This is my husband's final term paper for his huma1 class. He gave me permission to send it to you guys. He also received an "A" on his.THE RENAISSANCE IN ITALYThe Renaissance is marked as a fundamental change in Europeanvision in the 15th and 16th centuries, which moved into the 20th century. Renaissance Artand Architecture: painting, sculpture, architecture, and allied arts produced in Europe inthe historical period called the Renaissance. However, the period covers the200 years between 1400 and 1600, although specialists disagree on the exact dates. Theword renaissance literally means "rebirth" and is the French translation of the Italianrinascita. The Renaissance was characterized by geographical exploration, growth ofsecular values, and scientific and artistic inquiry. The Renaissance was also a cultural andintellectual movement where many advancements were made in the fields of music,literature, art, and science. The great concept of Renaissance was initially Italian. As aperiod of art history, the Renaissance is unique in that it defines itself and establishes thelarge chronological timeline we still use today to explain the European past.The Renaissance spread through wars, trade, travel and diplomacy from Italy to France, Northern Europe, and Spain. After its arrival in these areas, it held strong Gothic traditions and memories of the classical past.RENAISSANCE 3EARLY RENAISSANCEEarly Renaissance was succeeded by the High Renaissance period, which began sometime in the early 1500's.Some of the main members of the first generation of The Renaissance artists were: Donatello in sculpture, Filippo Brunelleschi in architecture, and Masaccio in painting. They all shared many important characteristics. The way they thought was that faith in the theoretical foundations of art and the conviction that development and progress were not only possible but very important to the life and significance of the arts. Ancient art was held higher than everything else, not only as an inspiring model but also as a great influence that could reveal the many successes of previous artists. Early Renaissance artists tried to create art forms similar to the appearance of the natural world with their experiences of human personality and behavior. Early Renaissance had some of the most genius minds in art history, which can be notable for three of the greatest artists that ever lived. These three artists are, Leonardo da' Vinci, Michelangelo Buonarroti and Raphael Sanzio. These three men defined the word art as we know it today.Leonardo da Vinci is indeed the most outstanding figure of the Renaissance period. He made many contributions through his many talents. "Leonardo da' Vinci was a painter, architect, engineer, mathematician and philosopher, a genius the world has never seen again so far." (http://www.kausal.com/leonardo)RENAISSANCE 4This is how he earned himself the nickname as "The Renaissance Man""Leonardo da' Vinci was like a man who awoke too early in the darkness, while the others were all still asleep." (Sigmund Freud) Some of da' Vinci's most famous works were the Mona Lisa and The Last Supper.Michelangelo was mainly interested in creating large marble statues. However, he was also a great architect, painter and poet. One of Michelangelo's greatest works was "David" which portrays a former king of Israel. He worked with da' Vinci to create large battle scenes to decorate the walls of the town city hall in Florence. Other famous art created by Michelangelo was the Sistine Chapel, the Medici Chapel and the Last Judgment.Raphael painted altarpieces, portraits and frescoes which are paintings on damp plaster. His frescoes were mostly of mythological and historical scenes. His most famous works are the Madonna and Child and his School of Athens. One of Raphael's first masterpieces was the Marriage of the Virgin which is the Virgin Mary receiving a ring from Joseph.To conclude this research, I can now honestly say that the Renaissance was a big historical event that has influenced our Humanities throughout life. Whether it was poetry, sculptures, or paintings, it created a big stepping-stone on art as we see today.RENAISSANCE 5REFERENCESMolho, Anthony. World Book Encyclopedia 2001 NO. 16 pg. 232Clare, John D., ed. Italian Renaissance. Harcourt, 1995.Caselli, Giovanni. The Renaissance and the New World. Bedrick, 1985Internet website (http://www.kausal.com/leonardo)
