Whats the Connection?In Section 1, you learned about

the growth of Italian city-states. Inthis section, you will learn how thewealth of the city-states led to anage of artistic achievements.

Focusing on the Humanists studied the Greeks and

Romans, and the development of theprinting press helped spread theirideas. (page 619)

Renaissance artists used newtechniques to produce paintings thatshowed people in an emotional andrealistic way. (page 623)

Renaissance ideas and art spreadfrom Italy to northern Europe.(page 625)

Locating PlacesFlanders (FLANduhrz)

Meeting PeopleDante Alighieri (DAHNtay

A luhGYEHRee)Johannes Gutenberg (yohHAHN

uhs GOOtuhnBUHRG)Leonardo da Vinci (LEEuhNAHR

doh duh VIHNchee)Michelangelo Buonarroti (MYkuh

LAN juhLOH BWAWnahrRAWtee)

William Shakespeare (SHAYKSPIHR)

Building Your Vocabularyhumanism (HYOOmuhNIH

zuhm)vernacular (vuhrNAkyuh luhr)

Reading StrategyOrganizing Information Create adiagram to show features ofRenaissance art.

c. 1455Johannes Gutenberguses printing pressto print the Bible

1494Leonardobegins paintingThe Last Supper

1512Michelangelo finishespainting SistineChapels ceiling

1601ShakespearewritesHamlet

1400 1500 16001400 1500 1600

New Ideasand Art

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Art

(cr)Erich Lessing/Art Resource, NY, (r)Art Resource, NY, (others)Mary Evans Picture Library

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Renaissance HumanismHumanists studied the Greeks and

Romans, and the development of the printing presshelped spread their ideas.Reading Focus Have you ever tried to draw a copy of apainting you like? Is it harder to copy what other peoplehave done or to come up with new ideas for your own pic-tures? Read to learn how Renaissance writers borrowedideas from the past but tried to be original too.

In the 1300s, a new way of understand-ing the world developed in medievalEurope. This new approach was calledhumanism (HYOO muh NIH zuhm). It wasbased on the values of the ancient Greeksand Romans. Humanists believed that theindividual and human society were impor-tant. Humanists did not turn away from reli-gious faith, but they wanted a balancebetween faith and reason. Their new ideasencouraged men to be active in their citiesand achieve great things.

Ancient Works Become Popular In the1300s, Italians began to study early Romanand Greek works. For most of theMiddle Ages, Western Europeansknew little about ancient Greek andRoman writings. When they went onthe Crusades, however, they openedtrade with the Middle East and beganto get information from the Arabs.Arab scholars knew classic Greek and

Roman works very well. In addition, whenthe Turks conquered Constantinople in1453, many Byzantine scholars left andmoved to Venice or Florence.

One famous scholar of the ancientworks was Petrarch (PEH TRAHRK). FrancescoPetrarch was a poet and scholar who livedin the 1300s. He studied Roman writerslike Cicero and wrote biographies offamous Romans.

Petrarch encouraged Europeans tosearch for Latin manuscripts in monaster-ies all over Europe. In time, his efforts paidoff and new libraries were built to keep themanuscripts. The largest was the VaticanLibrary in Rome.

Italians studied more than ancientbooks. They studied the old buildings andstatues all around them. All over Rome, onecould see workers cleaning the dirt andrubble from broken columns and statues.Italian artists eagerly studied the propor-tions of the ancient works. If they knewhow long a statues arms were compared toits height, they would be able to under-stand why it looked so perfect.

Ancient Greek manuscripton Archimedes

619

Francesco Petrarch hasbeen called the fatherof Italian Renaissancehumanism. How didPetrarch contribute to the preservation ofRoman knowledge?

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Changes in Literature During theRenaissance, educated people wrote inpure Latin, the Latin used in ancientRome. Petrarch thought classical Latin wasthe best way to write, but when he wanted

to write poems to the woman he loved, hewrote in the vernacular (vuhrNAkyuh luhr).The vernacular is the everyday languagepeople speak in a regionItalian, French,or German, for example. When authorsbegan writing in the vernacular, many morepeople could read their work.

In the early 1300s, Dante Alighieri(DAHN tay A luh GYEHR ee), a poet ofFlorence, wrote one of the worlds greatestpoems in the vernacular. It is called TheDivine Comedy. As a young man, Dante wasactive in politics, but when noble familiesbegan fighting over power, he had to leaveFlorence. That was when he wrote his longpoemmore than 14,000 lines. The DivineComedy tells the gripping tale of the maincharacters journey from hell to heaven.The horrible punishments for different sinswere vividly described.

