The Renaissance was a vibrant and transformative period that revolutionised Western culture, leading to a more profound understanding of the relationship between man and nature, the world, and God.
Secular themes and classical subjects in art became popular as ancient knowledge was revived and revered. Renaissance creatives became appreciated and respected creators.
The Renaissance was also a time of significant advancements, challenging previously established beliefs and encouraging the shaping of various new scientific disciplines. Treasured influential architecture and extraordinary advancements were made in mathematics, botany, and natural history, laying the foundation for the modern sciences.
Renaissance architecture saw a revival of the majesty of architecture from the Golden Age, replacing the preceding Gothic medieval aesthetic. Taking ancient and classical architecture as a source of inspiration, Renaissance architects experimented with mixing and reimagining classical elements to define the style of Renaissance architecture. With symmetrical designs, prominent use of classical elements, and innovations in dome construction, unique and distinctive buildings were created. Famous structures like St. Peter’s Basilica and Florence Cathedral represent the grandeur and significance of Renaissance architecture. These principles, inspired by classical styles, continue influencing artists, architects, and thinkers today.
Literature, philosophy, and politics were influenced by intellectual curiosity and critical thinking inspired by Renaissance Humanism, a perspective centred on the importance of humanity. Artists achieved realism, precision, and perspective by incorporating and interconnecting various principles and fields of knowledge, like art, science, and architecture. The Renaissance was a transformative era that profoundly impacted multiple fields, paving the way for future intellectual and cultural shifts.
The Renaissance signifies the transition from the Middle Ages to the modern era. Initially developing in Northern Italy due to political influence, trade, religious developments, philosophical ideas, civil beliefs, and patronage from wealthy families. Renaissance culture spread to France and then throughout Western and Northern Europe. Although the dates of the origin and end of the Renaissance period in Europe are constantly debated, the Renaissance occurred from the 14th to the 17th century. The Renaissance had earlier influences and concluded with far-reaching effects after its peak, lasting for nearly three centuries in successive periods:
The Renaissance – A Brief History
Proto-Renaissance (1300 – 1400)
The Proto-Renaissance (Pre-Renaissance) refers to the 14th-century period where the origins and influences of the Renaissance began to develop.
Pioneering scholars and artists revived the ideals and achievements of classical Greek and Roman culture. This rediscovery of ancient knowledge of cultures, literature, and philosophy influenced people to look at the world differently, questioning the beliefs and systems they lived in.
The cultural movement of humanism began, highlighting man’s importance and encouraging the exploration of man’s potential and influence. Celebrating human achievements in the classical arts, literature, education, and science was promoted.
Early Renaissance (1400 – 1500)
The start of the Renaissance period, the Early Renaissance, emerged in the 15th century. Florence is considered the first centre of artistic thought and advancement, and other Italian cities soon followed to become influential centres of artistic innovation.
Wealthy families like the Farnese, Gonzaga, and Medici played a significant role as patrons of the arts and architecture, supporting humanistic studies and commissioning renowned magnificent works of importance, still treasured today.
Early Renaissance artists sought to create art that resembled the natural world and human personality, expressing human emotion with an artistic effect rather than a realistic manner to express their individuality within the artistic framework. It became fundamental for art to embody spiritual beauty and represent flawless, ideal forms over literal appearance. Ancient art was admired and used as inspiration. Principles like proportion, contrapposto, and linear perspective became important as the underlying style and techniques of the Early Renaissance.
Taking influence from classic ancient artefacts, early Renaissance architecture focused on geometry and proportion. The Basilica di San Lorenzo in Florence is a significant landmark in developing Renaissance architecture.
Around 1440, the printing press was invented. This important event would have many great, long-lasting effects on the next centuries. It allowed for better, more accessible communication throughout Europe that could be spread quickly. The almost unknown texts about the values and ideals of humanism from the pre-renaissance could now be printed and distributed to the masses.
Another historical event that influenced the spread of knowledge during the Renaissance was the fall of the Byzantine Empire in 1453. The fleeing Greek emigrants from Byzantine Constantinople and Spain brought their texts and knowledge, which influenced and changed the intellectual environment of Renaissance Italy.
The Age of Exploration was partly influenced by the Renaissance, which promoted curiosity and intellectual advancement. Some European artists and thinkers took to sea travel to expand their knowledge. Numerous important explorations and expeditions were launched to gain more knowledge about the world, and in 1492 “New World” (the Americas) was discovered. Explorers took famous journeys, which led to the discovery of new shipping routes and areas that hadn’t appeared on maps before.
