The Renaissance Period in Europe

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Recommended: Comparing the italian and northern renaissance

The renaissance was a cultural movement that lasted from the 14th to the 17th centuries. It began in Italy after the black death killed one third to one half of the population. It later spread to the rest of Europe. People showed a new interest in the arts and sciences. They were curious about the human body which showed in the changes in art and medicine. There was a new interest in government, literature and thought. The renaissance was delayed in northern Europe. Despite the delay in the north, amazing accomplishments were made that influenced all of Europe.
The Renaissance was delayed in northern Europe for several reasons. The north was more removed from centers of trade and culture. The people in the north were holding on to the feudal system of living and “as a result, towns, trade, and the more progressive ideas that tend to come with wealth developed more slowly in the north.” (http://www.flowofhistory.com) The influence of feudalism and the church kept things from moving forward in the north. The more the church had influence they were slower to adopt humanism because the focus was on god. As trade started to grow and towns were revived and the feudal system started to disappear, the north became more modern. After the invention of the printing press, ideas were able to travel faster.
Art in the northern renaissance was all made north of Italy in Germany, France, and the Netherlands which is how it got its name. The art in the north held on to its Gothic roots for much longer than in Italy. “Renaissance artists in the north took a different approach to composition than did Italian artists.” (http://arthistory.about.com) Humanism was important in the artistic community because it meant artists were creating le...

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...rinting press certainly initiated an "information revolution" on par with the Internet today. Printing could and did spread new ideas quickly and with greater impact.” (http://www.historyguide.org)
As the Renaissance period passed from one place to the other in Europe, it took the longest to reach the north. The art and literature and changes in medicine were important to the new way of life. People stopped seeing the church as the center of their worlds, art stopped being only about the gods and people started to look closely at their surroundings and at the human body. Not only did art change, the printing press helped people get written information faster and there were many important changes in medicine. All these exciting changes eventually made their way to the north as times changed and people’s social classes changed and people had more freedom and money.

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