The Impact of the Renaissance on West Europe Term Paper

Introduction

The Renaissance as it is commonly talked about occurred in Italy originally, but as it expanded to other cultured centers of the world it continued to have profound effects. Regardless of location, the Renaissance was a time of tremendous change and growth. The long-dusty ideas of the past, grounded in tradition and defying attempts at progressive thought, were being shaken out, dusted off examined and, in many cases, thrown out with the rest of the garbage. The great societal shifts that were taking place during this period in history saw a tremendous shift in the economic base from one based upon agriculture and its products to one based on the town market and produced consumer goods. It was also a time when a shift was started in the long-held class systems from that of feudal organization made up of the traditionally wealthy and the barely recognized desperately poor to one consisting of a greater stratification of wealth and prestige, in which social mobility was possible with little more than a ready mind and a willingness to make the attempt. Started in Italy as early as the early 1300s, the ideas of the Renaissance didn’t reach England until the 1500s. However, these ideas, once released, would serve to change the fabric of society from the traditional medieval concepts to something more closely approximating modern organization.

The Italian Renaissance

The Renaissance, as it is discussed today, was not a simultaneous event that occurred throughout Europe all at once, but it is characterized by specific characteristics of thought. “The term ‘Renaissance’ might now be defined as a model of cultural history in which the culture of fifteenth- and sixteenth-century Europe is represented as a repudiation of medieval values in favor of the revival of the culture of ancient Greece and Rome” (Campbell, 2004: v-vi). The word actually means “rebirth” and refers to the tremendous renewal of science and thought that occurred during this period as people rediscovered the skill and knowledge of the ancient worlds of Greece and Rome and adapted it to new discoveries and innovations. Through these advances, artists such as Giotto, Masaccio, Botticelli, Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo Buonarroti, and Raphael were able to communicate the various ideas of the Renaissance outside of Italy, affecting civilizations everywhere through their art.

Artists in Florence were able to quickly link the mathematical knowledge of the ancient Greeks and Romans to the proportional focus of their world as a shared knowledge between artists and businessmen. “In an age of non-standard shipping units, one had to be able to calculate contents and quantities of shipments fairly rapidly” (Lemaitre & Lessing, 1993: 15). Painters used their foundational knowledge in geometry to create familiar elements in their paintings that would convey their intentions to the greatest possible audience. “In the same way that a painter could reduce the human form or settings to a play of geometrical figures, so could the merchant simplify all things to geometrical configurations” (Lemaitre & Lessing, 1993: 15). By melding mathematics and artistic expression, artists discovered how to provide their figures with a new impression of weight and volume that had not been previously achieved. This new ability to provide realism in a painting and other written expression led to even greater explorations into how the world manifested itself, all of which contributed to an explosion of thought, design and implementation that would change the world.

Contributing to the High Renaissance style, Michelangelo Buonarroti (1475-1564) made a similar splash in his paintings, including free-flowing movements, elegantly draped clothing, and realistically rounded forms. His surviving full-size cartoon of Battle of Cascina depicts a group of nude men in various states of alarm as they are informed of an impending attack. His most famous painting is, perhaps, the work done on the Sistine Chapel. Raphael (1483-1520) further pushed the idea of naturalism with his focus on composition, balance, and unity. The influences of the past masters appear in Raphael’s School of Athens, often considered one of the finest examples of the High Renaissance style. In this painting, Raphael created a balance between the horizontal space of the architecture and the movement of the figures, each of which has his own unique stance and gestures. These all seem completely natural yet the harmonious way in which each group leads to the next continues to bring the focal point back to Plato and Aristotle at the point of convergence. The painting highlights the close connection between art, literature, science and technological mastery that developed as an integral part of Renaissance thinking.

The Renaissance comes to England

While the Renaissance in Italy is primarily represented through the visual arts that were produced up to the 16^th century, the Renaissance in England existed for only about 100 years beginning in the 16^th century, and is perhaps best traced through its literature. Stephen Greenblatt (1997) begins his description of this time in history as a time when “outward appearance is everything and nothing.” He also recognizes a growing concern with the concept of individuation within the Renaissance era as it is at once sharply defined and constantly blurred. Another common concern of Renaissance literature is the idea that the victims of fate are haunted by the ghosts of the possible. These are ideas that can be easily found in William Shakespeare’s play Hamlet and Christopher Marlowe’s play Dr. Faustus, both representative of this period in history.

