Late in the Middle Ages, new ways of looking at life took hold in Europe and soon affected human affairs of all kinds as a new spirit of optimism, confidence, and creativity developed. This remarkable period began in the fourteenth in the city-states of Italy and lasted into the sixteenth century. It is known as the Renaissance, from the French word for "rebirth."Renaissance scholars were interested in Greek and Roman learning. This developed into the study of the humanities--subjects concerned with humankind and culture, as opposed to science. Enthusiasm for ancient Greece and Rome spread from scholars to the rest if the Italian upper classes.Unlike the medieval thinkers who thought of earthly existence chiefly as preparation for ...view middle of the document...
The Renaissance was a time of change in technology as well as in culture. The most exciting development was the printing press. In the 1450's European first used movable metal type to print a book. By 1500 there were hundreds of printers, in nearly every country in Europe. This made bookmaking became much cheaper and faster.Unlike the medieval art, Renaissance art, like classical art, emphasized the uniqueness of each human face and figure. In portraits, Renaissance artists tried to show each individual's character and personality in a lifelike way. While medieval painters had often drawn people larger than buildings, Renaissance artists tried to show people, trees, buildings, and mountains in their proper sizes. Another step toward realism was the discovery of how to achieve perspective--the impression of depth and distance on the flat surface of a painting. A new technique, oil painting, was developed during the Renaissance.During the Renaissance, many important people occurred. Sir Thomas More, an English scholar, wrote a book called Utopia, which described an ideal, peaceful society. Cervantes, a Spanish writer, wrote the book Don Quixote. Rabelais encouraged the Renaissance ideal of living a full, busy life. His book Gargantua and Pantagruel made fun of those who did not take the humanist point of view. William Shakespeare was an actor, poet, and playwright whose admiration for humanity marked him as a man of the Renaissance. Raphael combined religious art with a Renaissance spirit, famous for his madonnas--pictures of Mary. Michelangelo, a sculptor, painter, poet, and architect, made the statue Pietà and decorated the ceiling of Sistine Chapel with frescoes for Pope Julius II in 1508. Leonardo da Vinci painted the works The Last Supper and the Mona Lisa.
