2. The Northern Renaissance Begins
• 1450 - Populations of N. Europe begin to grow
again post bubonic plague
• Cities grew rapidly, merchants became wealthy
enough to sponsor artists
• England and France under monarchies (unlike
Italian city-states) who also sponsored artists and
writers
• Northern Renaissance developed its own
characteristics such as interest in realism and
interest in social reform
3. Artistic Ideas Spread
• German painters - Albrecht Durer, traveled
to Italy to study. Upon returning he produced
woodcuts and engravings that emphasized
realism. Prints portrayed classical myths,
realistic landscapes.
• Flemish painters- Flanders - artistic center of
N. Europe. Jan Van Eyck - 1st great Flemish
painter. Layered oil paints to create subtle
colors. Paintings had realistic details,
revealed personality of subject
4. • Flemish continued -
Pieter Bruegel the Elder
portrayed large numbers
of people skillfully,
captured scenes from
everyday life (ie
weddings, dances,
harvests) using rich
colors, vivid details,
balanced use of space.
5. Northern Writers
• Christian humanists - critical of Christian
Church to inspire, their focus was to reform
society
• Desiderius Erasmus - “Praise of the Folly” most
famous work, made fun of greedy merchants,
pompous priests... Believed in Christianity of the
heart - not of ceremonies or rules, all people
should read the Bible to improve society
• Thomas Moore - “Utopia” (ideal place) about
imaginary land where greed, corruption, war
were weeded out. Wrote in Latin, translated into
many languages
6. Elizabethan Age
• Period when Renaissance spread to
England, named after Queen Elizabeth I,
well educated and talented she did much to
support art and literature
• William Shakespeare - most famous
Elizabethan writer. Used classics as inspiration
for his works, revealed deep understanding of
human beings, many of his plays examining
human flaws. Works include: Macbeth, Hamlet,
Romeo & Juliet, Midsummer Night’s Dream,
The Taming of the Shrew
7. Printing Press Spreads Renaissance
Ideas
• Chinese invent block printing, then movable
type, but it was impractical for them.
• Johann Gutenberg - German craftsman,
improves upon Chinese method, combines
with European technology creating moveable
type press. Printed a complete Bible
• Printing press enables production of hundreds
of copies of a work quickly and cheaply
8. Legacy of the Renaissance
• Changes in the Arts
• Techniques from classical Greece and Rome
• Individuals and nature portrayed in more
realistic ways
• Artists created secular and religious works
• Writers used vernacular language
• Arts praised individual achievement
9. • Changes in Society
• Printing made information cheap and easy to
obtain
• More books = increased desire to learn and
increased literacy throughout Europe
• Published accounts of discoveries led to more
discoveries in many areas
• People more likely to understand rights from
reading legal proceedings
• People start to question political structures
and religious practices
