Since the dawn of civilization, there has been a constant struggle to find who or what is the focus of the universe. After Italy’s dark age, it became clear to most people at the time that when the Renaissance era began, the classics were revived and soon after, the appreciation of man began to develop. This was known as Humanism. Humanism can be described as the main intellectual component of the Renaissance. During the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries, the Classics allowed artists to begin to incorporate the Greek and Roman, or Latin, characteristics into their art. While Humanism began spreading across Italy, the people of this time began to see that the ultimate value should not be measured in humility, but in talent and accomplishment. …show more content…
He can be known as “the founder of what we call humanism”(Montano 213), and allowed the Renaissance and humanism to grow as a whole. Petrarch expressed his thoughts through writing, such as the Letters to Boccaccio and his Love Sonnets to Laura. The Love Sonnets to Laura were dedicated to Laura because she was supposedly the love of his life. This is a likeness to Dante and the alleged love of his life, Beatrice. Dante wrote sonnets “...dedicated to Beatrice, with whom Dante first fell in love when they were both children and continued to love and idealize after her death”(Greer. 197). Many scholars and philosophers believe Beatrice was one of the main influences for Dante to begin writing the Comedies. Dante actually incorporated Beatrice into The Divine Comedy by composing Beatrice as a guide. Petrarch’s sonnets are fairly similar to Dante’s when it comes to the subject matter about their lovers. According to Dante “No woman’s countenance has ever worn in such miraculous degree the hue of love and pity’s look, from yielding to the sight of gentle eyes or folk who mourn,....”(La Vita Nuova. 1-4). Dante was appreciating Beatrice's beauty in this one out of the many sonnets dedicated to her. Petrarch had also appreciated Laura’s beauty by writing 366 sonnets about her and her beauty. One says, “It was on that day the sun’s ray was darkened in pity for its Maker, that I was …show more content…
Besides Petrarch, there was Giovanni Boccaccio, a follower of Petrarch, who also encouraged the idea of humanism, and was an avid follower of Dante. Just as the Divine Comedy, the Decameron is a renowned piece of medieval pre-Renaissance literature, and incorporates certain important elements of the western world. The Decameron consists of 100 short stories or novelle set in Florence during the Black Death of 1348. These stories are very well-known for their humor, stamina, realism, and a large range of tone and subject. It is believed that the 100 stories are mirroring the Divine Comedy. To be truly noble, according to the Decameron, the man must accept life as it is and not worry about the afterlife. Also above all, must take the consequences of his own action, however opposite to his expectation or even tragic they may be. Dante is extremely alike to Boccaccio’s most distinguished work. Dante trusted the fact that if you are sinful and unrepentant, then you should receive the consequence, and for these sinners that were going to hell. In a way, because Dante encouraged this, The Inferno and the Decameron are not very indifferent. But, they are still different and “To state that Boccaccio’s Decameron has the same rhetoric of political urgency and moral responsibility as does the Commedia would be impossible and unpopular”(Olson 48). However, Boccaccio’s work was
“The Decameron Stories” written by Italian author Giovanni Boccaccio between years 1348-1351 take place in the period of plague epidemic which devastated Europe. He narrates how plague was suffered in Firenze and reactions of people against collective deaths as a close observer at introduction of the book to his readers. Aldo S .Bernardo states “ In short, the plaque in the “Decameron” resembles the voice of Augustine in Petrarch’s “ Secretum” reminding his protégé not only of the fragility of human condition but of the fearfulness of the final moment of life and of the evanescent nature of human love.’’
Established in the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries to counter the limited ideals of medieval scholasticism, Renaissance Humanism were educational and social reform ideals that sought to emphasize individualism as a central value in contrast to religious beliefs. Humanists revered the dignity of human kind and called for a life of virtuous action. The writings of Petrarch and Pico exemplify humanist thought by displaying the values of self-knowledge, individualism, and studying lessons from the past; appealing to the authorities of the Greek and Latin classics by Cicero, Vergil, Horace, Plato and Livy. Petrarch and Pico’s thinking can be constituted as a marked departure from medieval attitudes and beliefs, due to the origins of humanist resources being classical and biblical rather stemmed from medieval philosophers and theologians.
Increasingly, man was accepted as an autonomous individual and emphasized as his own measure, resulting in a loss of true meaning. The “Mona Lisa,” “Pieta,” and “Arnolfini Wedding,” are beautiful masterpieces which not only exemplify esteemed Renaissance art, but also boldly display the convictions of their artists. While Leonardo da Vinci and Jan van Eyck realized the tenants of the gospel and understood the flaws of humanism, Michelangelo adhered to the commonly accepted beliefs of relativism. Most of his contemporaries valued the human intellect, underemphasized their powerful God, and shared Michelangelo’s position. Unsurprisingly, the ideals of humanism that emerged in the Renaissance have not died off, but set the stage for the morals of humanism observed
Nauert, Charles G., Jr. Humanism and the Culture of Renaissance Europe. New York: Cambridge University Press, 1995. Print.
The subject of The School of Athens is humanistic in and of itself. The Textbook Defines humanism in the glossary as “A philosophy emphasizing the worth of the individual, the rational abilities of humankind, and the human potential for good. During the Italian Renaissance, humanism was part of a movement that encouraged study of the classical cultures of Greece and Rome.” In this fresco, Raphael represents the worth and achievements of individuals, as well as the greatness of classical culture. The School of Athen...
