the renaissance
... name implies, humanism was a philosophy that was characterized by its blending of the concern of the history and actions of all human beings, and their influence in the world, with religious duty. Prior to Renaissance thinking, medieval Europe considered life to be sinful and should despised, and that people should only be concerned about their duty to God and the afterlife. The humanists thought that every person has respect and worth and should therefore command the respect of every other person. The humanistic movement began during the early Italian Renaissance with the rediscovery of the writings of the classical Greeks and Romans, which were not only models of literary style, but considered guides to the understanding of life. The first, and most recognized, pioneers of humanism were Petrarch and Giovanni Boccaccio. Petrarch became known for his poetry, which can be described, like all humanistic writing, to be very realistic, critical, and more often than not satirical. Petrarach's style is close to those of the classical authors he studied, expressing his view accurately through the use of characters. He once said of his writing, " The style is the man."(Burke, p.127) His most famous contributions to the world of literature are his string of sonnets addressed to "Laura", who appears as a real person, rather than a religious symbol, as in most European writings. Giovanni Boccacio studied and wrote at about the same time as Petrarch, is best known for his masterpiece Decameron, which consists of 100 stories organized to give the impression of a total view of society. Like Petrarch, he gave accurate depictions of real life characters and situations. He described a group of men and women fleeing from a plague infested Florence to the countryside. In seclusion, they hold story telling sessions that tie into Boccacio's own view of society. Another development in the field of humanism was the courtier system, which was influenced by the interaction between humanist philosophers and the signorial courts of the city-states. These humanists began to develop ideas about the proper conduct of courtiers, or the noble men and women of the courts. In 1518, Baldassare Castiglione, the most renowned humanist involved with the courtier movement, completed The Book of Courtier, which was based on his experiences at the court of Urbino, Italy. This refined book of manners was printed in several languages and influenced the courtiers throughout Italy and the rest of Europe. It also greatly influenced eductional theory in England during the Renaissance. Perhaps the most renowned and highly recognized achievements during the Renaissance in Italy were in the field of the fine arts. During the Middle ages, painters and sculptors tried to give their works a spiritual quality, wanting people to focus on the deep religious meanings of their works of art. They were definitely not concerned with making their artwork look lifelike, as can be depicted by famous artwork of many medieval painters. Renaissance writers wanted to portray the world realistically in a natural state, with life-like people showing real emotions. During the early 1300s and 1400s, several particular artisans stood out among the masses. Giotto is considered the first artist to portray nature realistically. He produced many frescoes with characters that showed real emotions and had realistic settings. All Renaissance painters would take after Giotto's work. Brunelleschi was the first Renaissance architect to revive the Roman style of architecture. He incorporated arches, columns, and other elements of classic architectue in his famous designs. One of his best known buildings, the Pazzi Chapel in Florence, was the first building to be designed with such elements. Brunelleschi is also credited with the invention of linear perspective, a mathamatical system painters could use to show space and depth on a flat surface. Masaccio is most noted for using Brunelleschi's techniques in a series of frescoes designed for the Church of Santa Maria de Carmine in Florence. The scenes in his paintings realistically showed Biblical scenes of drastic emotional intensity. The sculptor Donatello was one of the first sculptors that tried to realistically portray the dramatic art form of the human body. His masterpieces include three statues of David, who is portrayed nude as a pure youth after slaying Goliath. As time went on into the 1400s and 1500s, three men, Michealangelo, Rapheal, and Leonardo da Vinci dominated the field of the fine arts. Their artwork was refined and masterful, and played a great role in defining the Italian Renaissance. Michealangelo is known as probably the greatest artist of the Renaissance, excelling in painting, poetry, sculpture, and architecture. Michealangelo was well known for capturing the essence of the human body, an achievement well sought after in the Renaissance.The list of his achievements is endless, although he is most recognized for painting the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, his infamous statue of David, and The Last Judgement, a painting so powerful, that an observer at the unveiling claimed the Pope fell to his knees and began to pray.(Aston p.147) Rapheal was most noted for his definition of perspective and complicated use of color. One of his greatest works, School of Athens, shows a humanistic influence of classical Greek and Roman models, showing a group of Greek philosophers studying about a group of stone pillars. He is also famous for his superbly detailed paintings of Madonnas, his most revered being The Small Cowper Madonna. Finally, there is Leonardo da Vinci, the model of the Renaissance Man...