Renaissance Research Paper

The renaissance was a rebirth or renewal of many of the older classic beliefs of Greek and Roman cultures, this often showed through the art of the time period. The renaissance began in the city-states of Italy, the trade center of Europe. It started in the 16th century and called for many changes in society. The renaissance spread through wealthy merchants and bankers that became patrons of the newly developing styles of renaissance art. Art was beginning to focus on an artists ideas and beliefs, it began to change and reflect more of the artist’s nature instead of unrealistic and unnatural ideas. Italian art during the renaissance portrayed the human body in its natural form. The art also showed improved technique, which allowed depth and

The main idea expressed through the intellectual movement of the renaissance is humanism. Humanism is a system of values and beliefs that is based on the idea that people are basically good and that problems can be solved using reason instead of religion. Humanism emphasized the focus on the specific individuals instead of a group. Humanism came about in the study of the ancient Greek and Roman classics, which led to a new interest in learning and the promotion of a new educational system that emphasized the humanities. Renaissance men and women were defined as such due to their capabilities in different areas of specialty, from politics to something such as science. A renaissance man that would be ideal would be one who was capable of succeeding in multiple areas during his

He was constantly looking for new knowledge that he could obtain, making him the model of an ideal renaissance man. He was mesmerized by different people’s faces and by how unique they were. Leonardo would walk along the street and draw random people on the street; no matter how plain they looked he would always make them look interesting. Mona Lisa is Leonardo’s greatest success of an individualist representation. He shows a young beautiful woman with a gothic background that adds to her already cryptic painting. The most cryptic part about her though is her face. Many people have debated over whether the young girl is smiling or frowning, is she happy or sad? To this day that remains a mystery. Another unique part of the painting is the girl’s eyes, not only because of the deep look that they have, but also that from whatever angle you view her she always appears to be looking straight back at you. During the renaissance, logic and science became a new area of belief for some people. Studies of the world and classic philosophies led people to believe that they could explain things without the use of a God or religion. So people turned to secularism, which has less focus on religion and more on other beliefs such as living life to the fullest instead of waiting for an afterlife. Sandro Botticelli is an example of an artist that turned to secular belief. Botticelli had