Another important writer who used thevernacular was Chaucer. Chaucer wrote inEnglish. In his famous book, The Canterbury

Tales, he describes 29 pilgrims ontheir journey to the city ofCanterbury. The Canterbury Talesdescribes the levels of English society,from the nobles at the top to the poorat the bottom. The English Chaucerused in his writing is the ancestor ofthe English we speak today.

The Printing Press Spreads IdeasThe printing press was a key to thespread of humanist ideas through-out Europe. In the early 1450s,

Johannes Gutenberg (yohHAHNuhs GOOtuhn BUHRG) developed a printing press thatused movable metal type. This type ofprinting press made it possible to printmany books much more quickly. Withmore books available, more people learnedto read. Scholars could read one anothersworks and debate their ideas in letters.

620 CHAPTER 17 The Renaissance and Reformation

Movable Type c. 1450Johannes Gutenberg, a Germangoldsmith, built a printing pressmodeled after a winepress. Once thepress was completed, Gutenberg spenttwo years printing his first book. Foreach page, he set metal letters in aframe, rolled ink over the frame, andpressed the frame against paper.Around 1455, he completed printingwhat is now known as the GutenbergBible, or the 42 Line Bible. This wasthe first book printed using movablemetal type, sparking a revolution inpublishing and reading.

Gutenberg Bible

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Ideas grew and spread more quickly thanever before in Europe.

The Chinese had already invented mov-able type, but it did not work well withtheir large alphabet of characters. ForEuropeans, the printing press was a bigimprovement. It was easy to use with linenpaper, another Chinese invention.

Gutenbergs Bible, printed in the 1450s,was the first European book produced onthe new press. Soon books flooded Europe.About 40,000 books were published by1500. Half of these were religious workslike the Bible or prayer books.

How Did Humanism Affect Society?Humanist scholars studied the Greeks andRomans to increase their knowledge ofmany different topics. They were curiousabout everything, including plants and

animals, human anatomy and medicine, andthe stars and planets. Their study of mathe-matics helped them in many subjects.

One of the best Renaissance scientistswas also a great artist, Leonardo da Vinci(LEE uh NAHR doh duh VIHN chee).Leonardo dissected corpses to learnanatomy and studied fossils to understandthe worlds history. He was also an inventorand an engineer.

Most of what we know about Leonardocomes from his notebooks. Leonardo filledtheir pages with sketches of his scientificand artistic ideas. Centuries before the airplane was invented, Leonardo drewsketches of a glider, a helicopter, and aparachute. Other sketches show a versionof a military tank and a scuba diving suit.

Explain What was the ben-efit of writing in the vernacular?

Leonardo da Vincis notebooks containedsketches of inventions that would not beproduced for hundreds of years.

Compare Leonardos sketches of ahelicopter and subway to their moderncounterparts. How accurate was Leonardo?

Leonardos Inventions

A helicopter-likeflying machine

A multibarreledartillery piece

Cross section of a palace with subways for carriages

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LEONARDO DA VINCI14521519

Leonardo was born in Vinci, Italy, to a peasant woman

named Caterina. Shortly after Leonardos birth, she left the

boy in the care of his father. By the time Leonardo was

15 years old, his father knew his son had artistic talent.

He arranged for Leonardo to become an apprentice to

the famous painter Andrea del Verrocchio.

By 1472, Leonardo had become a master in the painters

guild of Florence. He worked in Florence until 1481, and

then he went to the city of Milan. There he kept a large

workshop and employed many apprentices. During this time,

Leonardo began keeping small pads of paper tucked in his

belt for sketching. Later he organized the drawings by theme

and assembled the pages into notebooks.

Seventeen years later, Leonardo returned to Florence,

where he was welcomed with great honor. During this time,

Leonardo painted some of his masterpieces. He also made

scientific studies, including dissections, observations of the

flight of birds, and research on

the movement of water

currents.

In 1516 Leonardo

accepted an invitation to live

in France. The king admired

Leonardo and gave him

freedom to pursue his interests. During the

last three years of his life, Leonardo lived in a small house near

the kings summer palace. He spent most of his time sketching

and working on his scientific studies.

Leonardos curiosity fueled his creativity and

interest in science. What invention created in

the last 100 years do you think would impress

Leonardo the most? Why?The Mona Lisa byLeonardo da Vinci

Leonardo da Vinci

Nothing can be loved orhated unless it is firstknown.

Leonardo da Vinci

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CHAPTER 17 The Renaissance and Reformation 623

Artists in Renaissance ItalyRenaissance artists used new tech-

niques to produce paintings that showed people inan emotional and realistic way.Reading Focus Have you ever had trouble makingyour drawings look real and three-dimensional? Readto learn how Renaissance artists learned to make theirart look natural and real.