High Renaissance (1500 – 1525)
The High Renaissance endured briefly, from 1495 to 1520, and was dominated by an elite group of accomplished masters, like Leonardo da Vinci, Bramante, Michelangelo, Raphael, and Titian. High Renaissance style was characterised by its unity, led by intuition which exceeded reasonable knowledge or technical skill.
A unified and balanced effect in pictorial representation and architectural composition that enhanced the artwork’s dramatic force and physical presence was highly sought after with the High Renaissance art. High Renaissance art is known for the highlighted technical skill, intellectual depth, and pursuit of beauty in most High Renaissance masterpieces.
High Renaissance architecture further developed classical ideas in architecture, skilfully applying classical styles to existing buildings. An example of this can be seen in the San Pietro church in Montorio, a Roman temple-inspired church by Donato Bramante.
Between 1507 to 1515, Nicolaus Copernicus challenged the existing geocentric view that the Earth was the centre of the solar system with his heliocentric theory, thus advancing the field of Astronomy.
Late Renaissance (1520 – 1600)
The Late Renaissance, better known as Mannerism, followed the fleeting High Renaissance period, becoming the Baroque style by the end of the 16th century.
The Mannerist style emerged as a reaction to the harmonious clarity of classicism and idealised naturalism of the High Renaissance. Mannerism focussed on the sophisticated, complex, and novel instead of the refined grace and elegance of the Renaissance.
Mannerists sought to exceed the achievements of their forerunners, making a shift in artistic expression that focused on the individual and the beauty of the natural world rather than the classical ideals of order and harmony from before. The connection between spatial and solid aspects of architectural forms was experimented on, resulting in the “Giant Order” style in Renaissance architecture. A further shift from strict symmetrical concepts to freer rhythms and imaginative spatial ideas began to form during the Mannerist period.
In 1527, the patronage system for artists was disrupted by the sack of Rome, so they fled to other centres in Italy, France, and Spain to seek opportunities.
Thanks to the printing press invention and the skill to read progressed, texts like the Bible were more easily reproduced and widely available for people to read for the first time. Humanism continued to grow, encouraging Europeans to question the role of the Roman Catholic church.
The Roman Inquisition, starting in 1545, made humanism and challenging views against the Catholic church an act of heresy, punishable by death. This Counter-Reformation, only ending in 1648, censored artists and writers and creativity became muted due to fear of being too bold and daring.
In 1571 the revolutionary Protestant Reformation caused a split in the Catholic church, resulting in a new form of Christianity, Protestantism.
The end of the Late Renaissance was a significant period for scientific advancements and accomplishments in various fields like astronomy, anatomy, medicine, chemistry, and physics.
By the early 17th century, a divide between science and religion was established, and the Renaissance had died out, yielding to the Age of Enlightenment.
Renaissance Architecture
Renaissance architecture embodied a revival of ancient Greek and Roman forms, extensively using classical orders (Tuscan, Doric, Ionic, Corinthian, and Composite) in building facades.
Other key features of Renaissance architecture came from columns, arches, pilasters, pediments, and domes being adapted by combining aesthetics and structural needs to create innovative and appealing structures.
Renaissance architecture prioritised the relationship between space and mass, creating clear and understandable spaces that eliminated the complexity of Gothic architecture. Precise mathematical ratios and proportions were fundamental in portraying the beauty and harmony between human proportions and buildings.
External walls were made of brick or stone and laid in straight courses, with ground floors often rusticated for contrast. In contrast, internal walls were smooth, plastered, and decorated with frescoes that led up to flat, highly decorated ceilings. Windows were positioned in pairs within semi-circular arches, allowing light and air into buildings. Doors had square-shaped lintels and were adorned with pediments. Classically inspired detailing, decorative finishes, and mouldings enhanced spaces further.
Renaissance architects merged classical ideals with the design of churches, resulting in structures with grand facades and harmonious proportions.
Florence’s Santa Maria del Fiore cathedral’s dome, designed by Filippo Brunelleschi, highlighted innovative engineering with unsupported construction. Brunelleschi is considered the pioneer of Renaissance architecture, emphasising harmony, simplicity, and classical proportions.
The Santa Maria Novella church in Florence, designed by Leon Battista Alberti, featured an elegant façade influenced by Roman temple fronts and classical proportions. Another building that exemplified Renaissance humanism by blending classical and Christian elements is the small circular temple Tempietto in Rome, designed by Donato Bramante.
Renaissance architects also used classical elements and proportions to transform public and domestic buildings. In Florence, a harmoniously designed hospital by Brunelleschi, the Ospedale degli Innocenti (Hospital of Innocents) reflects the Renaissance focus on balance and rationality. Previous styles influenced Brunelleschi’s design, but combining round columns with classical capitals on dosserets (impost blocks) was innovative. He incorporated circular arches shadowed by segmented spherical domes. His use of contrasting materials squaring the rhythm of the columns followed a proportional logic. This regularity and geometric order become key elements in Renaissance architecture.
