The Renaissance in Italy

Conditions and Events that Led to the Italian Renaissance

I. The Crusades (four successive waves: 11th-13th centuries CE).  Initially, to “rescue” Jerusalem from the Muslims in Turkey who were threatening the Byzantine Empire (i.e., the Eastern church).

A. The decline of Feudalism: feudal lords go off to fight (many don't
             return); former serfs migrate to the towns and cities

B. The Revitalization of Trade with Asia: a religious-turned-economic
             venture; merchants and financiers (particularly those in Italian
             city-states like Florence, Milan, Venice) encouraged Crusaders to
             become "middle men" in trade with the East.

C. The recovery and transfer of sacred relics to the West.

D. Islam and the Western Intellectual Heritage: mathematics, science,
             philosophy (lost through the fall of Rome in 476 CE).

II. The Synthesis of Faith and Reason/Science (12^th-13^th centuries).

A. The Gothic Cathedral: “divine engineering.”

B. Late Medieval Scholasticism.

1. Anselm of Canterbury (1033-1109):the  "Ontological
             Argument" was his "proof" that divine existence is
             inherently self-evident to us (The flaw: analytical argument
             is not the same as empirical argument).  

2. Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274): we need but draw
             logical conclusions from our own empirical observation of
             the world around us, e.g., it is logical that god exists
             because we see empirical evidence of divine intelligence
             all around us (The flaw: "first cause" cannot be empirically
             seen, only inferred).

III. The Black Death (1347).

A. Medieval Roots: The Memento Mori.

B. The Holbein Woodcuts: The Danse Macabre.

C. Francesco Traini: Triumph of Death (1330s).

IV. Anticlericalism

A. The Avignon Papacy (1309-1377).

B. The Great Schism (1378-1417).

C. Devotional Piety: from the public institution to the private heart.

V. Literature.

A. Boccaccio’s Decameron (1351): "The Tale of Filippa."

B. Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales (ca. 1390).

C. Christine de Pisan’s Epistle to the God of Love (1399).

VI. Visual Art: Devotional Realism.

A. Giotto (1266-1377): Madonna Enthroned (ca. 1310).

B. The Limbourg Brothers: Tres Riches Heures (ca. 1413-1416).

The Early Renaissance in Italy

I. Why Italy?  It wasn’t like putting in a bid to host the Olympics!

A. The home of Roman and inherited Greek antiquity.

B. The least feudalized of all European nations.

C. A new middle class, composed of merchants, not nobles.

D. Florence: a major financial/trade center.

E. The glorification of the polis (the “city”).

F. The Medici of Florence (Giovanni, Cosimo, Lorenzo).

G. Artistic Patronage.

II. Humanism.

A. How Does Humanism Differ From Scholasticism?

B. Studia Humanitatis.

C. Neoplatonism.

1. Ficino (1433-1499): Theologica Platonica (1482).

2. Giovanni de Pico: Oration on the Dignity of Man (1486).

III. Early Renaissance Sculpture.

A. Pisano and Ghiberti: The Baptistery Doors (Pisano South: 1330, 
           Ghiberti North: 1424, Ghiberti "Gates of Paradise" East: 1452)

B. Donatello (1386-1466): David (ca. 1425),
                 Mary Magdalene (1453-55).

IV. Early Renaissance Architecture.

A. Brunelleschi (1377-1446): The Florence Cathedral Dome.

B. Alberti (1404-1472): Santa Maria Novella (1470).

C. Bartolommeo (1396-1472): Palazzo Medici (1445-52).

D. San Miniato.

V. Early Renaissance Painting.

A. Martini (1284-1344): The Annunciation (1333).

B. Masaccio (1401-1429): The Tribute Money (1428), The Holy Trinity with the Virgin, St. John, and Two Donors (1427-28).

C. Francesca (): Duke and Duchess of Urbino (1472-73).

D. Fra Angelico (1400-1455): Frescoes of San Marco,
     esp. The Annunciation (1438-45).

E. Botticelli (1445-1510): The Birth of Venus (1484-86),
                 Primavera (1482).

VI. Early Renaissance Literature.

A. Petrarch (1304-1374): The Recovery of the Epistolary Tradition.

The High Renaissance in Italy

I. High Renaissance Painting.

A. Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519): The Last Supper (1495-98), Madonna of the Rocks (1483), Mona Lisa (1503).

            B. Raphael (1483-1520): The School of Athens (1510-11),
            Madonna of the  Meadows (1505), other Madonnas as well.

            C. Michelangelo (1475-1564): The Sistine Chapel Ceiling (1508-12).

            D. The Venetian School:  A New Sense of Color.

1. Titian (ca. 1488-1576): Fete Champetre, or Pastoral Concert (1510-11), Venus of Urbino (1538-39).

                        2. Tintoretto (1518-1594): The Last Supper (1592-94).

II. High Renaissance Sculpture.

            A. Michelangelo (1475-1564): Pieta (1498-1500), David (1501-04).

III. High Renaissance Literature.

A. Castiglione (1478-1529): The Book of the Courtier (1518) and the spirit of l’uomo universale.

B. Machiavelli (1469-1527): The Prince (1513).

IV. Mannerist Painting (Italian maniera, "in the manner of," “artificial”).

            A. Michelangelo (1475-1564): The Last Judgment (1536-41).

            B. Parmigianino (1503-1540) Madonna of the Long Neck (1534-40).

            C. Pontormo (?): Deposition (1526-28).

            C. Bronzino (1503-1572) Allegory with Venus and Cupid (ca. 1546).

            D. El Greco (1541-1614) The Agony in the Garden (1585-86).

V. Mannerist Sculpture.

            A. Cellini (1500-1571): Perseus (1545-54).

            B. Bologna (?): Abduction of the Sabine Women (1583).

VI. Mannerist Architecture.

            A. Michelangelo (1475-1564) Vestibule of the
                 Laurentian Library (1524-59).

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