RENAISSANCE - AN INTRODUCTION

“The Renaissance was specifically the rebirth of reason, the liberation of man’s mind, the triumph of rationality over mysticism- a faltering, incomplete, but impassioned triumph that led to the birth of science, of individualism, of freedom.”

-Ayn Rand

 

The Renaissance was a fervent period in European civilization that marked the cultural, artistic, political and economic revival of classical learning and wisdom. Renaissance is a word that comes from the French origin which means “Rebirth” and the movement first began in the city of Florence, Italy, which then gradually expanded to other Italian cities such as Venice, Milan, Bologna, Ferrara, Rome and by the fifteenth century it expanded to all over France and then to Western and Eastern Europe. The Renaissance movement began around 1350 and ended around 1600 but the timeline of the Renaissance period vary across different countries of the world. In a nutshell, the Renaissance was a time in history that witnessed a tremendous change over things such as new discoveries in science, new art forms in writing, painting and sculptures and also state-funded explorations of distant lands.

From Darkness to light: The Renaissance begins

Before the renaissance took place, it was the period of the Middle Ages that asserted a demographic, cultural and economic deterioration in Europe following the decline of Roman Empire. The Middle Ages was also referred as “Dark Ages” because of the deteriorating cultural values and also this era was often branded as a time of War, ignorance, famine and pandemics such as the Black Death. Just after the Middle Ages which was about deaths, wars, decline of Roman Empire, came up the Renaissance period which was about the “rebirth” of a complete new era that marked the revival of cultural values, art, literature and brought about new terms such as “Humanism” into existence. Therefore it can be said that Renaissance was a movement that brought the human civilization from Darkness to light i.e.to say enlightened the human civilization in every aspect.

 

CAUSES

Ø INCREASED INTERACTION:

One of the main cause of the Renaissance was the increased interaction between different culture and societies in the time before and during the start of the renaissance. Vast trade networks across Europe, Asia and Africa led to increase interaction between different societies which caused not only an exchange of goods, but also an exchange of people, beliefs, ideas and value. There was also the spread of religious and philosophical beliefs that happened during the period. In the Renaissance period most of the countries experienced a shift in worldviews and perspectives and was more open to change that was caused by new ideas and views that came up due to increased interaction between different countries

 

Ø REDISCOVERY OF ANCIENT TEXTS:

Another cause of the Renaissance was the rediscovery of ancient text such as the classical Greek and Roman texts by great thinkers. The intellectual culture of the Renaissance was sparked by the rediscovery of ancient philosophies and ideas which had been largely ignored throughout the Middle Ages. During the Renaissance period there was an urge in the scholars for the revival of classical literature and art and bring in those cultural values of the past that has lost its essence in the contemporary times. Francesco Petrarch, famous Italian Renaissance scholar and humanist is remembered for rediscovering the earlier work of Roman philosopher Cicero. Petrarch considered the ideas present in Cicero’s and other ancient texts as superior to the ideas present in Europe at the time of the Middle Ages. He also used ancient texts to promote a world view based on logic and reason.

 

Ø INNOVATIONS:

Another main cause of the Renaissance was the different innovations of the time, especially in publishing and art. The printing press became one of the most significant innovations in all of the world history which came up in the mid- 1400s and it quickly had a profound impacts on the events of the Renaissance. With the growth of the printing press, books and other literature became easily available to the common masses which allowed new ideas and worldviews to spread across different countries. The printing press also challenged long held literacy and educational standards which allowed the people to challenge the traditional ideas and values which were prevalent during the time.

 

Ø BLACK DEATH:

Another important cause of the Renaissance was the impact of Black Death. The Black Death was a pandemic which occurred during the 14^th century along trade routes ad through trading ports. The Black Death is an important cause of the Renaissance because it caused people to question and challenge their own religious beliefs. This was because at the time, there were no clear reasons for the spread of the disease and many people use their religious understanding to explain the spread of the disease as something happening out of God’s will. As people lost their beliefs in religious and cultural values and was witnessing a period of pandemic, they became open to new ideas and views that were coming to their way through the beginning of Renaissance.

