By: Maddison Fisher
What was the Renaissance? | When and where did the Renaissance begin?
Influences of the Renaissance | Art and Architecture | Music | Literature | Math and Science
How the Renaissance affects us. | Works Cited
Renaissance means “rebirth” and refers to the period that followed Europe’s Middle Ages. It is characterized by scholars, artists, and scientists building on classical Greek and Roman ideas to make new advances in science and the arts. With the invention of the printing press and reopening trade routes between China and Europe, the world experienced economic, intellectual and cultural growth. Also, the emphasis on people as individuals was a new concept.
When and where did the Renaissance begin?
The Renaissance began after the Medieval Ages in Europe. It began in Florence, Italy and spread throughout Europe during the 1300s through the 1600s.The Renaissance was a cultural movement that profoundly affected European intellectual life in the early modern period. Beginning in Italy its influence was felt in literature, philosophy, art, politics, science, religion, and other aspects of intellectual enquiry. Renaissance scholars employed the humanist method in study, and searched for realism and human emotion in art.
The most influential people during the Renaissance were the Italian writers and the Italian artists. Italian writers contributed great works of literature to the Renaissance. Italian artists created some of the most beautiful paintings and sculptures in the world. Artists used the new discovery perspective. Perspectives use various techniques. They made things in the background look smaller, and the things in front look bigger.
One out of the many people of the Renaissance who did art and architecture was Leonardo da Vinci. Leonardo da Vinci was born in Vinci, a small town near Florence. He was a very famous artist who painted paintings such as The Last Supper, Mona Lisa, and many more. He showed artistic talent at a very young age. He was a sculptor, architect, inventor, and engineer. He was even a town planner and mapmaker. I chose Leonardo da Vinci because I think he was a true genius, great person and artist. He was well rounded and I think he is an inspiration to everyone.
Johannes Ockeghem was the leading composer of the second generation of the Franco-Flemish School. Ockeghem is often considered the most important composer and was one of the most famous composers in Europe in the latter half of the 15th century. The birth date of Johannes was around 1410. I chose Johannes Ockeghem because I think it is fascinating that he was one of the most famous composers in Europe. That must mean that he was a very focused and involved composer.
Dante Alighieri was born on May 14, 1265 in Florence. He was an Italian politician and poet who’s greatest work was the Divina Commedia, (Divine Comedy) which is considered one of the greatest masterpieces of world literature. Instead of writing in Latin, Dante wrote in Italian, which was the famous language of the people. By using Italian, Dante showed that he considered the peoples language to be as good as Latin, the language of the church. I chose Dante Alighieri because he wrote one the greatest masterpieces of all literature, the Divina Commedia. I think it was great of him to make a change and write in Italian, instead of the language that most people in the Medieval times used, Latin.
Advances in Math led to advances in other field of science. Engineers and architects used new mathematical formulas to strengthen buildings. One renaissance architect who used these new ideas was Filippo Brunelleschi. He was born in 1377 and died on April 15, 1446. He was an Italian architect and one of the first architects to be associated with the Italian Renaissance in Florence. All of his principal works are in Florence.He designed a huge dome for a cathedral in Florence. I chose Filippo Brunelleschi because he was not only one of the first architects to be associated with the Italian Renaissance in Florence, but he was a great architect who achieved many advances.
How the Renaissance affects us
The Renaissance included these changes in literature, art, science, and technology would soon spread beyond Italy. For these changes to spread it required changes in education. Leonardo da Vinci studied the human body and how it works. He discovered many things such as creating a way to fly for humans. We may not have every come to a conclusion about the human body if it wasn’t for him.
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