The Renaissance has not ceased to be an age of discussion and debate among historians throughout the recent centuries. The vibrant nature of the era marks it as a most fascinating period of history. The Renaissance can be described as an age carrying the essence of “self-discovery and fulfillment, of recognition of human worth, and a dynamic outpouring of artistic activity.” This new world flourishing with art and creative optimism was also steeped in a spirit of “revolt of the Medievalists.” In an effort of “rebirth,” the previous culture of the Middle Ages was rejected, and even scorned. Foundational principles in all fields were overstepped, and old cultural norms were practically obsolete. It was an era whose humanistic philosophy greatly impacted the lens through which man viewed himself and the world.
The cultural and philosophical ambiance of the Renaissance is perhaps most evident in its sculpture; the philosophy of humanism provided an impetus for a restoration and later emulation of the conceptions of beauty and perfection characteristic of Greco-Roman antiquity.
Humanism was the main idea of the Renaissance and was influential to people with its ideas. One of its main ideas was education and an importance to the classics, and that plays into the printing press for the reason that people could now learn to read and write more easily and a thirst for education was born. Any person could now learn and this opened a door way that had been locked for the middle class people because now they had the ability to learn and thrive with great minds just as much as the rich. This leads into Scientific Revolution, a major aspect of the “Modern Era” because people wanted to learn more about the world they live in and not just what the Church says, thus creating a curiosity in the people that wasn’t there before.
...in Renaissance Italy deteriorating during invasions, culture persistently continued to impressively flourish as the Renaissance reached its highest artistic expression through its classical models and invention of new artistic customs, which proves how vital culture remained to this point in history. Humanism remained an impacting dominant cultural force in Renaissance Italy, gaining popularity amongst style and customs amongst Italian Renaissance artists and their modernized style of creating art. Historically, an artist’s individuality and consideration for untraditional customs had never been previously assumed imperative until the impacts of Italian Renaissance culture. Not only was the Italian Renaissance a movement associated with Greek and Latin Works, but more importantly it established a strong, forever impacting sense of culture among European history.
The Renaissance was a time of adulation for Humanism, a movement that advocated the intensification of "personal independence," "individual expression," and a renewed élan devoted to the classics. Renaissance, a word meaning rebirth, refers to the cultural epoch wherein Ancient Greek and Roman styles were rediscovered and celebrated as a result of trade expansion and a need for knowledge of lexical works (thus, the popularization of Latin). This attitude concerning rebirth was especially reflected in the multitudes of masterpieces produced up to the sixteenth century: artists expelled certain features from preceding Medieval art and appended their oeuvres with techniques unseen in previous ages. New (or renewed, rather) features were most patent
The Inferno was written by Dante Alighieri around 1314 and depicts the poet’s imaginary journey through Hell. Dante spent his life traveling from court to court both lecturing and writing down his experiences. His Divine Comedy – the three-part epic poem consisting of Inferno, Purgatorio, and Paradiso (Hell, Purgatory and Heaven)– is generally regarded as one of the greatest poetic feats ever accomplished. All three parts are incredible literary feats with symbolism so complex and beautiful that scholars are still unraveling all the details today. However, this essay will focus on the first part of Dante’s work, Inferno, which consists of 34 cantos. Dante’s Inferno is a masterpiece of allegorical imagery where Virgil represents human reason, Beatrice love and hope, and Dante mankind on the journey of the human soul through life to reach salvation.
The Renaissance era got its name from rinascita, the Italian word for rebirth (Grendler). That rebirth was mostly due to humanism. Humanism is the belief that literature, science, and philosophy are the best guide to learning and living; it soon became a new form of education. Humanism was about teaching pe...
A controversial topic among historians regards the humanist movement during the Renaissance. It is generally agreed that there were mutual intentions and characteristics that mainly consisted of the study of the classics with the purpose of understanding humanity better. However, when studying the humanist movement during the Renaissance, the varying opinions concerning the time period in which the Renaissance occurred, as well as the varying locations in which humanism found a following must be taken into consideration. While humanists shared a common goal, no generalization can be made about the movement's more fine details because of the massive geographical size of the humanistic movement during the Renaissance, and the fields into which it stretched as well as the effects of the ways in which the Renaissance is examined.
The study of the Greeks and Romans, was evident here when artist became more realistic because of Neo-Platonist. It was a school of thought that believed that reflection of nature can lead to the ascension of to God. Art evolved from being crude and obvious, to being beautiful and clear. Saints were no longer just bigger, but the art allows them to still be the center. Math was added to the process with people like Alberti and Da Vinci commented on how math gave value to their works of arts. The process to reach the end now mattered, just like how Francesco Guicciardini, paved way for context to matter when evaluating history. This was an exceedingly important change from the Middle Ages. This ultimately made understanding easier and less oppressive. To learn and to fulfilling one’s potential was one of the great humanistic ideal. Many scholars commented on how being learned and well-rounded in all aspects was the ultimate goal. Francios Rabelias believed in the being trained in all area matters from language to science of utmost importance. Pico della Mirandola, talks of the limitless human potential to create and ability to do anything. These humanist reject the folly of the Middle Ages, and through the infinite potential and knowledge, humans can do
The term Renaissance has, over the years, become synonymous with ideas of expanding civilisation, rebirth, and cultural expansion. The most renowned example of a country’s cultural renaissance was that of the Italians; however this is only one example of such a cultural and philosophical paradigm. To begin with, a “renaissance” is a revolution of the rebirth of ideals within a country’s individuals: self-awareness, art, architecture, religion and science, to name a few. For it is these ideas that have given civilisations the drive and perseverance to rise from a period wrought with fallow and of social, cultural, and economical regression. Many prominent world powers today, and subsequently in the past, have went through a period of renaissance, which was preceded by what many call a dark age; it is through this time of upheaval that the ideas and socio-political philosophies flourished, paving the way towards each nations’ renaissance. To this, the Renaissance should not only be seen as an essential part of European history, but its ideals should also be credited philosophically for improving and influencing different developing societies through the ages.