Age of Exploration

Italian Renaissance
Cultural rebirth though intellectual inquiry

“Study the science of art. Study the art of science. Develop your senses—especially learn how to see. Realize that everything connects to everything else.” - Leonardo da Vinci

In feudal Europe, art and culture was inextricably tied to the Christian church. The massive gothic cathedrals and monasteries were the de-facto schools of the day, and both taught the arts, and funded artistic production. But in the early 15th century in Florence, Cosimo de’ Medici stole art back from the church and give it to business.

Cosimo di Giovanni de’ Medici was the head of the Medici Bank, the largest bank in Europe. In 1434, after more than a decade of political grappling with the previous Florentine dynasty, he gained the full support of the local government, and rebuilt Florence into the financial capital of the western world. With his family’s connections through marriage and trade, Cosimo was able to bring stability to Florence that soon spread throughout Italy. Flourishing trade spawned a wealthy middle-class, and connected previously isolated cities. The new commercial elite was hungry for culture and invention, and they had the money to pay for it. Capitalism wanted art.

And here we have the beginning of the Renaissance, a massive cultural movement that swept through Europe, and evolved distinctly in France, Spain and Northern Europe. For the first time in centuries, art was partially divorced from the church, and while religious commissions continued, artists and writers began to look back to classical antiquity. Wealthy patrons were immortalized in lavish portraits, and works like Botticelli’sBirth of Venus sparked renewed interest in Greek and Roman mythology and values. The foundations of humanism, laid nearly a century before by the scholar Petrarch, were built on by writers like Niccolò Machiavelli and even Pope Pius II, himself a humanist writer and diplomat.

At first, the Italian Renaissance flourished only among society’s elite. While most of Europe was still steeped in feudalism, in urban centers, painters, sculptors, inventors and writers like Leonardo da Vinci, Donatello, Raphael, Fede Galizia and Giorgio Vasari were sponsored by wealthy patrons to push art and science to new heights. To paraphrase author William Gibson, the future had arrived, but it was not evenly distributed.

Until 1440, when the German blacksmith Johannes Gutenberg revolutionized printed communication with the invention of movable type. Gutenberg’s movable type and printing press allowed writings to be printed quickly and cheaply, bringing the ideas of the intellectual elite to the common people. Broadsheets, the newspapers of the time, could be typeset in an afternoon, and printed at the rate of 240 impressions an hour. Renaissance painting was still the purview of the rich, but the Renaissance ideas of human agency, rationalism and critical thinking began to take hold throughout Europe.


...


Got questions, comments or corrections about Italian Renaissance? Join the conversation in our Discord, and if you enjoy content like this, consider becoming a member for exclusive essays, downloadables, and discounts in the Obelisk Store.

Reed Enger, "Italian Renaissance, Cultural rebirth though intellectual inquiry," in Obelisk Art History, Published January 23, 2015; last modified October 31, 2022, http://www.arthistoryproject.com/timeline/age-of-discovery/italian-renaissance/.

Read More
The Mourning of Christ, Giotto di Bondone

The Mourning of Christ Giotto di Bondone, 1304 – 1306

Altarpiece of Santa Reparata — Back, Giotto di Bondone

Altarpiece of Santa Reparata — Back Giotto di Bondone, 1310

Madonna Enthroned, Giotto di Bondone

Madonna Enthroned Giotto di Bondone, 1310

St. Mark, Donatello

St. Mark Donatello, 1411

St. John the Evangelist, Donatello

St. John the Evangelist Donatello, 1408 – 1415

Saint George, Donatello

Saint George Donatello, 1416 – 1417

The Crucifixion, Fra Angelico

The Crucifixion Fra Angelico, 1420 – 1423

The Madonna of Humility, Masaccio

The Madonna of Humility Masaccio, 1424

Fiesole Altarpiece, Fra Angelico

Fiesole Altarpiece Fra Angelico, 1424 – 1425

The Tribute Money, Masaccio

The Tribute Money Masaccio, 1425

Crucifixion of St. Peter and Beheading of St. John the Baptist, Masaccio

Crucifixion of St. Peter and Beheading of St. John the Baptist Masaccio, 1426

Episodes from the Lives of Saints Julian and Nicholas, Masaccio

Episodes from the Lives of Saints Julian and Nicholas Masaccio, 1426

Prophet Habbakuk, Donatello

Prophet Habbakuk Donatello, 1423 – 1426

The Annunciation and Life of the Virgin, Fra Angelico

The Annunciation and Life of the Virgin Fra Angelico, 1426

The Virgin and Child, Masaccio

The Virgin and Child Masaccio, 1426

Assumption of the Virgin, Donatello

Assumption of the Virgin Donatello, 1427

Saints Jerome and John the Baptist, Masaccio

Saints Jerome and John the Baptist Masaccio, 1428 – 1429

Delivery of the Keys to St Peter and the Ascension of Christ, Donatello

Delivery of the Keys to St Peter and the Ascension of Christ Donatello, 1425 – 1430

