StudentShare
Contact Us
Sign In / Sign Up for FREE
Search
Go to advanced search...
Free

The Renaissance and its origin in Italy - Essay Example

Cite this document
Summary
The term Renaissance literally means “rebirth”. This movement holds great significance for the social, cultural and political history of the West. Various theories have been advanced as to why the Renaissance took place and why it originated in what we know today as Italy…
Download full paper File format: .doc, available for editing
GRAB THE BEST PAPER95.2% of users find it useful
The Renaissance and its origin in Italy
Read Text Preview

Extract of sample "The Renaissance and its origin in Italy"

The Renaissance and its origin in Italy The term Renaissance literally means “rebirth”. This movement holds great significance for the social, cultural and political history of the West. Various theories have been advanced as to why the Renaissance took place and why it originated in what we know today as Italy. Theorists have often argued that the Fall of Constantinople, followed by the mass exodus of scholars from Constantinople, to escape the persecution of the Ottoman Turks, to Italy was what kicked off the Renaissance.

The Renaissance, one might say was not a new phenomenon in as far as it led only to a revival of interest in the classics of antiquity. This is true since the vast resources that were brought from the famous libraries of Constantinople were what formed the majority of the work that was worked upon. Brought to other parts of Europe, these manuscripts were welcomed and greedily devoured by local scholars. The effect of this can be seen in the works of writers and painters of the period, among other scholars.

Dante Alighieri, who in his work Divina Commedia (The Divine Comedy in English), shows the influences of classical platonic ideas along with Islamic theories testifies to the above-mentioned theory. Painters like Leonardo da Vinci too, in paintings like “The Vitruvian Man” display influences of works of antiquity. What then, is new about the Renaissance? Texts that were brought to the European mainland underwent a re-interpretation that threw up possibilities that were never thought of before.

This led to the emergence of a new form of thought known as Humanism. This talked about the primacy of man and his ability to reach heights that were in previous ages reserved for the gods. This theory went on to influence writers like William Shakespeare, Christopher Marlowe and John Milton in the English literary scene. In the fields of religion too, the spirit of questioning that the renaissance gave birth to was instrumental in the development and rise of Protestantism, something that was crucial to the colonial mission and what we see today as capitalism.

Many reasons are cited for the origin of the Renaissance in Italy. Apart from being a prominent seat of learning, Italy during this time was a hotbed of political activity. Warring factions spread out among various nation states, created a number of powerful families and lords, many of whom were patrons of art and learning. The Medici family is prominent among these. One of the major texts to come out of the renaissance, Niccolo Machiavelli’s “The Prince”, gives us an insight into the kind of politics that was practiced during this period in Florence, where the Renaissance is widely believed to have originated.

Incidentally, this book is also dedicated to a member of the Medici family (Machiavelli 5-6). The presence of various nobles also meant a large number of courts where courtiers, who were supposed to be repositories of great knowledge and various other skills according to manuals of the time (these later went on to be codified in works like “The Courtier”). This gave a great impetus to the growth of learning. Thus, we see how the Renaissance led to the flourishing of learning and the arts.

This period; we may even call it a movement; found its origins in Florence and then spread to the other parts of Europe. Effects of the movement and the theories that the free thinking of the period gave rise to continue to influence our thinking and lives, even today. Works Cited Machiavelli, Niccolo. The Prince. New York: Oxford U.P., 1984. Print. 5-6

Read More
Cite this document
  • APA
  • MLA
  • CHICAGO
(“The Renaissance and its origin in Italy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words”, n.d.)
Retrieved from https://studentshare.org/other/1418373-why-did-the-renaissance-begin-in-italy-and-what
(The Renaissance and Its Origin in Italy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 Words)
https://studentshare.org/other/1418373-why-did-the-renaissance-begin-in-italy-and-what.
“The Renaissance and Its Origin in Italy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 Words”, n.d. https://studentshare.org/other/1418373-why-did-the-renaissance-begin-in-italy-and-what.
  • Cited: 2 times