Bramante’s Palazzo Caprini in Rome highlighted strict symmetry and significantly influenced palace architecture as it merged classical and existing elements. Roman temple architecture was reimagined as private residences with grand columned porticos and raised platforms.
Renaissance architects contributed to developing and improving cities and infrastructure by working on practical projects such as flood defences, fortifications, public fountains, and town planning.
As Renaissance architecture evolved into Mannerism, more decorative and inventive elements emerged, moving away from strict classical proportions. The Palazzo Marino in Milan, designed by Galeazzo Alessi, presents a theatrical transition to Mannerist features with its decorative sculpture.
Written Works on Architecture
The Renaissance architectural style was distributed through printed media depicting the theoretical aspects of architectural design and illustrated texts and through architects travelling to different cities, spreading ideas across Europe and beyond.
Ancient classical written theories on architecture, like “On Architecture,” by Vitruvius, were extensively studied, inspiring Renaissance architectural theorists like Leon Battista Alberti, Sebastiano Serlio, Giacomo da Vignola, and Andrea Palladio to publish influential and important books on architecture, discussing classical principles and their application to contemporary buildings.
Some of the most famous works on Renaissance architecture theory include:
- Leon Battista Alberti’s “Ten Books on Architecture”, deliberately echoing Vitruvius’s writing, was the first printed book on architecture in the Italian Renaissance,
- Sebastiano Serlio’s “Seven Books on Architecture”, detailing the five classical orders, provided practical advice and defined architectural terminology.
- Andrea Palladio’s “Four Books of Architecture” spread ideas on classical architecture through detailed illustrations.
The Renaissance brought about a transformative change in culture and society. With the rediscovery of classical philosophy, literature, and art, invention, new styles, and exploration was encouraged. The “Renaissance Man”, a concept used today, was inspired by the influential figures in various fields of the Renaissance period.
The Renaissance’s impact on culture and society remains evident in modern-day art, technology, philosophy, and global cultural achievements. The innovative and grand emphasis on symmetry, proportion, and revival of classical forms continues to inspire architects, as seen in contemporary homes through features like the Palladian window and symmetrical arrangements.
The Renaissance brought a rebirth and expanded cultural experience, directing society toward more humanist and realistic perspectives. Without the Renaissance, we might not preserve and appreciate the fine arts as we do today.
Bibliography
Reference List
artincontext (2021a). Renaissance Architecture – A Look at Architecture During the Renaissance. [online] artincontext.org. Available at: https://artincontext.org/renaissance-architecture/ [Accessed 12 Jul. 2023].
artincontext (2021b). Renaissance Humanism – An Exploration of Humanism in the Renaissance. [online] artincontext.org. Available at: https://artincontext.org/renaissance-humanism/ [Accessed 12 Jul. 2023].
Augustyn, A. (2023). Renaissance art | Definition, Characteristics, Style, Examples, & Facts | Britannica. In: Encyclopaedia Britannica, ed., Encyclopædia Britannica. [online] Available at: https://www.britannica.com/art/Renaissance-art [Accessed 12 Jul. 2023].
Beck, E. (2022). Renaissance Humanism. [online] History Crunch (historycrunch.com). Available at: https://www.historycrunch.com/renaissance-humanism.html#/ [Accessed 12 Jul. 2023].
Cartwright, M. (2020). Renaissance Architecture. [online] World History Encyclopedia. Available at: https://www.worldhistory.org/Renaissance_Architecture/#citation_info [Accessed 12 Jul. 2023].
Chao-Fong, L. (2020). 10 of the Most Important Renaissance Buildings in Italy. [online] History Hit.com. Available at: https://www.historyhit.com/the-most-important-renaissance-buildings-in-italy/#:~:text=St%20Peter%27s%20Basilica,as%20the%20home%20of%20Christianity. [Accessed 12 Jul. 2023].
Encyclopedia.com (2023). Science (in the Renaissance). [online] Encyclopedia.com. Available at: https://www.encyclopedia.com/religion/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/science-renaissance [Accessed 12 Jul. 2023].
Grandpalais.fr (2009). The Renaissance. [online] Grandpalais.fr. Available at: https://www.grandpalais.fr/en/article/renaissance#:~:text=The%20Renaissance%20lasted%20for%20nearly,the%20Cinquecento%20(16th%20century). [Accessed 17 Jul. 2023].
