Renaissance

 Andrew Stutts

The Middle Ages is largely known as period of time period where ignorance reigned and little or no advancements took place.  The church was the most dominate force which propagated beliefs centered around superstitions.   In contrast, the rebirth of education and advancements that followed the Middle Ages and was named and is described as the Renaissance.  Some would contend that  the Renaissance is not actually a separate time period but  just the peak of the Middle Ages.  However, the Renaissance was definitely a distinctive period in history.   The period drew Inspiration from the ancient Greek and Romans to form humanism beliefs and encouraged man to become multi-talented. Therefore, the Renaissance man, a man who excelled in many areas, became prominent. Also, the ideals of the people changed, and religion no longer ruled their lives. Advancements in all aspects of life virtually improved. Thus, many aspects lead to the change from the Middle Ages to the Renaissance, a time period that was undoubtedly distinct from the Middle Ages.
During the Renaissance, ideas and beliefs changed greatly. Humanism, a crucial movement to the Renaissance, stressed secular ideas and beliefs and the importance of advocating human’s ideas and values. The movement drew inspiration from the ancient Greek and Roman people. Therefore, classical education began to circulate once again.  The people of the Middle Ages had great amounts of ignorance and believed in faith and false ideas while focusing on childish possessions, but during the Renaissance these ignorant beliefs disappeared and humanism took its place.   The church was no longer the center of life for many and some lost interest in the traditional beliefs that the church was preaching. Yet, it was still an important aspect. The church had lost large amounts of power and wealth due to the humanism movement because people became less reliable on the church and could think and follow ideals on their own. But, the church was rapidly changing during this time period also, because religion was focused on wealth and the money it could obtain.   Instead, many supported the idea that the people who held secular beliefs should be ruled by noblemen that were scholarly, highly educated, and not only concerned with goods (document 5). Entirely new ideas and beliefs began to circulate during the Renaissance, and the church lost much of its great influence.

The idea of the Renaissance man was extremely predominant in this time period.   A true Renaissance man excelled in practically every aspect of his life. He held strong humanist views and was highly educated in art, philosophy, science, and math. Although church was important in a Renaissance man’s life, it did not dominate. A Renaissance man is extremely unlike a Medieval man who was solely concerned with immortal aspects like heaven and religion.   Others respected a Renaissance man because he constantly stood as a role model to the people and frequently influenced others.   Scientific theories were proven by these men through the usage of other facts and patterns unlike the medieval scientists who simply considered ideas .   A Renaissance man continued to question how and why things happen, and used reasoning to try to understand these questions.   Often, he questioned traditional practices that relied on superstition and was not afraid to question God or religion. One well-known Renaissance man was Leonardo da Vinci.   Even though he is known for his paintings like The Last Supper and The Mona Lisa, he also excelled in philosophy, science, and math. He often drew elaborate drawings of a human’s bones and muscles that he observed through dissecting bodies in private. His artistic ability helped increase the accuracy of his drawings, and his intelligence and scientific ability helped him properly dissect the body .   Renaissance men dominated the time period and helped this period become a distinct change in history.

The art, literature, math, and science greatly progressed due to the humanism beliefs and the Renaissance man’s persistence. For example, artwork became more accurate. Techniques such as perspective, which made two-dimensional work look three-dimensional, with the help of sfumato, which is the blending of different colors, and chiaroscuro, which is the usage of lights and darks. Many other techniques were perfected such as realism which was an artists ability to make his paining look like a snapshot, individualism, which allows any average person to be the center of artwork, classicism, which celebrates the human form in a modest manner, and pyramidal formation, which references the Holy Trinity by having the artwork display a pyramid shape. Literature took a large leap forward as writers such as William Shakespeare and Machiavelli began to create plays and other pieces of writing that did not hold back their true beliefs. Science and math also advanced through the help discoveries and inventions by men such as Nicolai Copernicus and Galileo Galilei.   Although there were scholars in Western Europe during the Middle Ages, such as Aristotle, the numbers during the Renaissance were profusely larger (document 3). Education allowed these achievements to be possible. The Renaissance was a time where many were educated and always wanted to learn more. There were a number of universities during the Middle Ages, specifically in Italy. But, less people were interested in education and were learning during the Middle Ages. Consequently, the advancements that were made during the Renaissance were made possible through education.

Renaissance is the rebirth of art, literature, and learning. The Western European Renaissance of the 14th and 16th century is absolutely a distinct time period. New ideals were put into effect, and humanism became the main focus. Looking to the ancient Greek and Roman classic learning, the people of the Renaissance no longer focused on the church. The everyday medieval man evolved into a Renaissance man who questioned and used reasoning in many different aspects. New ideas and inventions were created through Renaissance men such as Leonardo da Vinci, a talented artist, scientist, and mathematician. Education became a major concern for the people. Art, literature, math, and science advanced through the education of many. All in all, the Renaissance was an impressive time period that significantly changed the future. Some of the discoveries of that time are still being utilized in modern day society. The Renaissance was not a continuation of the Middle Ages, it was unquestionably an individual time period.

 

Works Cited

"The Renaissance Period." . N.p.. Web. 27 May 2013. <http://www.tampapix.com/renaissance.htm>.