During the Renaissance, wealthy Italianfamilies and church leaders paid artists tocreate paintings, sculptures, and buildingsfor display throughout their cities. Thepope himself funded many works of art todecorate the Vatican. Renaissance artistsfollowed the models of the ancient Romansand Greeks but expressed humanist ideas.

What Was New About Renaissance Art?If you compare medieval and Renaissancepaintings, you will see major differences intheir styles. Renaissance art tries to showpeople as they would appear in real life. Italso tries to show peoples emotions. Whena medieval artist depicted the birth of Jesus,he wanted to remind Christians about theirbelief that Jesus was born to save the world.A Renaissance artist painting the samescene might try to show how tender Marylooked with her tiny baby.

Renaissance painters also used new tech-niques. The most important was perspective(puhr SPEHK tihv), a method that makes adrawing or painting look three-dimen-sional. Artists had tried to use perspectivebefore, but Renaissance artists perfected it.Using perspective, objects in a scene appearto be at different distances from the viewer.The result is a more realistic image.

To make their paintings more realistic,Renaissance artists also used a techniquecalled chiaroscuro (kee AHR uh SKYUR oh).

Chiaroscuro softened edges by using lightand shadows instead of stiff outlines to sep-arate objects. In Italian, chiaro means clearor light, and oscuro means dark.Chiaroscuro created more drama and emo-tion in a painting.

The Peak of the Renaissance The artisticRenaissance lasted from about 1350 to 1550,but it hit its peak between 1490 and 1520. Atthat time, great artists were producing mas-terpieces. Three of the most famous artistswere Leonardo da Vinci, Raphael Sanzio,and Michelangelo Buonarroti (MY kuh LAN juh LOH BWAW nahr RAW tee).

Although Leonardo also became a greatscientist and inventor, he trained as anartist. Born in 1452, he began his training inFlorence at a young age. Training in work-shops was an old tradition, but during theRenaissance, individual artists began to dosomething no medieval artist had donethey signed their own work.

One of Leonardos most famous worksis The Last Supper, which he began paintingin 1494 on a wall behind a church altar. Hepainted on wet plaster with watercolorpaint. A painting done this way is called a

The sculpture, La Pieta, by Michelangelo showsMary holding the body of Jesus after his death.What did Renaissance artists try to portray intheir works?

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fresco (FREHS koh), which in Italian meansfresh. Frescoes were painted in churchesall over Italy.

One of Leonardos great artistic skills isvisible in The Last Supper. In this painting ofJesus and his disciples, Leonardo was able toshow human emotions through small differ-ences in how each apostle held his head orthe apostles position in relation to Jesus.Leonardo showed this skill again in the MonaLisa. People still argue about what thewoman in the portrait is thinkingwhat isthe mystery behind her smile?

Although Raphael worked at the sametime as Leonardo, he was much younger.Even as a young man, Raphael workedwith ease and grace and became known asone of Italys best painters. Italians espe-cially loved the gentle Madonnas hepainted. He also painted many frescoes inthe Vatican Palace. Perhaps his best-knownpainting is the School of Athens, whichdepicts a number of Greek philosophers.

Another great Renaissance artist wasMichelangelo. Like many other artists of thetime, Michelangelo painted, sculpted, and

designed buildings. He painted one ofthe best-known Renaissance workstheceiling of the Sistine Chapel in Rome.

Although he painted many outstand-ing works, Michelangelo was a sculptorat heart. He believed his talents wereinspired by God. He carved his statues toshow perfect versions of human beingsas a symbol of Gods beauty and perfec-tion. Michelangelos best-known sculp-ture is the 13-foot-tall statue David. The

sculptor made David seem calm, yet readyfor action. Also impressive is Michelangelosstatue of the biblical Moses. The huge figureappears both wise and powerful.

Compare and ContrastWhat were some of the differences betweenmedieval and Renaissance artists?

The Life of a Renaissance Artist If ayoung boy in Renaissance Italy wantedto be an artist, he would become anapprentice at a workshop run by anestablished artist. The main job ofapprentices was preparing materials forthe master artist and his assistants.Apprentices used minerals, spices, eggyolk, and other everyday materials tomix paints. They readied wax and clayfor sculpture modeling. Eventually,apprentices became assistants. Talentedassistants could become masters oftheir own workshops.