Grudin, R. (2023). Humanism | Definition, Principles, History, & Influence | Britannica. In: Encyclopaedia Britannica, ed., Encyclopædia Britannica. [online] Available at: https://www.britannica.com/topic/humanism [Accessed 12 Jul. 2023].
History.com Editors (2018). Renaissance Period: Timeline, Art & Facts. [online] History.com. Available at: https://www.history.com/topics/renaissance/renaissance [Accessed 12 Jul. 2023].
History.com Editors (2019). Renaissance Art – Characteristics, Definition & Style. [online] History.com. Available at: https://www.history.com/topics/renaissance/renaissance-art [Accessed 12 Jul. 2023].
Hohenadel, K. (2021). What Is Renaissance Architecture? [online] The Spruce. Available at: https://www.thespruce.com/what-is-renaissance-architecture-5186491 [Accessed 12 Jul. 2023].
Loc.gov (2020). Research Guides: Renaissance Era: A Resource Guide: Introduction. [online] Loc.gov. Available at: https://guides.loc.gov/renaissance-era-resources [Accessed 12 Jul. 2023].
Luebering, J.E. (2023). Renaissance architecture | Italian, Gothic, Baroque | Britannica. In: Encyclopaedia Britannica, ed., Encyclopædia Britannica. [online] Available at: https://www.britannica.com/art/Renaissance-architecture [Accessed 12 Jul. 2023].
Multiple Authors (2023). History of Europe – Humanities, Culture, Art | Britannica. In: Encyclopaedia Britannica, ed., Encyclopædia Britannica. [online] Available at: https://www.britannica.com/topic/history-of-Europe/The-humanities [Accessed 12 Jul. 2023].
Pioch, N. (2002). La Renaissance: Italy. [online] Ibiblio.org. Available at: https://www.ibiblio.org/wm/paint/glo/renaissance/it.html#:~:text=Although%20the%20evolution%20of%20Italian,%2C%20High%2C%20and%20Late%20Renaissance. [Accessed 17 Jul. 2023].
Shuttleworth, M. (2023). Renaissance Science – The Path to Enlightenment. [online] Explorable.com. Available at: https://explorable.com/renaissance-science [Accessed 12 Jul. 2023].
Studentsofhistory.com (2023). Renaissance Humanism. [online] Studentsofhistory.com. Available at: https://www.studentsofhistory.com/renaissance-humanism [Accessed 12 Jul. 2023].
Weinstein, D. (2023). History of Europe – Renaissance Science, Technology & Exploration | Britannica. In: Encyclopaedia Britannica, ed., Encyclopædia Britannica. [online] Available at: https://www.britannica.com/topic/history-of-Europe/Renaissance-science-and-technology [Accessed 12 Jul. 2023].
Wilde, R. (2023). A Guide to Renaissance Humanism. [online] ThoughtCo. Available at: https://www.thoughtco.com/renaissance-humanism-p2-1221781 [Accessed 12 Jul. 2023].
Image List
- Filippo Brunelleschi designed and built the Florence Cathedral (Duomo di Firenze), formally the Cattedrale di Santa Maria del Fiore. It demonstrates the innovative dome with a self-supporting structure and pointed profile.
Milošević, P. (2014). Florence Duomo from Michelangelo hill.jpg. Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation. Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Florence_Duomo_from_Michelangelo_hill.jpg [Accessed 19 Jul. 2023].
- Medieval and Renaissance Italian writers Cristoforo Landino, Marsilio Ficino, Francesco Petrarca, Giovanni Boccaccio, Dante Alighieri, and Guido Cavalcanti as portrayed by Giorgio Vasari in Six Tuscan Poets in 1544.
Institute of Art Minneapolis Institute of Art (2023). Giorgio Vasari – Six Tuscan Poets – Google Art Project.jpg. Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation. Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Giorgio_Vasari_-_Six_Tuscan_Poets_-_Google_Art_Project.jpg [Accessed 19 Jul. 2023].
- Many innovative features of the developing style of Renaissance architecture are demonstrated by the Basilica of San Lorenzo, with influences from Brunelleschi, Michelangelo, and Donatello.
Burian, P.K. (2017). Basilica di San Lorenzo, looking toward the altar.jpg. Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation. Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Basilica_di_San_Lorenzo,_looking_toward_the_altar.jpg [Accessed 19 Jul. 2023].
- The Northern Hemisphere of the Celestial Globe, created in 1515 by Albrecht Dürer under the direction of Stabius and Konrad Heinfogel.
Web Gallery of Art (2023). Albrecht Dürer – The Northern Hemisphere of the Celestial Globe – WGA7195.jpg. Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation. Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Albrecht_D%C3%BCrer_-_The_Northern_Hemisphere_of_the_Celestial_Globe_-_WGA7195.jpg [Accessed 19 Jul. 2023].
