Europe in the 15th and 16th Centuries
Here is a bonus question for you-5 points for the first person {and only the first} that can a) name this picture; b) name the artists; c) identify the style of the work; d) identify the purpose of the work. If you choose to try for the bonus, please type your answer in a large font so we can post it in the class room.
Before we begin with the Italian Renaissance, we need to set the stage, so to speak, by looking at the age that immediately preceded it.
In 476 AD, the Roman Empire ceased to exist and European civilization nearly died with it. But it was "saved" by various groups including remote Roman Catholic monsteries, by the Arabs, especially after the rise of Islam in the 8th century, and by the Byzantine empire.
The period between the end of the Roman Empire and the Italian Renaissance is referred to by many names. The Middle Ages, the Dark Ages, and the Medieval period are the most common. This period is often looked at, justification notwithstanding, as a period of social, economic, and intellectual stagnation. Whatever it was, it was far different than the modern world we enjoy today, a world which has its roots in the Italian renaissance.
In our study of this period, we will be doing a great deal of art. While your text, Culture and Values, does a pretty good job, we also have the powerful tool of the Internet to work with. I suggest that you visit the Web Museum Here, you can find out more about the artists and their paintings which you will be required to know. We will also meet in the ILC during this unit.
Objectives-
1. Define the Renaissance as an historical period and describe the forces which brought it into being.
2. Identify and describe the major characteristics of renaissance art and demonstrate how art reflected the period.
3. To identify and evaluate the works of renaissance figures, thereby appreciating the humanist concepts of men and women.
Assignment 1- Read-"A World Lit Only by Fire" by William Manchester
Assignment 2- Gothic Art Project Try this link to begin- http://www.geocities.com/devilyank8/index.html
Assignment 3 - Read- "Crises in the Later Middle Ages"
Quiz on the Middle Ages / Project due
Assignments for the Renaissance-
AND-CLICK FOR THE INTERNET ART ASSIGNMENT
For each assignment, pay attention to the primary sources (in yellowish boxes) and be prepared to discuss and analyze them in class.
Assignment 1- Spielvogel (your text)- pp. 313-320 -What factors (social, economic, etc.) helped to bring on the Renaissance in Italy? What does the banquet menue (pg. 315) tell us about the Renaissance ? The painting on 316? What new social changes took place that characterize the Renaissance? How does Castigleone's Book of Courtier speak to this issue? How about the marriage Negociations on pg 319?
Assignment 2-Spielvogel - pp. 320-330. How was the Italian Penninsula organized in the 14th-16th Centuries? How was that different than most of Europe? Why is this significant? What were the relationships amonf the various city states? (recall Brunelleschi's Dome) How do these relatyionships echo down to the modern day? Define Humanism. How is it important to the Renaissance? What do you make of the excerpt from Machiavelli's "The Prince?" How does Pico's "Oration" redefine human dignity? Consider Laura Cereto's letter. What does it tell us about the lives of women in the Renaissance?
At this point, you should begin work on your paper.
Assignment 3-Spielvogel - pp. 330-337 . By now, you should have done some research on your chosed painting as well as a good deal of work on your Power Point. Be prepared to discuss the artistic style of the Renaissance, it's new features, its meaning as an expresson of the Renaissance worldview. Also be able to ID all works of art in the text as well as those on the list.
Assignment 4-Spielvogel - pp.337-344 How do the monarchies in the rest of Europe comapare to the developments in Italy? Which area, do you think, more anticipates the modern era. Why? What was the relationship between Eastern Europe and the burgeoning Turkish empire? What is the current relationship? (To answer this question, you will hace to do some searching in current world affairs). How would you characterize the Renaissance Catholic Church and its problems?
Assignment 5- Power Points due- Be prepared to present to the class.
Assignment 6- Paper due