The Renaissance replaced the European culture of the Middle Ages. This phenomenon originates in Italy, it was here that its first signs were noticed. The Italian Renaissance fell on the period from the XIII to the second half of the XVII centuries. It is based on the principle of humanism, that is, the affirmation of the dignity and beauty of man. At this time, secular culture begins to take shape, liberation from church scholasticism and religious dogmas takes place. Culture is becoming anthropocentric. The term "Renaissance" was coined by Giorgio Vasari. He characterized this time as a period of the revival of antiquity. Otherwise, the era is called the Renaissance.
The Renaissance was accompanied by some contradictions, this is due to the fact that its peak fell on the war, and at the end of their values changed dramatically. The priority was not moral, but material, the development of philistinism took place, and the influence of the church intensified.
Literature
Dante Alighieri is considered to be the founder of the Renaissance in Italy, it was he who managed to reveal the essence of people of this period in the literary work "Divine Comedy". The works of the authors of the Renaissance expressed humanistic ideals, glorified the freedom of creativity of the individual. Petrarch revealed the inner world of man in all his emotional diversity. It is impossible not to mention the novels of Boccaccio, the treatises of Machiavelli, the poems of Ariosto and Tasso. Literature was based on the traditions of antiquity and folk poetry. It combined a rational beginning and poetic fantasy. Comic genres became increasingly popular. It was during this period that such world-famous works as The Decameron and Don Quixote were written.
Architecture
The Italian Renaissance in architecture for a long time followed medieval traditions, this was expressed in the use of Gothic elements. Italian Gothic was significantly different from Gothic in other European countries. The buildings had large, calm forms, wide walls with horizontal division. One of the most famous temples of the time is the church of Santa Croce, its construction began by Arnolfo di Cambio in the XIII century. Diamond rustic finishes, wooden ceilings, the unity of the interior space - all these are the hallmarks of the temple.
Sculpture
The art of the Renaissance is characterized not only by the introduction of innovations in architecture, but also by changes in the sculpture, which at that time was in its prime. State and merchant orders are becoming increasingly popular. The most famous sculptors of that time were Lorenzo Ghiberti, Luca della Robbia and others. Robbia, for example, became famous for the fact that he began to use the glazing technique in sculpture and relief. He created majolica busts of saints, Madonna and Christ. The art of this sculptor has earned recognition among contemporaries.
Painting
The Italian Renaissance is not without painting. It was performed using the mural technique. Painters painted on plaster with water paints. In the middle of the 15th century, cardboard drawings made on paper or fabric became widespread. In Venice, buildings were not decorated with frescoes, but with picturesque drawings made with oil paint. Also, the Italian Renaissance gave the world a form of art such as engraving. Engravings were performed on metal and wood. It is worth noting that the Renaissance artists paid attention to the landscape, human anatomy, light. The landscape becomes not just a background, but an element of the plot in the picture.
The great masters of the era in the art of the Renaissance include Brunelleschi, Verocchio, Mantegna, Donatello, Masaccio, Botticelli and others. The first artist to portray three-dimensionality is considered to be Giotto.
The philosophers of this era include Nikolai Copernicus, Jean Boden, Lorenzo Valla, Nikola Cusa, Niccolo Machiavelli.