The Renaissance

The Renaissance

                                                                                                   

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  Shon Harris
              Hum205
                                                                                                      Aryl Bashline

Preface

      This paper will attempt to describe the cultural and social similarities and differences between the Italian Renaissance and the Northern Renaissance and the relationships between the arts and cultures of the Italian and Northern Renaissance, by explaining the how the differences are reflected in the arts.
Culturally and socially the Medici family who came to prominence under Cosimo de’ Medici, had a great influence in stimulating the arts as they were also huge patrons, they along with other families inspired the birth of the Italian Renaissance, gaining their wealth and power from trading of textiles, they were able to bring Florence under their family’s power, where art and humanism flourished. The Medici’s most significant accomplishments would be in the sponsorship of art during the Early and High Renaissance era. The Medici family a powerful political dynasty and banking family, who’s bank the Medici Bank was the largest in Europe during that century. The Medici Bank was also the most prosperous and respected in Europe. The Medici’s produced three Popes of the Catholic Church and the family went on to become hereditary Dukes.

      The Renaissance meaning “rebirth” was a period of enormous creative and intellectual movements, indeed it was a period of awakening and an age of exploration where artists pulled away from the limitations of Byzantine Art. The Renaissance consists of The Early and High Renaissance, and The Northern... [continues]

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