The Italian Renaissance - 870 Words

During the 14th century, Italy was divided into many self-governing city sates. Florence, an independent republic and third largest city in Europe at the time, was the motherland of the Italian Renaissance. This was an enlightening time of â€Å"rebirth† that began directly after the Middle Ages (History.com Staff). Florence was the birthplace of the Renaissance due to its location, prosperity, and cultural amalgamation. WHY IS ITS LOCATION SO SPECIAL - why not somewhere else? Italy consisted of communes, or city-states, ruled by an individual or a solitary family, with a democratic government and an abundant amount of educated citizens. The governmental system was not a true democracy, however, since only wealthy men were allowed to vote. As time progressed though, the common people began to have more governmental power, due to emerging social and economic freedoms. There were three main social levels at that time: the upper class, being businessmen and merchants, the middle class, formed from educated townsfolk, and the lower class, comprised of artisans and craftsmen (Walker 7-8). Because of its location, Florence was home to many wealthy citizens. Florence became the cultural capital of Europe due to aristocrats exhibiting their prominence by supporting artists and philosophers who studied ancient Greece and Rome (History.com Staff). Italians considered their rebirth to be both an emergence from the dearth of culture in the Dark Ages and a new beginning altogether, builtShow MoreRelatedThe Italian Renaissance And The Renaissance1424 Words   |  6 PagesThe Italian Renaissance was an explosion of art, writing, and thought, that roughly lasted between 1300 to 1600. In this time each citizen, countrymen, or villager had and performed different jobs and careers. Humanism the study of Greek and Roman writings, art, and architecture, initially jump started the Renaissance, and the need for art. Artists now were inspired to use life like art and linear perspective, so art seemed and was more realistic. The start of the Italian Renaissance was theRead MoreThe I talian Renaissance And The Renaissance1158 Words   |  5 PagesThe Renaissance period is known for the revival of the classical art and intellect born in ancient Greece and Rome. The Renaissance is also a time that is marked by growth, exploration, and rebirth. The Italian Renaissance started in Florence and progressively made its way into Venice and then into the great city of Rome. During the Renaissance, Rome was home to some of the renowned works of art and the finest architectural masterpieces in the world - too many that still holds true today. Along withRead MoreImpact Of The Italian Renaissance1387 Words   |  6 Pagesdisappearance of the Roman Empire, the Italian Renaissance was introduced to the European culture. The Italian Renaissance was the revival of the Greek and Roman cultures in forms of art, education, and literature. The Renaissance originally began in Florence, Italy during the time of 14 A.D and eventually began to expand throughout western and northern Eur ope in 15 A.D. The rebirthing of these ancient cultures brought much awareness and knowledge to the Italian society and resulted in change in theirRead MoreCharacteristics Of The Italian Renaissance1299 Words   |  6 Pagesof the Italian Renaissance Renaissance means rebirth in the French language, the renaissance happened between the fifteenth century and sixteenth century. Beginning in Italy, the Renaissance was an era that rediscovered the culture of ancient Greece and Rome in the fourteenth century and witnessed a continuation of the economic, political, and social trends. Jacob Burck-hardt, a swiss historian and art critic, created the Renaissance in his celebrated book The Civilization of the Renaissance in ItalyRead More the arts in Italian Renaissance Essay1647 Words   |  7 Pages The Italian Renaissance was a very difficult time period in European history. The arts were flourishing, while the city-states in Italy fought bloody battles with each other and within themselves. Bribery and murder were not uncommon tools for men to use when they wanted power. Meanwhile those same rulers patronized the arts a great deal and they would commission the best artistic minds of the time to build, design and paint their palaces and churches and later on their own portraits andRead MoreCompare and Contrast the Northern and Italian Renaissance807 Words   |  4 PagesItalian High Renaissance artists achieved ideal of harmony and balance comparable with the works of ancient Greece or Rome. Renaissance Classicism was a form of art that removed the extraneous detail and showed the world as it was. Forms, colors and proportions, light and shade effects, spatial harmony, composition, perspective, anatomy - all are handled with total control and a level of accomplishment for which there are no real precedents. Leonardo da Vinci was a Florentine artist, one of theRead MoreEssay about Italian and Northern European Renaissance758 Words   |  4 PagesItalian and Northern European Renaissance The Italian and Northern Europe Renaissances were both an important mark in history by changing the ideals of life, thought, culture, and art of the people’s of this time. In this paper I will explain the motive for change in these cultures, including the similarities and differences of the two cultures. The Italian and Northern European Renaissance was the marking point for leaving behind the old ways and moving into the more classicalRead MoreThe Act of Sodomy in Florence during the Italian Renaissance1839 Words   |  7 PagesThe Act of Sodomy in Florence During the Italian Renaissance During the Italian Renaissance, the sexual environment of fifteenth-century Florentine society is described as Florentine men partaking in some kind of same-sex experience. These same-sex acts were not just wrong doings, but a fundamental part of Florentine masculine identity. More specifically I will focus on sodomy, the act of anal or oral sex, which can be heterosexual or homosexual. What I will be analyzing in this paper is the termRead MoreIndependent Women Courtesans in the Italian Renaissance Essay2465 Words   |  10 PagesIndependent Women Courtesans in the Italian Renaissance Prostitution is normally thought of as anyone who sells his or her body for money. In this century, no distinction is put on the class level of the prostitute or on how much or how little he or she earns, they are still considered just a common prostitute. This was not true of 16th century Italy, though. In this age, prostitution was a legal business and class lines were of great importance. At the top of this list were the honestRead MoreThe Annunciation Explored through the Era of Italian Renaissance2314 Words   |  10 PagesChristian iconography. This essay will explore the depiction of the Annunciation and symbolism in the period of the Italian Renaissance and pay particular attention towards the development of the focus on spiritualism towards naturalism through the refined language of expression and gesture from the 14th century to the late 15th century. As a student of Duccio di Buoninsegna who was an Italian artist and actively worked in the city of Siena, Tuscany, Simone Martinis most famous painting The Annunciation