JCH8 Notes

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Video Link - Renaissance https://youtu.be/A-SGl9faIQg

Video Link What significant changes took place in the fields of the arts and science during the Renaissance?https://youtu.be/lSbGn2BjkqA

Key words – Define these

◆ Renaissance

◆ Patron

◆ Corbelling

◆ Sfumato

◆ Fresco

◆ Printing Press

◆ Vernacular language

The Renaissance

◆ The word “Renaissance” means “rebirth”.

◆ It was the rebirth of classic ideas, art and wisdom.

◆ Many of these ideas came from the Roman empire.

◆ In began around 1350

Why did the Renaissance begin in Italy?

◆ Rome had many ruins, reminding Italians of the great days of the Roman Empire.

◆ In 1454 many Greek scholars fled to Rome following the capture of Constantinople by the Turks.

◆ They took manuscripts with them, which revived interest in ancient Greek culture.

◆ Many trading routes passed through Italy and this opened the minds of Italians to new ideas from other parts of the world.

◆ Italy was made up of a number of independent wealthy states, with many patrons who were willing to pay for art.

◆ Italy had a long tradition of education and educated people were more likely to appreciate developments in art and science.

Patrons

◆ Patrons hired artists to decorate their palaces and buildings.

◆ The Medici family from Florence were the most powerful patrons during the Renaissance.

◆ Lorenzo de Medici, the greatest patron of all sponsored artists such as Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo.

Renaissance Architecture

◆ In 1414, an old Roman book on architecture was discovered in a Swiss monastery.

◆ This book inspired Italian architects such as Andrea Palladio and Filippo Brunelleschi.

◆ Filippo Brunelleschi developed a technique for building a dome. This was called corbelling.

Features of the Renaissance

◆ Architecture

◆ Large pillars

◆ Rounded arches

◆ Domed roofs

◆ Large front porches called porticoes

◆ Corbelled roofs

◆ Classical style – similar to the style used in Ancient Rome and Greece.

Medieval vs Renaissance art

Medieval paintings

◆ Important people were painted larger than less important people.

◆ There was a lack of feeling in facial expressions.

◆ Paintings looked flat and lacked background.

◆ Artists used egg yolk to make the paint stick. It dried quickly, making it difficult to correct mistakes

Renaissance painting

◆ Paintings looked more realistic.

◆ Linseed oil was used in paint.

◆ Linseed oil dried slowly, allowing the artist to correct mistakes and add more detail

Perspective

◆ This was a Renaissance painting technique used to show space and distance in a picture.

◆ Objects near the front of the picture are painted larger than those at the back.

Sfumato (meaning smoky)

◆ This is when shading is used to make pictures look more lifelike.

◆ This is used on the Mona Lisa.

Frescos

◆ Renaissance artists often painted on walls or ceilings as a form of decoration. These were called frescos.

◆ Artists often drew sketches of their art of paper before painting on a wall. These were called cartoons.

Quiz

4 Differences between Medieval vs Renaissance art

Leonardo da Vinci

◆ Leonardo da Vinci was one of the greatest geniuses the world has ever known.

◆ He is known as the Renaissance man – This means he was an all-rounder.

◆ He did the following: Artist, Inventor, Musician, Botanist, Mathematician, Sportsperson

◆ Da Vinci used mirror writing (wrote right to left) so nobody could copy his ideas.

◆ Da Vinci was born near Florence in 1452. At 14 years old he became an apprentice to Andrea del Verrocchio.

◆ Verrocchio insisted Da Vinci studied anatomy (the study of human bodies) so his portraits could be more realistic.

◆ In 1472, he was accepted as a member of the painter’s guild in Florence.

Leonardo in Milan

◆ From 1482-1499, Leonardo lived in Milan where he worked for his patron, Duke Ludovico Sforza. During these years he painted:

The Virgin on the Rocks

The last supper

The Mona Lisa

◆ In 1499, Leonardo moved back to Florence, here he painted his most famous painting – The Mona Lisa.

◆ It is believed to be the wife of a wealthy silk merchant, Francesco de Giocondo to celebrate the birth of their 2nd child. It is famous for its use of sfumato.

Leonardo’s last years

◆ From 1513 to 1516, Leonardo moved to Rome where he hoped to work for the Pope.

◆ Unfortunately, his 2 biggest rivals – Michelangelo and Raphael were already working on the Vatican.

◆ In 1516, Leonardo was invited to France by King Francis I to come and live in the royal palace at Chateau d’Amboise.

◆ He lived there until his death in 1519.

Revision/Quiz

Q1. Where and when was Leonardo da Vinci born?

Q2. What was he able to do?

Q3. How did he write in his notes? Why was this?

Q4. Why did he study anatomy?

Q5. Who was his patron while he lived in Milan?

Q6. When was the Mona Lisa painted? Give one reason why it is famous painting.

Q7. Where did he spend his final years?

The Sistine Chapel ceiling Fresco in the Vatican City. This work was completed by Michelangelo between 1508 and 1512.

