Abraham Recio Bjorklund 19 November 2012 History 110 Individuals in Society: Leonardo da Vinci The notion of a “genius” and a “Renaissance man” both support and contradict one another. According to the reading, a genius is a special kind of human being with exceptional creative powers while a Renaissance man is one who is talented in many areas. These two terms coincide in the sense that in order to be a Renaissance man, one assumes that the person is smart and creative enough to understand and excel in different studies. Leonardo da Vinci was a great example of a genius, many of his creations were ahead of his time and took the world by storm. He created two of the most respected pieces of art in human history, The Mona Lisa and The Last Supper, both of which still maintain their credibility as masterpieces to this day.
He was trying to explore and research for the good of science. But it is especially hard to do when your thoughts and ideas are rejected by one of the most influential man in the world. Galileo was one of the few to see the similarities of science and religion, realizing their likeness instead of their differences. “Galileo Galilei, though famous for his scientific achievements in astronomy, mathematics, and physics, and infamous for his controversy with the church was, in fact, a devout Christian who saw not a divorce of religion and science but only a healthy marriage.”(Christainitytoday.com 1). He is commonly misjudged as an atheist or agnostic.
Artists began to sign their work and sell off on it opposed to the past where artists painted to simply glorify god and to this day many of their works remain unknown. Political beliefs shifted too. Many scholars looked back on ancient Rome and found that their republican government was the best model. This encouraged education standards to grow. It became important that one be well rounded in all intellectual areas as well as becoming knowledgeable about ones physical being through wrestling or fencing.
Pico Della Mirandola was the youngest son of the family. Pico’s father, Giovanni Francesco Pico, was prince and feudal lord of a small region in the province of Emilia-Romagna. His father provided humanistic education at home for Pico. He was schooled in Latin, and possibly Greek, at a very early age. Intended for the church by his mother, he was named a papal protonotary at the age of ten and in 1477 he went to Bologna to study canon law.
Religions has always been supported as the fundamental reliable source of truth which was supported and promoted by the Roman Catholic church, René Descartes the French philosopher, scientist, and mathematician challenged the churches authority to provide these truths, this created an era when the roman catholic church was challenged by many philosophers as the sole interpreter and providers of truths and findings from philosophers like Aristotle. “Martin Luther and the development of the Protestant Reformation presented a strong challenge to the dominance of the Roman Catholic Church and its authority to provide the sole correct religious truths.” (Mosser 2011) “The Aristotelian view of the nature of the physical world was also regarded as authoritative, but it began to be questioned by such astronomers as Copernicus, Galileo, and Descartes himself.” Although I consider myself a very religious person I will support my argument with less ideology and more inductive logic and reasoning. First we will discuss the definition of
Throughout history there have been many major turning points, which have greatly it affected the world. Two major turning points of the Renaissance and the Protestant Reformation. The Renaissance was the revival of classical culture and the beginning of new progress to be made in the world. It got Europe of the Dark Ages and marked the start of a new era. The Renaissance created a large sphere of cultural influence around Europe, which affected the world for hundreds of years.
The Faces of Diego Rivera Diego Rivera was a great artist; critics compared him to the great Michelangelo a true Renaissance man. This comparison allows us to see what an accomplished artist he was and how significant his artwork was to the art world as well as the general public. Rivera’s artwork was very well known; his uniqueness separated him from other artist of his era even though he was known to have some links to communism. One of Diego Rivera’s finest work of art was The Flower Vender (Girl with Lilies) painted in 1941. The painting was painted in oil on Masonite.
Both men do a good job to express their ideas and are both somewhat convincing in their own way. As we all know however, there must be a winner in every debate and this is the case with this one as well. Each philosopher brought up points that did more to sway his audience than others. I would like to start with those highlighted by the atheist Dr. Dacey. The most enthralling argument in my opinion is the one concerning all the other religions that do not believe in the traditional Monotheistic God, popular in the Christian view
Two great timeless artists, Michelangelo and Leonardo, made their great masterpieces during this time. It would be absolutely incredible to be around these people and others of their time. The Middle Ages was a time in which people lived under highly formal rules and regulations. I do not like that the Churches governed the people and had a lot of authority. Religious freedom, a right I think everyone should possess, was almost always abridged.
Over the course of history, many great individuals have come forth: thinkers, artists, scientists and leaders. Such men have often served as sources of inspiration for me. However, the man that comes to mind when asked to name a historical figure whose inspiration has had a profound effect on me is Leonardo da Vinci. Although renowned primarily as a painter, Leonardo da Vinci was very much a polymath, being skilled as a scientist, a mathematician, an engineer, an inventor, an anatomist and a writer. His versatility and wide scope of knowledge inspired me to develop the same in within myself.