The rise of the Renaissance in Italy and its major contributions to the rebirth of Europe. Includes key people, artwork techniques, and activities. SC State Standard 6-6.1 and 2

1. The
Renaissa
nce
1300s-
1600s
6-6.1 &2: Summarize the importance of the
Italian Renaissance, including the
importance of Florence, the influence of
humanism and the accomplishments of the
Italians in art, music, literature, and
architecture &
Identify key figures of the Renaissance and
their contributions- Leonardo de Vinci,
Michelangelo, and Johannes Gutenberg

2. The Origins of the
Renaissance
•Renaissance means “rebirth”
•Rebirth of Greek & Roman ideals
and rebirth of Europe after the
devastation of the Middle Ages
•Began in the Italian city-state of
Florence
•Location played key role in
making them centers of trade &
banking

3. Medici Family- Florence, Italy
• Considered the Godfather’s of the Renaissance
• Wealthy family from Florence, Italy
• Paid artist & architects to create new buildings
& works of art throughout the region
• Artists inspired by Greek & Roman works
Palazzo Medici Riccardi,
Florence
Video: 4 min

4. Emergence of the Middle Class
•Business & trade increased along Europe’s rivers- Danube,
Rhone, & Rhine rivers
•Growing economy improved the quality of life for many in
these areas
•A new class of people emerged from the surge in the
economy- a middle class
•The Middle Class earned moderate
profits from their businesses which
led to them having leisure time,
reading, & lived in the towns

5. Characteristics of Renaissance Classes
Upper Class Middle Class Lower Class
• Wealthy • Moderate
income
• Poor
Create an organizer chart like the one above.
Continue adding to the chart by answering each question for
all three classes:
1. Where did they live/ what were their living conditions?
2. How did they make their money?
3. How did they impact the local economy?

6. Political Changes & the Rise of Learning
Middle Ages Renaissance
Royalty & noble landowners
held all the power in the land
Only those of nobility or those
undertaking a religious life
could read
Europe was one of the poorest
& ignorant lands
Trade made merchants,
traders, & artisans wealthy &
power began to shift to them
Universities opened where
people could study
mathematics, sciences, &
philosophy
Became to wealthiest & most
sophisticated region in the world

7. Writing Activity
•Directions: Write a paragraph answering the
following prompt:
What are some conditions that led
to the birth of the Renaissance in
Italy? Provide examples as evidence
to support your statement.

8. Lesson Practice
1. What was one of the goals of the
Crusades?
A.to stop the spread of Islam
B.to bring goods and services to poorer
areas
C.to increase trade
D.to learn about other religions

9. Lesson Practice
2. What was one of the economic changes
that helped the Renaissance grow?
A. The middle class began to decline.
B. The upper class began to lose control of the
wealth
C. The middle class began to emerge and gain
power
D. There was no real economic change during
the Renaissance

10. Lesson Practice
3. Why was the printing press so important to the
Renaissance ?
A. Books became too expensive for the average
European.
B. Books became affordable and available to the
average European.
C. It made Germany wealthy.
D. The Church could control what every European
could read.

11. Lesson Practice
4. How did the culture of Southwest Asia influence
European life during the Crusades?
A. Through their fighting methods
B. Through contact with each other
C. Through disease prevention.
D. Through Greek and Roman art

12. The Italian
Renaissance
Two characteristics
of Italian
Renaissance Art:
1. Greek & Roman
inspiration
2. Ideals of
humanism

13. Florence, the Birthplace of the Renaissance
•Began in Florence and spread
north to the rest of Europe
•Florence had banks, trading
centers, & manufacturing
•Merchants became the new
class of aristocrats
•Education & the arts became
ways of showing wealth &
had high importance

14. Italian Painting & Drawing
•During the Middle Ages, most art
was religious
•During the Renaissance-wealthy
patrons commissioned artwork to
show their wealth
•Subject matter expanded to include
historic events & portraits of the
patrons
•Sought to make their art realistic,
like Roman art

15. Renaissance Artist Techniques
• Artist used live models in
attempt to make life-like art
• Sculptures use a technique
called contrapposto (the stance
of the sculpture had the head
and shoulders face a different
direction than the hips)
•Artists used chiaroscuro (using
light & shadow) to give
perspective to the form

16. Italian Architecture
•They did not like the
Gothic style buildings of
the Middle Ages
•They studied Greek &
Roman designs using
columns, arches, & domes
Video: 8:25

17. Leonardo de Vinci
• Italian painter, sculptor,
architect, inventor,
mathematician, & man of
many talents- what is
called today
“Renaissance Man”
• Considered the greatest
artist of his time
•Most famous piece-
“The Mona Lisa”
Video: De Vinci Bio- 5:01