Johannes Gutenberg and the printing press

◆ Before 1450, books had to be copied by hand or block printing.

◆ Block printing is when blocks of wood had letters printed on them.

◆ The would be covered in ink and pressed onto paper.

◆ This took and long time and meant that books were very expensive and very difficult to get.

◆ This also meant that few people knew how to read.

◆ In 1450, Johannes Gutenberg developed the printing press using a method known as moveable type.

How did it work?

◆ Individual letters were placed on a special frame to make an entire page of writing. These would be then pressed onto a page.

◆ His machine could print 300 sheets a day.

◆ In 1455, Gutenberg printed an edition of the bible containing over 1200 pages.

The printing press increased literacy levels greatly as books became extremely accessible and cheaper.

William Shakespeare

◆ Before the Renaissance, all writing was in Latin.

◆ This was the language of the church and the educated.

◆ During the renaissance, writers began using the vernacular language.

◆ The common native language of the people.

◆ William Shakespeare was one of the leading vernacular writers of the era.

Shakespeare wrote about 37 plays in total. These included comedies and tragedies.

◆ These included:

Romeo and Juliet

Macbeth

A Midsummer night’s dream.

◆ Shakespeare had his own theatre called The globe.

◆ It could hold 2000 people.

◆ Female characters were played by young boys as women were not allowed to act.

◆ If people were unhappy with the acting, they could throw apples at the actors on stage.

Scientific Discoveries during the Renaissance

◆ Polish astronomer Nicholas Copernicus discovered that Earth and other planets revolve around the sun.

◆ Galileo Galilei discovered that objects fall at the same speed and proved that Copernicus’s theory was right.

Impact of the Renaissance

◆ The Renaissance had a positive impact on science and medicine – people were encouraged to look at new theories and to question the ideas of the past.

◆ It left a very rich legacy in art and architecture.

◆ People discovered more about the planets, which encouraged explorers to travel into the unknown.

◆ The development of printing during the Renaissance allowed new ideas to spread.

◆ The Renaissance encouraged people to raise questions regarding the world that they lived in. This played a major role in bringing on the Reformation.

Exam Prep

Read this extract on Renaissance physician Andreas Vesalius and answer the following questions.

Andreas Vesalius was a 16th century Flemish physician, widely referred to as the founding father of the modern human anatomy. He was a major figure of the scientific revolution and his greatest achievement was that of reintroducing human anatomy and its importance to the people. He was the first to lead the way to independent investigation in the examination of the structure of the human body. After conducting initial research, he became certain that it was absolutely essential to analyse real corpses to study the human body. He resurrected the use of human dissection, regardless of the strict ban by the Catholic Church. Basing his observations on self-made dissections, he wrote and illustrated the first comprehensive textbook of anatomy. His book ‘De Humani Commis Fabrica’ (On the Structure of the Human Body) is one of the most important works about human anatomy. The seven volumes of the book laid down a solid understanding of human anatomy as the groundwork for all medical practice and curing. The book gave anatomy a new language and proved to be the most extensive and accurate description of the human body of its time. He revolutionized the study of biology and the practice of medicine by his careful description of the anatomy of the human body.

Q1. What is Vesalius widely referred to as?

He is widely referred to as ‘the founding father of the modern human anatomy

Q2. What was his greatest achievement?

‘his greatest achievement was that of reintroducing human anatomy and its importance to the people.

Q3. What did Vesalius believe was the best way to study the human body?

He believed using real corpses was the best way to study the human body. ‘he became certain that it was absolutely essential to analyse real corpses to study the human body.’

Q4. Using evidence from the text, why do you think his discoveries were considered to be so important?

I think that his discoveries were considered to be important because they helped to increase our overall understanding of the human body. He says how ‘the book laid down a solid understanding of human anatomy’ and ‘proved to be the most extensive and accurate description of the human body of its time’. His discoveries also led to advances in medicine which would have saved many human lives. ‘He revolutionized the study of biology and the practice of medicine by his careful description of the anatomy of the human body’

Q5. Name two other discoveries/developments in art, science and/or literature during the Renaissance and explain the impact of these

The invention of the printing press by Johannes Gutenberg had a major impact on literature. Printed books became much cheaper and literacy levels increased. Writing in vernacular languages (native languages) replaced the use of Latin. It allowed new ideas to spread quickly. The influence of the Catholic Church declined as people became more aware of abuses within the church.

Literature became more popular. Writers such as William Shakespeare rose to prominence as a result of the printing press. Major developments also occurred in art. The use of perspective gave paintings depth and made them look 3-dimensional. This was one of the most important developments in Renaissance art. Previous paintings were 2-dimensional, looked flat and were unrealistic as a result. Linseed oil was used to make paint. This dried slowly and allowed shading and detail to be added. Renaissance paintings became more realistic. Features such as muscles, veins, hair, and wrinkles were now included in Renaissance art. The study of anatomy (human body) help artists to achieve this. Emotions were also visible through this detail.