What Was The Renaissance?

Recorded history shows the Renaissance beginning in the beautiful city of Florence, Italy in about 1300. Over the next 300 years, most of Europe experienced a renewed interest in painting and architecture, as well as in mathematics and science. The astounding activity in these areas, especially in the 1400s and 1500s, gave Europe and the world some of the finest works of art and the most beautiful buildings ever created.

The key to understanding this period of time called the Renaissance lies in knowing about an entire culture being reborn. The word “renaissance” means exactly that, to be born again. For historical purposes, there is one period of three or four centuries during which the creativity and love of the arts grew from a new beginning.

With all of the new ideas during the Renaissance, there was also a renewal, a coming back of some of the classic forms of art and philosophy. This meant that the medieval style was finding less favor among artists, architects, writers and scientists. Artists, scientists and teachers once again focused on the classical ideas that made Greece and the Roman empire so important in history.

During this period, art and architecture began to take on a more realistic form, as artists and builders moved in the same direction as philosophers and writers who focused on humanism. The emphasis was less on religion and imagined or unseen worlds and much more on the physical world.

Much of the art and architecture was made possible by the patronage of wealthy families who often supported one or two creative geniuses. This allowed some of these creators to put all of their energy into their work, without having to be concerned about selling individual projects.

The Renaissance began in the major cities of Italy, but over hundreds of years, the influences reached as far as the British Isles and the countries of northern Europe. It was in the latter stages of the Renaissance that enduring works such as those written by Shakespeare were created.

For many historians of art and science, the most important years of the Renaissance were between 1400 and 1520, with the last few decades qualifying as a High Renaissance. It was during these later years that such scientific and artistic geniuses as Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo and Raphael produced their greatest work.

This rebirth was not restricted to visual arts, however. Literature moved along a different creative path as well. Names that remain from this period of great work include Boccaccio and Petrarch. Some of the most memorable epic poetry was written during these centuries and libraries were established where many had never stood. Dutch and French painters benefitted from the spread of ideas that began in Italy. Eventually reaching Greats Britain and the areas around modern-day Belgium and Germany, the Renaissance began to fade as a true movement in the last decades of the 1600s. For most historians, this magnificent period of creativity was replaced by the Enlightenment as a major milestone in art and science.

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