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Italian and Northern European Renaissance

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Submitted By mariekt
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“The French word Renaissance, meaning “rebirth,” was first used in the nineteenth century to describe the period from the early fifteenth century to the middle of the next century” (Benton & DiYanni, 2008, p. 307). The Renaissance not only was a time when scholars became more interested in studying ancient scholars and the world around them but it also had an impact on art forms such as paintings, sculptures and architecture.
The social roles and similarities during the Italian and Northern European Renaissance are the flourishing of the arts under powerful and wealthy families such as the Medici’s of Florence and in the north Philip the Good as well as many others. In both Northern and Southern Europe there was a strong desire to reconnect with the ancient past of the Greco/Roman world this desire extended beyond just ideals in art but also to philosophy and politics. The artistic endeavors of both the Northern and Southern Renaissance were dominated by their shared Christian faith, we can see examples of this in Jan Van Eyck’s Ghent “Altar Piece” (Benton & DiYanni, 2008, p. 353) at Saint Bavon Cathedral an ingenious polyptych painting which uses multiple panels to depict a religious scene an exciting blend of the Northern inventive spirit of the age and ancient faith. The works of the Italian Renaissance were also dominated by this Christian outlook possibly the most famous piece of art in the world Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel full of religious imagery while also boldly proclaiming the humanist philosophy. Both these examples show a shared Christian world view as well as a blending of new and ancient ideals capturing the multiple fronts on which society was leaping forward in the arts, sciences, architectures, politics and philosophies which characterized the Renaissance.
Along with the shared ideals of the Northern and Italian Renaissance there were huge

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