There is significant questioning of the proper role of man and the meaning of life during the Renaissance. This is all the result of a changing time in which it is possible for knowledge to go beyond the strict teachings of the church and when traditional social structures are breaking down. This questioning was aggravated by the efforts of Martin Luther in Germany beginning in 1517 that brought the authority of the church into sharp question and encouraged questioning in other areas of life. Luther’s means of refuting the piratical practice of papal indulgences was to call on the people to reflect upon their need for an intermediary to God. “By attacking the issue of the indulgences, Luther was really attacking the entire theology and structure of the Church. By making salvation dependent on the individual’s faith, Luther abolished the need for sacraments as well as a clergy to administer them. For Luther, faith alone, without the necessity of good works, would bring salvation” (Kreis, 2006). This line of reasoning gained him many followers as the rich identified a means of achieving spiritual salvation without handing their estates over to the church and the poor found a means of retaining some semblance of dignity and respect regardless of what they could pay the church in their simple faith. Whereas religion before had always been about the group body of the Church and congregation, Luther introduced an individual element that would have profound implications for future generations. Again, the primary elements of individuation, dual nature, and consideration of possibilities can be found in the thought process.

Major changes in England as a result

The English Renaissance flowered during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, who encouraged more enlightened views. “Elizabeth is often regarded as rather brilliant. She had a quick mind, was not extravagant, and recognized that her throne was not as secure as her counselors might lead her to believe. She was strong and certainly capable of making hard decisions; however, perhaps because she was a woman, she was less functionally arrogant than most of her contemporary monarchs” (Judkins, 2008). Although women didn’t achieve a great deal of independence or greater legal rights during this period, the seeds of equal rights were formed during this period. Political changes took place during this period as well, not only as a result of a strong female queen but also as a result of an expanding world thanks to developed technology and a stronger international position. “Although she was Queen of England, [Elizabeth] shared some of her rule with Parliament, a body made of men chosen to represent the various areas of England” (Judkins, 2008). While this body had voting rights to a greater degree than they’d had in the past as counselors, they were not yet the democratic system of today. At the same time that the English government was becoming more liberal, advances in technology were allowing it to become more global. Sailing ships had been developed with more streamlined shapes and lighter designs, enabling the English navy to assert certain dominance over that of the fabled Spanish Armada, to that point the strongest power on the seas. “Improvements in navigation led to improved maps and charts. As a result of these combined improvements, captains began pushing their ships to more distant lands. New trading routes were secured which led to increased competition in trade and the wider availability of exotic products” (Judkins, 2008). Faster, more maneuverable ships and a greater range of travel enabled England to begin colonizing far away lands and establish itself as a true world power moving into the 17^th century and beyond.

While the Renaissance spirit flourished throughout most of Elizabeth’s reign, upon James’ ascension to the throne, England began to experience the more negative side of this spirit. As more and more individuals began to question the established hierarchy of tradition and authoritative positions such as monarchies and the positions of the Catholic Church lost their ability to control the masses. While literature, art, music and the sciences continued to flourish during what is now referred to as the Jacobean period, contributing to the rise of the middle class, the country nevertheless experienced a severe economic depression toward the end of James’ reign.

Conclusion

The Renaissance traces its beginnings to Italy at the start of the 14^th century. This was primarily the result of scientists, artists and philosophers taking a closer look at the ancient knowledge passed down to them from the Greeks and Romans. This knowledge was quickly adopted by the artists emerging during the period, slowly developing artistic techniques through the application of science, mathematics, and perspective to create much more realistic images that conveyed a sense of three-dimensionality. This ability to create images that could be envisioned in real space itself led to an explosion of ideas even as these artists were exploring subjects once considered taboo, such as the ancient mythologies of these past civilizations. As the Renaissance advanced, these techniques became increasingly developed and dissipated throughout the known world, particularly into France, Germany, and Spain. It took quite a bit longer to reach England, beginning, as the Italians did, with art. The English Renaissance was characterized much more by its explorations in literature and music than it was through the visual arts, but retained much of the same focus and became further influenced by the radical teachings of a man named Martin Luther, who managed to free England from the power of the church through his presentation of Reformation ideas. Whether in Italy or England, the Renaissance meant for many a realization of a dual nature in things, an increased focus on the individual and the importance of individual development, and an incessant exploration of the varied possibilities both in the past and into the future.

References

1. Battle of Cascina. (1505). Michelangelo Bounarroti. Cartoon. Private Collection.
2. Campbell, Gordon. (2004). Renaissance Art and Architecture. New York: Oxford University Press.
3. Greenblatt, Stephen (Ed.). The Norton Shakespeare. New York: Norton, 1997.
4. Judkins, David. (2008). “Life in Renaissance England.” Texas: University of Houston. Web.
5. Kreis, Steven. (October 11, 2006). “The Protestant Reformation.” The History Guide.
6. Lemaitre, Alain J. & Lessing, Erich. (1993). Florence and the Renaissance. Paris: Terrail Press.
7. Mona Lisa. (1503-1506). Leonardo da Vinci. Oil on poplar. Musee du Louvre, Paris.
8. School of Athens. (1509-1510). Raphael. Fresco. Vatican City, Apostolic Palace.