CHECK THESE SAMPLES OF The Renaissance and its origin in Italy

The Renaissance Time Period

As a cultural movement, the Renaissance traces back its origin in italy where city-states were flourishing amidst the backdrop of wars and conflict with their enemies (Britannica Educational Publishing, 2011).... renaissance and its origin The word Renaissance means rebirth and with this comes the renewed interest in ancient ideals of Greek and Roman language and culture.... In this paper, the fundamental features of the Renaissance will be explored – from its beginnings in italy to its expansion to the rest of Europe....
8 Pages (2000 words) Essay

Renaissance and its effects in Europe

Due renaissance and its Effects in Europe Renaissance, a term that literally means re-birth, refers to a cultural and intellectual reawakening from the 14th to the 17th century, beginning right from the heart of Florence, Italy spreading to the rest of Europe with a transformative spirit.... At the helm of leadership beginning in italy were “new men” with newly acquired wealth, leading a sizeable number of hard-times survivors with inherited wealth.... Through religious, social, and political effects, the renaissance principles set the stage for the modern world....
2 Pages (500 words) Essay

Renaissance Art and Music

the renaissance was also a period of avid exploration; ships set sail in search of new routes to Asia, which resulted in the discovery and eventual colonization of North and South America.... This paper aims to define the characteristics of visual art and music during the renaissance through the use of examples, know a little about the artists of the artworks which were used as examples for this paper as well as to compare the works selected as examples in terms of the elements of art....
10 Pages (2500 words) Essay

Renaissance Art Categories

Sixteenth-century Italian Art Art from Italy during the 1500's is further categorized into high renaissance and late renaissance.... the renaissance in Northern Europe This kind of art struggled to be accepted into the medieval arts, and it was mainly rejected because of the throttlehold gothic representations of art from Northern Europe.... hellip; Otherwise referred to as the Proto-renaissance, art that falls under this criterion started in a Northern closed society of the current state italy, shortly after the twelfth century (Stokstad and Michael, 2009, p....
2 Pages (500 words) Essay

Study guide

yzantine Church in San Vitale was consecrated in 547 and is situated in italy and has exclusive mosaic work especially the space around the altar.... Giotti was a completely innovative painter of italy and has been an evolution maker in Roman art history.... Which were of Greek and Egyptian origin.... Lux Nova depics Gothic architecture in its art form where stained glass on windows are given artistic expressions.... This church has great religious significance has its has connection with Jesus Christ and his apostles ....
3 Pages (750 words) Assignment

Sistine chapel as a religious art piece

Majority of the paintings found from the history of civilization process of Europe during the renaissance period show an indisputable integration of religion and art that passed through Christianity and Jewish art and culture.... The present day's appearance of the chapel has travelled a long way of multiple transformation processes during the regimes of various Popes ever since its creation....
11 Pages (2750 words) Term Paper

Italian Architecture Art

However, it is still important to reiterate that even though, the 17th century brought with itself incredible architectural achievements, these outcomes could not have emerged had it not been for the fundamental influence of the renaissance.... This paper "Italian Architecture Art" focuses on the fact that the depiction of finesse, beauty and ethereal projections in the form italy's architectural excellence is a notion which has been valued by historians, scholars, and the admirers of art for its unparalleled defiance of time and space....
7 Pages (1750 words) Essay

The Origins of Renaissance Art

It began in italy during the 14th century, it was a period of great cultural change and achievement which lasted until the 16th century.... The Renaissance is generally accepted to have started in italy.... ities grew and prospered during the renaissance, and rulers learned to tax the people.... the renaissance period's urban societies were commercialized; every item had a price (Richard 19).... the renaissance prince, the aspirant courtier, or socially climbing merchant, provided a ready market for all these commodities....
5 Pages (1250 words) Case Study
sponsored ads
We use cookies to create the best experience for you. Keep on browsing if you are OK with that, or find out how to manage cookies.
Contact Us