19. Michelangelo
•Renaissance artist known
for:
•Painted frescoes on the
ceiling of the Sistine
Chapel in St. Peter’s
Cathedral
• The most famous segment is
known as “Creation of Adam”
•Sculpted the statue of
David and The Pieta
Video: 5:01

20. Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel Ceiling Overview

21. Italian Music
•During the Middle Ages, music was
played mainly for religious
purposes- very monotone and
chant-like
•Renaissance music was played for
the aristocrats as entertainment
•Music became freer & more
expressive, & featured melodies,
rhythms, and vocals
•Many instrument were invented
during this time period: Ex- violin
Video: Renaissance music: 5min

22. Italian Literature
• Two Italian authors are seen as the fathers of the
Renaissance:
• Francesco Petrarch: scholar, poet, & humanist
• Dante Allegheri: The Divine Comedy is seen as
the greatest literary work of the late Middle Ages
•Many books were written on how to act- the
most widely read was The Book of the Courtier
•The Prince by Niccolo Machiavelli told how to
get power & keep power; even if it means
being untrustworthy

24. Johannes Gutenberg’s Printing Press
•A German inventor who became famous for his
creation of a type of printing press in 1448
•Printing method using movable type-
revolutionized printing
•Until his invention, books had to be copied by hand
•He was the first to print the Bible on a printing
press
•Led to an explosion of information exchange
•Average people were finally able to read and
engage in debate

25. Try It! Writing
Activity
What was the
connection
between
economic wealth
and artistic
growth during the
Renaissance?
Video: 1:34

26. The Role of Humanism
•During the Middle Ages & Renaissance,
European interest in Greek & Roman
philosophy led to a new kind of thinking and
learning:
•Humanism: Intellectual movement focused
on the importance of human virtue, beauty,
& the accomplishments & potential of
humanity
• Taught people to have faith in themselves as an
individual & society as a whole &…
• Trust their ability to determine right from wrong

27. Effect of Humanism on Education
•1400s: idea of
teaching the “whole
student” through
physical and
intellectual
education
•More importance
was placed on
philosophy, history,
and literature in
higher education

28. Education Cont.
•Educated people tried to persuade others by writing
and speaking: called “the art of rhetoric”
•Studying grammar (proper use of language) lead to
better understanding of what they were reading
which resulted in better writers & speakers

29. Education Cont.
• Realized the study of
history could help them
understand the problems of
the past & help them avoid
problems in the future.
• The study of philosophy
and literature helped them
understand the viewpoints
of others so they could
improve their own lives

30. Effect of Humanism on Religion
• A Humanist, Desiderius
Erasmus, studied the
original Greek New
Testament Bible & found
many mistakes in the
Church’s Latin translation
• He retranslated the Greek
text to Latin correcting the
mistakes

31. Religion Cont.
•His translation was then
translated into many other
languages which lead people
to form their own ideas about
how Christians were supposed
to practice their religion
•Resulted in people challenging
the Catholic Church &
branching off to create their
own denominations

32. Religion Cont.
•Humanist still
believed in
Christianity
•They preserved its
traditions by studying
the works of the
Greeks & Romans to
gain a more accurate
picture of the world
Jesus lived in

33. Effect of Humanism on Art
•Artists were supported by
noblemen, popes, and
merchants
•Wanted to show things in their
natural state
•Humanism changed the way
artists looked at the world
around them
•Realism

34. Effect of Humanism on Government
•The Church had been the main
political power in Europe and the
spiritual leader of the people
•As humanists studied the Catholic
Church’s documents they began to
question the pope’s authority to rule
the land
•They wanted to separate the Church
from the government: freedom of
religious thought and free thinking
Video: The Prince

35. Writing Activity
•Directions: Write a paragraph answering the
following prompt:
What effect did humanism and ancient
Greek and Roman learning have on the
Renaissance? Give examples to support
your statement.

36. Lasting Impact of the Renaissance
• Transition to city
states in areas that
once had no
organized
government
• Determined the main
goal of government
was to maintain
peace and security

37. Advancements in Technology
• The printing press allowed the
average person to exchange and
learn new information
•Government spread
propaganda
•Books were printed in many
languages
•Lead to the Age of Discovery
•Printed Bible pushed the way
for the Protestant Reformation

38. Advancements in Astronomy
•Copernicus found that the planets
were on orbit around the sun-
contradicting the Church’s stance
that the Earth was the center of
the universe
• Galileo was he first to use the
telescope to study astronomy
• Isaac Newton developed the Laws
of Motion & universal gravitation
• All part of the scientific revolution
Galileo Galilei vs Isaac Newton video: 6:02

39. Advancements in the Study of Anatomy
•The church would not allow
people to study the body by
using cadavers
•Leonardo da Vinci ignored the
rules and studied the body
through dissection
•Create accurate artistic
drawings of the human body
• He used the scientific method
to study the structures of the
human body