Italian Renaissance
"How was the Italian Renaissance an age in
which life was a work of art?"
The Renaissance was an important time. It
was a time when new ideas were formed,
worldly places became more important,
and great people became known. All of
which paved the way to future
inventions, philosophies, and life as we know it.
During the Renaissance,
new possibilities were explored. One of which was a
group of people who
called themselves Humanists. Humanism was a movement based
on the literature
and ideas of ancient Greece and Rome. Humanists focused on
secular themes,
rather than those that were religious. They also believed that
individualism,
human improvement and that people should develop their talents
through many
activities. Humanism was influential in that more attention was
paid to
literature, the arts and education. Because education was becoming
more
important, more schools were opened. Students were taught all that was
taught in
classical Greek schools such as Greek, Latin, history and
philosophy. The
humanists strongly believed that education could help people
to improve
themselves. Humanism also inspired literature to become more
universal. Many
authors were discovered. Also, a form of poetry, called a
sonnet, was developed.
The humanists were very important to the
Renaissance, without their teachings
much would have been left undiscovered.
The city stated of Florence, Rome and
Venice were also important parts of
the Renaissance. Florence was ruled by a
line of successful and wealthy
rulers. Florence produced many great things.
Great rulers, great
architects, great sculptors and great painters. Thus leading
the way through
art. Rome was the leading renaissance city during the 1500’s.
Many
artists and scholars went to Rome to be taught by master craftsmen. Rome
also
became a site of great religious increases. Venice was a city of
great
trading. It linked Asia and Western Europe in trade routes, also
drawing traders
from the rest of the world. Venice was also known for it’s
artistic
achievements. Florence, Rome and Venice were three of the most
influential
powers during the Renaissance. The arts were extremely important
to the
Renaissance, and very influential. Architecture was modeled after
classical
Greek and Roman stylings. The greatest Italian architect was
Filippo
Brunelleschi, who was best known for his completion of a
cathedral in 1436.
Sculpture, as did architecture, reflected ancient
Greek and Roman ideas. The
best known sculptors were Donatello, Michelangelo
and Ghiberti. Donatello was
the first sculptor to cast free standing figures.
Michelangelo was best known
for his free standing figure of David, and
Ghiberti for his ten biblical scenes
on Florence cathedral’s walls. During
the Renaissance, painting acquired a
more realistic style. Some famous
painters of the time are Giotto, Michelangelo,
and probably the most famous
of all, Leonardo Da Vinci. Da Vinci is best known
for his works of The Mona
Lisa and The Last Supper. During the Renaissance,
boundaries were explored,
new heights were discovered and a whole new way of
life was found. The
renaissance truly was an age in which life was a work of art
not only because
art was so important to that time period, but because
everything was original
and new. Without the renaissance, and the people who
lived during it, such as
Da Vinci, modern life may not have been so modern.