5.11.1 Renaissance art and literature The legacy of the Renaissance is enormous. Its spirit of inquiry encouraged change and a thirst for new knowledge and understanding. It brought ways of thinking that were essential to the scientific advances and are still very much a part of the modern world. The Renaissance era has also given us a wonderful cultural legacy, while the Reformation and Counter-Reformation changed the Christian faith and led to new denominations . Millions of people visit Italy every year to see the artistic legacies of the Renaissance. In Florence, they visit sites such as the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore, the Uffizi Gallery, which has some of the great works of Renaissance art, and the Accademia Gallery, which holds Michelangelo’s magnificent sculpture David . The Vatican in Rome holds many more Renaissance artistic treasures, and there are others scattered around churches, galleries and museums across Italy and throughout the world.
SkillBuilder discussion Continuity and change 1. How does the dome of St. Peter’s Basilica show continuity with earlier Roman architecture, like the Pantheon, while also introducing new ideas?
SOURCE2 The dome of St Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City is one of the most famous architectural masterpieces of the Renaissance. Designed by Michelangelo and completed in 1590.
2. In what ways did
Michelangelo’s work on the dome influence later architectural designs, especially in churches and cathedrals?
The spirit of the Renaissance combined with the introduction of printing contributed to the rise of literature, which has been with us ever since. Famous Italian Renaissance writers included Dante, Petrarch and Boccaccio. Leonardo Bruni is considered the first modern historian. Niccolo Machiavelli (1469–1527) described ruthless methods of gaining political power in ThePrince . Today we use the word Machiavellian to describe someone who uses ruthless, scheming methods to rise in politics. Even more significant have been the works of the great English Renaissance–era playwright William Shakespeare (1564–1616). Not since the age of the ancient Greeks had such great steps been taken to explore human behaviour through drama. In his own time, the audiences at Shakespeare’s plays included every level of English society. Shakespeare’s plays are still widely studied. They have been translated into almost all modern languages and their performances still draw huge audiences throughout the world. This is because they portray human situations and conflicts and pose questions that are still relevant to modern times. 5.11.2 Scientific legacies Perhaps the most important of all legacies of the Renaissance era is scientific thinking. Before the Renaissance, scientific studies were not seen as separate from religion, and authorities saw inquiry as a threat to their beliefs and their power. We know today that there is still much remaining to be discovered.
Jacaranda Humanities Alive 8 Victorian Curriculum Third Edition
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