European Renaissance & Reformation

1. Renaissance Art & Writing European Renaissance & Reformation

2. Classical & Worldly values • Humanism: movement which focuses on human potential & achievements • Secular: worldly rather than spiritual; concerned with the here & now • Patrons of the arts financially supported artists

3. Renaissance writers change literature • Writing in the vernacular: native language instead of Latin • Influential writers in Italy include Dante, Petrarch • Niccolo Machiavelli writesThe Prince: examines how a ruler can gain & keep power Everyone thinks I’m a jerk! But I’m not!

4. The Northern Renaissance • Northern writers try to reform society • Desiderius Erasmus & Thomas More = Christian humanists • Thomas More writes Utopia: tries to show a better model of society

5. Printing Press spreads ideas • Johann Gutenberg develops a printing press with new technologies • Printing press makes it possible to produce books quickly & cheaply I have two beards in one!

6. Changes in Society • Printing made information available & inexpensive for society at large • Availability of books prompted increased desire for learning & a rise in literacy throughout Europe • Published accounts of maps, discoveries, & charts led to further discoveries • Published legal proceedings made laws clear so people could understand their rights • Christian humanists’ attempts to reform society changed views about how life should be lived • People began to question political structures & religious practices

7. The Legacy of the Renaissance • Changes in the Arts • Art drew on techniques & styles of classical Greece & Rome • Paintings & sculptures portrayed individuals & nature in more lifelike ways • Artists created works that were secular as well as works that were religious • Writers began to use vernacular languages to express their ideas • The arts praised individual achievement

8. Characteristics: 1. Realism & Expression • Expulsion fromthe Garden • Masaccio • 1427 • First nudes sinceclassical times.

9. 2. Perspective • The Trinity • Masaccio • 1427 First use of linear perspective!

10. 3. Classicism • Greco-Roman influence. • Secularism. • Humanism. • Individualism  free standing figures. • Symmetry/Balance The “Classical Pose”Medici “Venus”

11. Batista Sforza & Federico de Montefeltre: The Duke & Dutchess of Urbino Pierodella Francesca, 1465-1466. 4. Selfies

12. 5. Geometrical Arrangement of Figures • The Dreyfus Madonna with the Pomegranate • Leonardo da Vinci • 1469 • The figure as architecture!

13. How do you know if an artwork is good? • Use the 4 steps in art criticism. • Description • Analysis • Interpretation • Evaluation

14. While viewing artwork ask yourself…. • What do I see? (Description) • How is the work organized? (Analysis) • What is the artist saying? (Interpretation) • In this a successful work of art? (Judgment)

15. 1.) Description (What do I See?) • Make a list of all the things you see in the work. • You must be objective, list only the facts. • Include the size of the work and medium used, color, line, shading, focal point etc. American Gothic, 1930; Oil on beaverboard; 74.3 x 62.4 cm; Friends of American Art Collection, 1930.934

16. 2.) Analysis (How is the work organized?) • You are still collecting facts, however, attention is paid to the elements and principles. • You discover how the work is organized.

17. 3.) Interpretation(What is the artist saying?) • You will explain or tell the meaning or mood of the work. It is in this step that you can make guesses.

18. 4.) Judgment(Is this a successful work of art?) • You determine the degree of artistic merit. • This is the time to give your opinions.

19. HOMEWORK…..Yes It Will Be Checked & Graded Part 1: Go to Biography.com List 4 facts about each painter on the back of your chart Part 2 Go to http://www.artcyclopedia.com/ Pick ONE of the famous paintings/sculptures today & give the history behind it!