The Virgin and Child with St. Dominic and Thomas Aquinas, Fra Angelico

The Virgin and Child with St. Dominic and Thomas Aquinas Fra Angelico, 1430

Last Judgment, Fra Angelico

Last Judgment Fra Angelico, 1431

Herod's Banquet, Donatello

Herod's Banquet Donatello, 1435

Cattedrale di Santa Maria del Fiore, Italian Renaissance

Cattedrale di Santa Maria del Fiore Giorgio Vasari, 1296 – 1436

Saint Anthony Tempted by a Lump of Gold, Fra Angelico

Saint Anthony Tempted by a Lump of Gold Fra Angelico, 1436

Christ Crowned with Thorns, Fra Angelico

Christ Crowned with Thorns Fra Angelico, 1438 – 1439

Chellini Madonna, Donatello

Chellini Madonna Donatello, 1450

The Baptism of Christ, Piero della Francesca

The Baptism of Christ Piero della Francesca, 1448 – 1450

Portrait of Sigismondo Pandolfo Malatesta, Piero della Francesca

Portrait of Sigismondo Pandolfo Malatesta Piero della Francesca, 1451

Madonna and Child with Scroll, Luca della Robbia

Madonna and Child with Scroll Luca della Robbia, 1455

The Agony in the Garden of Gethsemane, Andrea Mantegna

The Agony in the Garden of Gethsemane Andrea Mantegna, 1455 – 1456

Adoration of the Magi, Fra Angelico

Adoration of the Magi Fra Angelico, 1440 – 1460

Flagellation of Christ, Piero della Francesca

Flagellation of Christ Piero della Francesca, 1455 – 1460

Nativity, Luca della Robbia

Nativity Luca della Robbia, 1460

Virgin and Child in a niche, Luca della Robbia

Virgin and Child in a niche Luca della Robbia, 1460

Polyptych of the Misericordia — Detail of the Madonna, Piero della Francesca

Polyptych of the Misericordia — Detail of the Madonna Piero della Francesca, 1460 – 1462

Protome Carafa, Donatello

Protome Carafa Donatello, 1456 – 1465

Portrait of the Duchess of Urbino, Piero della Francesca

Portrait of the Duchess of Urbino Piero della Francesca, 1465 – 1466

Portrait of the Duke of Urbino, Piero della Francesca

Portrait of the Duke of Urbino Piero della Francesca, 1465 – 1466

Vision of Constantine, Piero della Francesca

Vision of Constantine Piero della Francesca, 1452 – 1466

Judith with the Head of Holofernes, Sandro Botticelli

Judith with the Head of Holofernes Sandro Botticelli, 1470

Polyptych of Perugia, Piero della Francesca

Polyptych of Perugia Piero della Francesca, 1470

The Virgin with Child, Angels and Saints, Piero della Francesca

The Virgin with Child, Angels and Saints Piero della Francesca, 1472 – 1474

Madonna and Child, Luca della Robbia

Madonna and Child Luca della Robbia, 1475

Saint Jerome in the Wilderness, Andrea Mantegna

Saint Jerome in the Wilderness Andrea Mantegna, 1475

Saint Michael the Archangel, Luca della Robbia

Saint Michael the Archangel Luca della Robbia, 1475

Adoration of the Magi (Zanobi Altar), Sandro Botticelli

Adoration of the Magi (Zanobi Altar) Sandro Botticelli, 1476

Bust of a Warrior in a Winged Helmet, Leonardo da Vinci

Bust of a Warrior in a Winged Helmet Leonardo da Vinci, 1475 – 1480

Martyrdom of Saint Sebastian, Andrea Mantegna

Martyrdom of Saint Sebastian Andrea Mantegna, 1480

Mary Magdalene, Carlo Crivelli

Mary Magdalene Carlo Crivelli, 1480

Portrait of Guidobaldo da Montefeltro, Piero della Francesca

Portrait of Guidobaldo da Montefeltro Piero della Francesca, 1483

The Story of Nastagio degli Onesti, I, Sandro Botticelli

The Story of Nastagio degli Onesti, I Sandro Botticelli, 1483

Next Movement
Ming Dynasty, Age of Exploration

Ming Dynasty

Orderly government and social stability

1368 – 1644

By continuing to browse Obelisk you agree to our Cookie Policy