- Heliocentric model by Nicolaus Copernicus that places the Sun at the centre of the Universe, motionless, with the other planets orbiting.
Wikipedia Contributors (2023). Copernican heliocentrism diagram-2.jpg. Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation. Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Copernican_heliocentrism_diagram-2.jpg [Accessed 19 Jul. 2023].
- Michelangelo’s designed staircase at the Laurentian Library, renowned for its Mannerist architecture designed by Michelangelo, contains the manuscripts and books of the Medici family.
Sailko (2023). Biblioteca medicea laurenziana, vestibolo e scala di michelangelo, 03.jpg. [online] Wikipedia. Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Biblioteca_medicea_laurenziana,_vestibolo_e_scala_di_michelangelo,_03.jpg [Accessed 19 Jul. 2023].
- Luther at the Diet of Worms, Germany, painted by Anton von Werner. An 1877 portrait depicting Martin Luther defending his views of the church’s practices and refusing to recant them.
картины, С. (2023). Luther at the Diet of Worms.jpg. Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation. Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:%D0%9B%D1%8E%D1%82%D0%B5%D1%80_%D0%B2_%D0%92%D0%BE%D1%80%D0%BC%D1%81%D0%B5.jpg [Accessed 19 Jul. 2023].
- Palazzo Rucellai in Florence, designed by Alberti, was among the first Renaissance buildings to use the classical orders on its facade, emphasising harmony and symmetry.
Morphart (2020). Gallery of How the Renaissance Influenced Architecture – 8. [online] ArchDaily. Available at: https://www.archdaily.com/979358/how-the-renaissance-influenced-architecture/624447c63e4b311858000003-how-the-renaissance-influenced-architecture-image [Accessed 19 Jul. 2023].
- Illustrations by Leonardo da Vinci in Luca Pacioli’s “De Divina Proportione”, a book on mathematical proportions, like the golden ratio and their relevance to geometry, architecture, and perspective in art.
divinaproportion00paci (2023). De divina proportione – Vigintisex Basium Planum Vacuum.jpg. Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation. Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:De_divina_proportione_-_Vigintisex_Basium_Planum_Vacuum.jpg [Accessed 19 Jul. 2023].
- The Tempietto of Rome, designed by Donato Bramante around 1510, highlighted the merging of classical and Christian elements, and its circular temple design became an archetype for churches worldwide.
JTSH26 (2017). Tempietto, Haupteingang.jpg . [online] Wikimedia.org. Available at: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Tempietto,_Haupteingang.jpg [Accessed 19 Jul. 2023].
- A digital reconstruction by Adriano Marinazzo of Brunelleschi’s original design of the Hospital of Innocents.
Michelangelo2022 (2021). Adriano Marinazzo – Progetto Brunelleschi – Ospedale Innocenti.jpg. Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation. Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Adriano_Marinazzo_-_Progetto_Brunelleschi_-_Ospedale_Innocenti.jpg [Accessed 19 Jul. 2023].
- Palazzo Massimo Alle Colonne in Rome by Baldassare Peruzzi is said to be a bridge between Renaissance and Mannerist styles. Mannerism features of the façade curving to fit onto the position where it is built instead of blending in with the rest of the building as Renaissance architecture does.
Jensens (2008). Palazzo Massimo alle Colonne.jpg – Wikimedia Commons. Wikimedia.org. Available at: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Palazzo_Massimo_alle_Colonne.jpg [Accessed 19 Jul. 2023].
- Two pages from Sebastiano Serlio’s “On Polybius’ Castrametation” (posthumously published) discussed ancient Roman military camp design.
de Dijon, F. (2015). Sebastiano Serlio – Ottavo libro d’architettura. Della castrametatione di Polybio.jpg. Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation. Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Sebastiano_Serlio_-_Ottavo_libro_d%E2%80%99architettura._Della_castrametatione_di_Polybio.jpg [Accessed 19 Jul. 2023].
- Saint Peter’s Basilica: A grand Renaissance building in Vatican City designed by a collaboration of prominent Renaissance architects like Alberti, Raphael, Bramante, Michelangelo, and Bernini. It became one of the period’s most celebrated and influential works.
Alvegaspar (2020). Gallery of How the Renaissance Influenced Architecture – 6. [online] ArchDaily. Available at: https://www.archdaily.com/979358/how-the-renaissance-influenced-architecture/624467e13e4b31185800000c-how-the-renaissance-influenced-architecture-image?next_project=no [Accessed 19 Jul. 2023].
