4.1 KiB
4.1 KiB
== THE NORTHERN RENAISSANCE ==
Northern Renaissance begins in Flanders
- A prosperous city in Northern France
- Was very active in the wool trade, had been coveted by England in the Hundred Years' War
- Renaissance in the North began there and then spread to the rest of Europe
- Why?
- Trade brings in new ideas
- Wealth for patronage
Spreading North
- The Renaissance in the North was due in large part to the creation of the printing press
- Before the printing press, every book was copied carefully by hand
- Few books in Europe, the majority of which were in monasteries as monks did most of the laborious task
- In the Middle Ages, only a select few could read and write anyway
- Expansion of schools had led to a more literate upper class, and paper became cheaper to make
- Before the printing press, every book was copied carefully by hand
Effects
- Books were cheaper and more available
- More people learned to read
- People were exposed to a variety of subjects and knowledge
- Boosted self-esteem
- Made the literate more critical
- Could be used to spread messages and propaganda
Flemish Painters
-
Jan Van Eyck
- Painted quaint portrayals of towns religious themes that are exceptionally realistic in their details
- The Arnolfini Marriage is one of his most famous works
-
Pieter Bruegel
- Famous for his portrayal of peasant themes and religious scenes placed in the peasant world
-
Peter Paul Rubens
- Combined the realism of the Northern Renaissance with the classical themes of the Renaissance in Italy
- Well educated in mythology, the Bible, and ancient history
- A classic humanist
- Combined the realism of the Northern Renaissance with the classical themes of the Renaissance in Italy
-
Albrecht Durer
- "Leonardo of the North"
- Traveled to Italy as an artist, then returned North
- A painter famous for his self portraits
- celebrated his own beauty and genius
- Imposed his face on an image of Christ - called the birth of the modern artist
- Applied Italian painting techniques to engravings
- "Leonardo of the North"
Northern Humanists
- Thought a classical education would cause religious and moral reform
- Erasmus: Most famous humanist of the Northern Renaissance
- A priest who wanted to reform the church even before the Reformation
- Sir Thomas More
- English Humanist
- Friend of Erasmus, wrote Utopia
- Describes a perfect civilization based on reason and tolerance
- All goods are held in common and people are required to earn their bread through work
- Political advisor to King Henry VIII
- A trusted diplomat
- Fell out of favornwhen he disputed the Act of Supremacy and King Henry's marriage to Anne Boleyn
- Francois Rabelais
- A French Humanist and Renaissance man
- Monk, physician, Greek scholar and author
- Wrote Gargantua and Pantagruel
- The epic poem of a gentle giant and his son
- A comedy, discusses the various people they meet, the sides they take in various conflicts, etc
- Used it as a medium for social commentary
- A French Humanist and Renaissance man
- William Shakespeare
- An English playwright
- Worked as a teacher for a time, became very educated in Renaissance literature and history
- Wrote 37 plays between 1590 and 1613
- Focused on the importance and potential of the individual
- Also paid homage to ancient Greece and Rome - wrote plays like Julius Caesar
- Wrote in Elizabethan England, considered one of the last Renaissance artists == THE NEW MONARCHIES ==
- An English playwright
-- Characteristics of the New Monarchies --
- They offered the institution of monarchy as a guarantee of law and order
- They proclaimed that hereditary monarchy was the legitimate form of public power -> all should accept this without resistance
- They enlisted the support of the middle clas in the towns -> tired of the local power of feudal nobles
- They would have to get their monarchies sufficiently organized & their finances into reliable order
- They would break down the mass of feudal, inherited, customary, or "common" law in which the rights of the feudal classes were entrenched
- The kings would MAKE law, enact it by his own authority, regardless of previous custom or historic liberties -> what pleases the prince has the force of law
England -> Stability under the Tudors France -> Consolidation of power Spain -> Unification by marriage Holy Roman Empire -> Different model: the cost of decentralization