Humanism During The Renaissance Period

Renaissance period was considered a revival time in Europe with a rise in Classical learning and values. The scholars and thinkers consider it to be a new birthing of Classical learning and wisdom after a long period of cultural standstill. At the beginning of the Renaissance, ideas were expressed by the logical movement called humanism. The movement involved the failures in the Roman Catholic Church and the Holy Roman Empire to provide a stable and uniting structure for the society of spiritual and material life. During humanism the reputation of city-states and national monarchies rose, national languages was improved, and the traditional feudal structures failed. The effect of humanism was to allow man freedom from unjust religious beliefs, to encourage examination and criticism, and to instill a new confidence to human thought and innovations. The Renaissance period ended due to the fall of Rome in 1527.
There were many advances during the Renaissance: study of new continents, the advancements of the Ptolemaic system, feudal system failures, and inventions that changed the way of life.
In technology, the invention of the printing press transforms the distribution of knowledge while improving literacy rates. Printing increased the quantity and quality of books and helped eliminate errors. The printing press changed intellectual work into a collaborative rather than an unsocial activity. The use of gunpowder transformed warfare and provided effective defense against enemies. The army was properly trained and equipped with firearms and pikes to assist while in battle. Renaissance artists and scientists collectively transformed art, sculpting, and the advancement of mathematical techniques in science. During the Renaissance, artists’ were known for creating visuals of the world, while scientists’ researched scientific explanation for the
unknown.
Renaissance art was painting, sculpturing, and architecture. Everyday life and occurrences was perceived and made into art. Art provided man with a visual and insight into the unseen world. Art was based on the observation of the visible world; and painted and sculpted with great detail and originality. Artists used their designs to express their personal views and concerns. Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, and Raphael were known for their elaborate designs and deeper meaning that each replica represent.
Leonardo was considered the example of a traditional Renaissance man. Leonardo da Vinci masterpieces were magnificent with ties to both art and science. Leonardo greatest works was the Mona Lisa, The Virgin of the Rocks, and The Last Supper. The “Mona Lisa” was originally named “La Gioconda.” Still to this day many people discuss the painting and its actual meaning. “The Last Supper” is a visual of the last dinner with Jesus and his Apostles. Leonardo artistic abilities show in the each apostle having their own facial expression and body language. Today, painters are using the same composition detail that is seen in Leonardo’s work. Michelangelo was known for his creative abilities. The human body inspired Michelangelo’s work with its different emotional and physical expressions. “The Pietà” and ‘the David” sculptures showed his technical ability to challenge the rules of anatomy and proportion. Michelangelo’s profound greatest work was the giant ceiling in the Vatican. The ceiling portrays traditional Christian religion and Neoplatonic ideologies. In Perspective Renaissance authors stated that “Incandescent work created by Raphael with unequalled grace and composure was introduced during the Renaissance. It was said that he produced the most imposing perspective compositions, with a kind of culmination of a century of perspective exploration.” Raphael created works that perfectly expressed the classical spirit—harmonious, beautiful, and serene. Raphael’s “School of Athens”, brought together philosophers and artists of the Aristotelian and Platonic schools. The painting displays a quiet conversation in a large court with vaults in the distance. In Raphael’s pieces he fused the pyramid structures and human facial expressions. His work contained standard congruence and simplicity into his work.
The Renaissance introduced the Scientific Revolution. Both were responsible for the introduction of ideas such as a heliocentric solar system and laws of planetary motion. Geography was changed by new experimental knowledge from explorations beyond Europe and from the first translations of Ptolemy and Strabo. During the Renaissance and the Scientific Revolution three scientists paved the way: Nicolaus Copernicus, Galileo Galilei, and Johannes Kepler.