The Renaissance Period

381 Words2 Pages
The Renaissance Period Renaissance means “rebirth”. The people who lived during this time believed they have witnessed the rebirth of Roman Civilization, marking a new age. In this essay, I would talk about Humanism, Art, and printing that emerged during the renaissance period. Humanism in the renaissance is the spirit of learning that developed at the end of the Middle Ages with a renewed confidence in the ability of human beings to think and determine for themselves truth and falsehood. It also placed importance in the individual’s responsibilities of citizenship and leadership, including the participation in the political process in the community. Petrarch was the father of humanism. After Petrarch, the humanism philosophy spread first through Italy, then into other parts of Europe. It motivated learning in such a way that humanist were sharing knowledge through their own thoughts. Humanism had a strong impact on the writing of history. It enabled them to think in terms of the passage of time, of the past as past and also write history using their own sources. Although art has always been a way of expressing nature’s beauty and endowment, the artists moved into individualistic forms of creative expression. This new form of art was perfected by da Vinci and Michael Angelo. They idealized nature, moving from a realistic portrayal of the human figure to an idealized form. For example, the painting of the last supper from Leonardo da Vinci, and Michelangelo’s famous painting on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel took four years to complete and consists of over 300 figures. They were the main figures of high renaissance during their time. Printing made a great impact on the lives of the Europeans. It was the best technological innovation of the renaissance. The Europeans were used to printing on carved wooden plates, until the multiple printing of movable plates.
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