Looking at the Renaissance. [Online] [Quoted on: March 22, 2017.] open.ac.uk.
- Szalay, Jessie. Live Science. The Renaissance: The 'Rebirth' of Science & Culture. [Online] June 29, 2016. [Quoted on: March 22, 2017.] livescience.com.
- History.com. RENAISSANCE ART. [Online] [Quoted on: March 22, 2017.] history.com.
- Learner.org. Renaissance. Exploration and Trade. [Online] [Quoted on: March 22, 2017.] learner.org.
- Arkenberg, Rebecca. Music in the Renaissance. Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History. [Online] October 2002. [Quoted on: March 22, 2017.] metmuseum.org.