The word renaissance comes from the French language. It means “Rebirth”.In Italian language, it is known as the Ia Rinascimento. Renaissance comes at the end of the medieval period and elapsed till the dawn of the Modern Period. Renaissance initially started in Tuscany Region, which at present has florence as the capital.This all started with the urge to rediscovery the classical age glory. For this rediscovery, people started to flocking to libraries and universities with sense of enquiry.
To this sense of enquiry, Movable Printing Press invented by Johannes Gutenberg added further flares. Unlike earlier, Knowledge started to flow freely without any impediments. Libraries, Universities started to flourish in different parts of Italy. People started to engage more with knowledge comes from the sense of enquiry and reason rather than depending upon the interpretation of the church.
At the end of the medieval period power started migrate to rich merchant from the church due to raising levels of the international trade and commerce in the mediterranean sea. Tuscany and adjoining areas were flourishing trade centres. Merchants of these areas had accumulated the huge wealth and prosperity and they started to patronise the art.
In the renaissance period, Painting and sculptures started to evolve. Before the renaissance, Art mainly concentrated upon the symbolism. Due to the spread of knowledge about the human anatomy, Artists started to depict the humans with more precision and sense of reality. Life like human images are stared to evolve in this period. Most notable arts of this time are The creation of Adam by Michelangelo on Sistine chapel’s ceiling and Monalisa by Leonardo Da Vinci. Both were patronised by the rich merchants in Italy.
Spread of the knowledge and Flourishing libraries and university started the development of the science in various fields such as medicine, natural science, astronomy, mathematics and in other fields. Trade and Commerce also had grown. People started to explore new trade routes and other areas of the world after the establishment of Ottoman Empire in 1453.
Italy as the seat of the knowledge and prosperity attracted the people from various fields and places.Students, artists, traders and other sections started visit the Italy and spreaded stories of the renaissance enthusiastically. Those stories quickly attracted the people from far place such as Germany, Britain and other regions. In this way, frequent flow of the people from various places to italy had kick started the renaissance in various places and in the Europe whole.
Renaissance period more or less dependent upon the Humanism, which advocates the ability of the man to change his circumstances, to create his own destiny and to find him-self and making-himself without depending upon the external sources such as church and god. Man of this period started to measure himself with respect to success and lack of it. In this period man started to migrate from the idea of the conformism of dark age, where people conforms with sayings of the church and existing social principles. Earlier, any migration from the conformism was treated as heresy and man was called heretic. Punishment of being heretic was hanging, mutilation and other severe punishments. but in this age, growing level of education created the sense of enlightenment in the minds of the people and started to challenge the sayings of the church(it is not complete denial of the existence of the super natural force, god). This age heavily stressed the development of the man and his creation. earlier, there was over emphasis over accumulation of the power and wealth but in this age, there was emphasis over the all round development of the man and abilities of the man. As aforesaid,this is age lead to development of the pluralism of the moral values instead of depending upon the seven cardinal virtues and seven cardinal sins of the church. In this way, Humanism of the renaissance paved the way for the development of the individualism and the secular concept of the state(which doesnt heed to the church)on European continent. there were number of literary works that supported the humanism. for example:- works of benvento celini, vasari’s lives of the artisits, ficini’s works and many more.
No comments:
Post a Comment