In the 15th and 18th century respectively, the Italian Renaissance and the Enlightenment established new cultural foundations and laid the groundwork for the modernization of European society. The Renaissance began as the Ottoman Turks invaded Constantinople, and as many people fled to the Italian Peninsula, they brought with them texts and manuscripts of the Greek and Roman antiquity. This new resurrection of texts led to cultural changes in order to emulate that of the Greco-Roman time period. The Enlightenment began as a result of increased scientific knowledge through the Scientific Revolution, when intellectuals began to apply rational ways of scientific thought to societal standards of living. Philosophes of the Enlightenment inspired the literate few to question standards of societal living and to develop thinking skills for themselves. Both the Enlightenment and Renaissance placed high value on secularism and education; however, the Renaissance regarded artists as the pinnacle of the movement, whereas the …show more content…
The humanist style of art is considered to be a staple of Renaissance culture, just as published philosophical works, written in vernacular, were a principal element of the Enlightenment. Therefore, Renaissance artists and Enlightenment philosophes were seen as role models to the public. In the Enlightenment, physiocrats preached ideas of secularism and religious tolerance, so governing powers followed. For example, Joseph II of Austria was influenced by ideas of tolerance, so he established religious liberty for people of all religions. In the Renaissance, the move towards secularism was shown in art pieces which reflected the power of man, rather than deities, such as Michelangelo’s David. Such art pieces were common in the Renaissance, and reflected the general public’s changing views on man from that of inferior to God to being powerful in their own