Beginnings of the Modern World, 1300-1800

Section 1: Italy – Birthplace of the Renaissance

SOL WHII.2b, WHII. 2e

Main Ideas

• The Italian Renaissance was a rebirth of learning that produced many great works of art and literature.

• The new intellectual and artistic ideas that developed during the Renaissance marked the beginning of the modern world.

The Middle Ages

• Europe suffered from war and the plague during the Middle Ages. Those who lived through it wanted to celebrate… and some began to question the Church.

• In Northern Italy, writers and artists began to express this new spirit and to experiment with different styles.

The Renaissance

• This movement that started in Italy caused an explosion of creativity in art, writing and thought that lasted from 1300 to 1600.

• This was called the Renaissance. The term means “rebirth.” It referred to a revival of art and learning.

THE RENAISSANCE…

• Q: What are classics?

Classics = ideas of Ancient Greece and Rome

Rebirth of Greek and Roman classic culture

Greek Architecture – ex: Parthenon Roman sculpture

City-states were wealthy from trade.

Established in Italian city-states

• less superstition

• sports, art, music important

• education, literature encouraged

• study of history & science

Birth of the “modern” world c. 1350-1600

Italian artists:Michelangelo & Da Vinci

The Renaissance and ART• Leonardo da Vinci

– (1452-1519)– Painter, sculptor, inventor

and a scientist.– Wrote his ideas in

notebooks…backwards, could be read in a mirror.

– Painted the Mona Lisa and The Last Supper.

– Only 17 of his paintings survive.

The Renaissance and ART

The Renaissance and ART

The Renaissance and ART

• Michelangelo Buonarroti– (1475-1564)– Painters began to paint

prominent citizens– Realistic portraits– He was a painter, sculptor,

architect and poet.– Famous for the way he

portrayed the human body in painting and sculpture.

The Renaissance and ARTMichelangelo…

Statue of David – over 18 feet tall!

Sistine Chapel ceiling paintings

Took four years to complete

The Renaissance and ARTMichelangelo…

Michelangelo designed the dome of St. Peter's Basilica, although it was unfinished when he died.

Renaissance spreads from Italy to Europe

Drawing of the printing press… p.50

Theater: Shakespeare wrote plays and sonnets

Humanism – Erasmus is most famous

The Renaissance

• The study of classical texts during the Renaissance led to humanism, an intellectual movement that focused on human potential and achievements.

• People started to study history, literature, and philosophy. These subjects are called the humanities.