Master artists could afford to haveworkshops because of the patronagesystem in Italy. Patronspeople who pay to support someone elses workwould commission, or hire, an artist tocomplete a project. That artist wasusually helped by his assistants andapprentices.Patrons wereusually politicaland churchleaders,organizations,and wealthybankers andmerchants. Renaissance

painter andapprentice

Connecting to the Past1. What was the main job of apprentices?

2. Does the patronage system or theapprentice system exist today? If so,in what fields?

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CHAPTER 17 The Renaissance and Reformation 625

Wealthy and important people sat

beneath the covered section.

Flags announced the type of play. White flags meant comedies, black flags meant tragedies, and red flags

stood for history plays.

Poor commoners, called groundlings,

stood on the ground for the

show. They often brought fruit and

vegetables to throw at actors

they did not like.

William Shakespeares plays were performed at the GlobeTheater in London. It could hold about 3,000 people. Plays wereperformed every day of the week except Sunday.Performances occurred during the day, since the theater had no lights. When did the Renaissance spread to northern Europe and England?

Globe TheaterGlobe Theater

The Renaissance SpreadsRenaissance ideas and art spread from

Italy to northern Europe.Reading Focus If you were a Canadian artist, wouldyour painting look different than if you lived inArizona? Read to learn how the Renaissance changed asit moved into northern Europe.

In the late 1400s, the Renaissance spreadto northern Europe and later to England.The printing press helped humanist ideasto spread, as did people who traveled.

What Is the Northern Renaissance? TheNorthern Renaissance refers to the culturein places we know today as Belgium,Luxembourg, Germany, and the Netherlands.Like Italian artists, northern artists wantedtheir works to have greater realism, but theyused different methods. One importantmethod they developed was oil painting.First developed in Flanders (FLAN duhrz)

a region that is in northern Belgiumtodayoils let artists paint intricate detailsand surface textures, like the gold braid ona gown.

Jan van Eyck was a master of oil paint-ing. In one of his best-known paintings, anewly married couple stands side by side ina formal bedroom. Van Eyck showed everyfold in their rich gowns and every detail ofthe chandelier above their heads.

Albrecht Drer (AHLbrehkt DURuhr) isperhaps one of the greatest artists of theNorthern Renaissance. Drer was able tomaster both perspective and fine detail. Heis best known for his engravings. An engrav-ing is made from an image carved on metal,wood, or stone. Ink is applied to the surface,and then the image is printed on paper.

Drers Four Horsemen of the Apocalypseis an outstanding example of a woodcut, aprint made from carved wood. In it, fourfierce horsemen ride to announce the end ofthe world.

625

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Reading SummaryReview the During the Renaissance, scholars

examined the ancient works ofthe Greeks and Romans, began towrite in the vernacular, andexplored many scientific fields.

Italian Renaissance artistsemployed new techniques andcreated masterpieces of paintingand sculpture.

As the Renaissance spread tonorthern Europe and England,artists and writers, such as Drerand Shakespeare, created greatworks.

1. Explain the beliefs of human-ists during the Renaissance.

2. Explain the artistic techniqueof perspective.

Critical Thinking3. Summarizing Information

Draw a chart like the onebelow. Use it to describe theartistic work and techniques ofeach artist listed.

4. Evaluate What was theimportance of the printingpress on Renaissance society?

5. Science Link Describe thescientific efforts and contribu-tions of Leonardo da Vinci.

6. Explain How were the idealsof the Renaissance expressed inEngland? Provide examples inyour answer.

7. Expository Writing Choosea painting or sculpture shownin this section. In a short essay,describe the work and explainhow it demonstratesRenaissance techniques orcharacteristics.

What Did You Learn?

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626 CHAPTER 17 The Renaissance and Reformation

Who Was William Shakespeare? InEngland, the Renaissance took place inwriting and theater more than in art. TheRenaissance began in England in the later1500s, during the rule of Elizabeth I.

Theater was popular in England in the1500s. Admission was only one or two cents,so even the poor could attend. English play-wrights, or writers who create plays, wroteabout peoples strengths, weaknesses, andemotions.

The greatest English writer of that erawas William Shakespeare (SHAYK SPIHR).He wrote tragedies, comedies, and historicalplays. Some of his great tragedies includeHamlet, Macbeth, and Romeo and Juliet. Ineach tragedy, the characters flaws causetheir downfall. Among his most famouscomedies are A Midsummer Nights Dream,Twelfth Night, and Much Ado About Nothing.His best-known historical plays include

Henry V and Richard III. Shakespeares playsare still performed today and remain verypopular.

Compare How did thenorthern Renaissance differ from the ItalianRenaissance?

Leonardo da Vinci

Michelangelo

Jan van Eyck

Shakespeare

Drers Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse

Snark/Art Resource, NY

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