 

Ø CULTURAL, POLITICAL AND INTELECTUAL INFLUENCES:

As a cultural moment, the Renaissance encompassed the innovative flowering of Latin and vernacular literatures, beginning with the 14^th century resurgence of learning based on classical sources, which contemporaries credited to Petrarch, the development of liner perspective and other techniques of rendering a more  natural reality in painting and gradual but widespread educational reform. In politics, the Renaissance contributed the development of the conventions of diplomacy and in science, an increased reliance on observation. Although the Renaissance saw the revolutions in many intellectual pursuits, as well as social and political upheaval, it is perhaps best known for its artistic developments and the contributions of such polymaths as Leonardo Da Vinci and Michelangelo, who inspired the term “Renaissance Man”.

 

CHARACTERISTICS OF RENAISSANCE

Ø  HUMANISM:

 Humanism was a major offshoot and characteristic of the Renaissance period. The Renaissance Humanism was an intellectual movement that began in the 13^th century. The major ideal of the philosophy was tied around the study of classical texts and revival of literature and the Renaissance Humanism became the dominant form of education. Francesco Petrarch is regarded as the father of Italian Humanism, his contribution to the philosophy was quite huge. Humanist shared the belief that God created humans with so many potential and abilities and to get the best of them, one has to dignify himself and esteem himself rightly.  Humanist focused on the faith of nobility of man, education that brought the best out of a person and the value system that emphasized personal effort and responsibility. In a nutshell, the idea of humanism that came up in the Renaissance period gave a way to the concept of individualism that came up later in times.

 

Ø REBIRTH OF NATURALISM

Another characteristics of the Renaissance art that brought about change in world patterns is Naturalism. Naturalism is a theory that relates scientific methods to philosophy by affirming that all being and events in the universe are natural. At the period, there was the rise of anatomical drawings and paintings. The Italian Renaissance artist- Leonardo Da Vinci pioneered this move, he set the standard for drawing and painting anatomically correct bodies. Renaissance artist integrated figures into complex scenes that permitted a broader perspective and a glimpse into lives of the wealthy or rich. Renaissance thinkers considered the human body to be a beautiful thing, a model for God’s universe. For instance, Michelangelo’s nude statue, “David” is a prime example of the Renaissance’s fascination with human body and its belief that human body is the apex of God’s creation.

 

Ø SECULARISM

Secularism is another important characteristic of the Renaissance as the Renaissance period brought about a transition of predominant beliefs and thought patterns from religious themes to broader themes. Renaissance artist portrayed non-religious themes, meanwhile, medieval art was exclusively religious in nature. One of the earliest examples of a non-religious theme was Van Eyck’s revolutionary “Arnolfini Marriage”. He employed the art of depth and reflection by adding a mirror on the back wall which enabled people to have a view of themselves while looking at the painting.  Also with the rise of the idea of Humanism, the focused shifted to earthly life and human beings, rather than the other world or the divine life, this also became a fuel in the establishment of a more secular world.

 

Ø LITERATURE AND ART

A very important aspect of the Renaissance period is the change in literature and art. Many ancient and classical texts were rediscovered and revived by scholars and new works were produced that dealt with ideas of individuality, patriotism and the existing value system and cultural ideas were challenged and questioned by the writers. The spirit of revival was evident in the field of art too. The Renaissance architecture had distinctive features such as round Roman arches, rows of Greek columns, oriental domes and Islamic decorations. A significant change was visible in the art form of painting as well. The Renaissance artist not only focused on religious subjects for paintings, they also branched out to other subjects including Greek and Roman mythology, historical subjects and portraits of individuals. They also focused on the details of everyday life and portrayed it on their paintings. Sculptors during the Renaissance were deliberately quoting classical precedents and they aimed for ideal naturalism in their works.

 

CONCLUSION

Renaissance, in short, was a period that witnessed the revitalization of culture through re-emphasizing classical texts and philosophies and it was a time that brought about many significant changes in the world with a re-establishment of various cultural ideas and beliefs that differed from the previous ages and gave a way to new concepts and philosophies that later on changed the dynamics of the entire world system.

  

-Devika R Nair