Renaissance DBQ
The European Renaissance was a broad movement with many nuanced, smaller branches that all intertwined to create a tree of change. The transformation of ideology was present in art, science, even religion. Revolution was the driving force behind the time, and it infected every aspect of society, causing them to all be connected. People became fed up with being told what to do, and began defying the expectation to be complacent by questioning everything around them, and starting to widen their horizons beyond what they had been force fed their whole lives. Discoveries were made concerning the theory of the universe, and what was really at the center of it. In 1514, Nicholas Copernicus realized that Earth was not the center of the universe; but rather, the sun was (Doc. 2). His heliocentric theory revolutionized science for years to come. As people became aware that they could “do anything with themselves” as long as they applied themselves, the carefully painted facade they were living started to peel away (Doc. 8). …show more content…
Artists began to thoroughly research human anatomy in order to more accurately depict the human body, some even going as far as to dissect dead bodies to examine the muscle structure. Andreas Vesalius was particularly passionate about anatomy, believing that it should be “unique” and have a “subsequent restoration” (Doc. 12). Up until this point, nudity had only been used in Biblical art, but it was now becoming more common as artists stepped out of their comfort zones and took risks. Da Vinci’s Vitruvian Man (Doc. 3) and Michelangelo's David (Doc. 4) are excellent examples of this newfound attention to detail. Botticelli’s The Birth of Venus (Doc. 6) depicts female nudity outside of the Bible and displays more vibrant colors than had previously been used in