The Renaissance period from 1400-1600 saw a rebirth of classical Greek and Roman influences in Europe. This cultural movement valued humanism and reason over religious doctrine, with individuals seen as capable of shaping their own destiny rather than being controlled by supernatural forces. Renaissance art reflected these ideals through its realistic depictions of the human body and natural world, as well as themes of beauty, balance, and human achievement. Famous artists like Michelangelo, da Vinci, Botticelli, and Raphael produced iconic works that demonstrated the period's artistic innovations and mastery of techniques like perspective, anatomy, and proportion.

1. The Renaissance ~ 1400-1600

2. The Philosophy “ Renaissance” = rebirth 1000 years after Rome fell, Europe embraced the classical values of Greece and Rome Titian, Sacred and Profane Love

3. Renaissance Man The shaper of his own destiny (vs. a plaything of the supernatural) Individuals are valued Life is more than a preparation for the afterlife Optimistic, confident in their basic goodness and in the power of people to solve problems = Humanism (remember, from the Greeks?)

4. A Cultural Revolution Politics = democracy and nation-states Economics = capitalists and the middle class Religion = a move away from Church dominance towards the assertion of man + more personal faith (  Protestant Reformation) Secular Learning supercedes superstition and ignorance Scientists observe and learn, rather than relying on old texts/knowledge

5. Humanist, But Not Anti-Christian The assertion of man, not the repudiation of God Artists saw themselves as an extension of God’s creative powers Art glorified God by glorifying man’s abilities Michelangelo, The Creation of Adam

6. Renaissance Art A triumph of order and harmony. Re-mastered realism, three-dimensionality, balance, and perspective (were lost during Dark Ages) Sculptors portrayed idealized human bodies, balanced perfectly between motion and rest. All art forms took inspiration from ancient Greek and Roman works.

7. In art, as in their philosophy, humans are not scrawny, puny sinners - they’re strong, confident, rational creatures – gods on earth. Michelangelo, David

8. Realistic Anatomy Most artists did comprehensive and detailed studies of surface human anatomy In Middle Ages, dissecting corpses was a sin/crime. Michelangelo, Studies for the Libyan Sibyl Some Renaissance artists were willing to “sell their souls” for artistic knowledge. Rubens, Left Forearm and Right Forearm

9. Themes in the Art Still a lot of Christian imagery Unlike medieval works, the art could exist for the sake of beauty/holiness, not just for education = Less symbols and halos to identify figures, but radiate purity and beauty. Democratic values = portraits of people besides just popes, kings, and saints.

10. Perspective (closer figures are larger, farther figures are smaller) Picture Frame = a window on the world from a specific point of view (a human perspective) Balance and symmetrical Statues stand with weight balanced on one leg or Designed around a central axis Madonnas flanked by Saints, balanced number Most of all, it’s beautiful. Art for art’s sake. Qualities of Renaissance Art

11. Cimabue, Santa Trinita Madonna c. 1280

12. Giotto, Ognissanti Madonna 1310

13. Raphael, La Belle Jardiniere 1507

14. Uccello, Battle of San Romano

15. da Vinci, Madonna and Saint Anne

16. Top Italian Artworks to Know Da Vinci The Last Supper, Mona Lisa, Vitruvian Man

17. da Vinci, The Last Supper , 1498

18. Da Vinci, Portrait of Lisa Gherardini , wife of Francesco del Giocondo (“Mona Lisa”) 1503-1506

19. Sfumato ( noun ) - from the Latin (via Italian) fumare ("to smoke"), a painting technique. Sfumato means that there are no harsh outlines (as in a coloring book) present; areas blend into one another through miniscule brushstrokes, which makes for a rather hazy, albeit more realistic, depiction of light and color. http://arthistory.about.com/cs/glossaries/g/s_sfumato.htm

20. Da Vinci, Vitruvian Man 1487

22. Top Italian Artworks to Know Da Vinci The Last Supper, Mona Lisa, Vitruvian Man Botticelli Primavera, The Birth of Venus

23. Botticelli, Primavera, 1482

24. Mythological Figures in Primavera Venus Cupid the Charities (Three Graces) Mercury Zephyrus Chloris (goddess of flowers, mother of fruit) Flora (the goddess of spring)

25. Botticelli, The Birth of Venus, 1486

26. Venus de’ Medici (copy of Greek statue) Venus de Milo

27. Botticelli, The Birth of Venus, 1486

28. Top Italian Artworks to Know Da Vinci The Last Supper, Mona Lisa, Vitruvian Man Botticelli Primavera, The Birth of Venus Raphael The School of Athens, The Wedding of the Virgin, The Madonna of the Meadow

29. Raphael, The School of Athens, 1512

30. Raphael, The Wedding of the Virgin, 1504

31. Kehinde Wiley, Passing/Posing (The Wedding of the Virgin) 2005

32. Raphael, The Madonna of the Meadow, 1506

33. Top Italian Artworks to Know Da Vinci The Last Supper, Mona Lisa, Vitruvian Man Botticelli Primavera, The Birth of Venus Raphael The School of Athens, The Wedding of the Virgin, The Madonna of the Meadow Michelangelo David, The Sistine Chapel , Piet à

34. Michelangelo Video Part 1 Part 2

35. Michelangelo, David , 1504

36. Donatello, David , c. 1440

40. Michelangelo, Ceiling of the Sistine Chapel , 1508-1512

50. Michelangelo, Pieta, 1499

51. 1550 1564

52. Michelangelo, Pieta, 1499

53. (Commentary from the guide to St. Peter’s Basilica) This is probably the world's most famous sculpture of a religious subject. A highly spiritual and Christian view of human suffering. Artists before and after Michelangelo always depicted the Virgin with the dead Christ in her arms as grief stricken, almost on the verge of desperation. Michelangelo, on the other hand, created a highly supernatural feeling.

54. Is Mary too young? Historically, she was around 45-50 years old when Jesus died. Michelangelo said he made her youthful deliberately because the effects of time could not mar the virginal features of this, the most blessed of women. He also said that he was thinking of his own mother's face, he was only five when she died: the mother's face is a symbol of eternal youth.

55. It is the only piece of art he ever signed: MICHAELA[N]GELUS BONAROTUS FLORENTIN[US] FACIEBA[T] (Michelangelo Buonarroti, Florentine, made this)

56. He was 24 years old when he carved it.