S.STEIN Cultural Intro to Renaissance Rome by Ingrid D. Rowland

Rome is a city that has so far had success in its efforts to last an eternity. The Renaissance papacy is to thank for this. Thanks to Petrarch, Rome was rebuilt from the ashes and ruins that it once lay in. He inspired a class of people devoted to the study of humanity or what we have learned in past readings, Humanism.

The papacy located in Babylon was changed to Rome the place it was meant to be thanks Pope Martin. Housing the curia was great for Rome providing employment to the people and money from travelers viewing the great city. Petrarch’s writings were a new style that everyone adored. He took the past standards to create the present standards. Rome lagged behind the flourishing city of Florence before the fifteenth century. It had still been a poor city in ruins. The people and builders of Renaissance Rome were destined to recreate Rome because it answered the call from god. Scattered throughout the ruins were the history of Christianity and a period of perfection that was based on the peace of the mankind.  As the people investigated the roman ruins they discovered traces of god’s plan, they discovered ancient building techniques unlike any other. Money helped Renaissance Rome rise, providing stable economy and the strong ancient roman techniques of politics. The roman republic was being reborn. Ancient roman ruins were reused and recaptured in Renaissance Rome’s newly erected architecture.

After the fifteenth century Rome was extremely well off. Its popes were providing more and more money to better the city. The rise of humanism begins during this time. They transformed language into persuasive speech. This was known as rhetoric as we know from earlier readings. Rhetoric met the persuasive needs of the courts.  Schools and libraries were created to enhance the skills and memory in humanism teachings and the arts. Manuscripts were created to record history and knowledge that would be stored in libraries.

Pope Julius added to Rome’s success by investing money in explorations to unexplored territories.  Michelangelo created painting for the great pope’s chapel and Leonardo was given full commission to create his fresco paintings. Julius was highly interested in ancient Rome; he collected statues and ancient wisdom that was recorded in books. Julius extended the power of Rome and strengthened politics, theology, and art. Rome had its struggles after Pope Julius, but managed to continue its reconstruction. By the 1600s it was still growing and becoming even more advanced. The rebuilding of the great Roman Empire was becoming a successful reality to the people of Renaissance Rome.

SSTEIN Leonardo Da Vinci Flights of the Mind

My favorite Chapter in this book was on The Anatomy. Leonardo has a fascination with the anatomy of life.  Anatomy was his strongest achievement in the 1400s. In the beginnings of his anatomical research the church was against him and felt that is was wrong and was only for god to view. He used his knowledge of anatomy to build paintings from the inside out. This anatomical rendering gave his figures life and emotion. His study of the human skull or the universal symbol of mortality showed many things from anatomy to the way the brain works. He discovered that the soul was actually in the brain and not the body itself. He used dead copses to study the inner anatomy of people. He created the Vitruvian Man, a drawing that shows the comparisons of body proportions in an ideal man. This may have been self portrait also showing The Vitruvian Mans confident understanding of anatomy. Leonardo's interest in anatomy and the understanding of it is very inspiring to me as an artist. His understanding of how the body worked and the science behind it is genius. Especially during such an early period in human history. How could one man make so many scientifically correct discoveries without much background knowledge at all? His Early discoveries in anatomy and science have changed the medical world significantly and most of what he discovered is true to this day.     ~S.STEIN

Humanism

What I got out of reading Humanism by Lauro Martines. Humanism was acquired by a powerful urban class of dominant social groups. It was a classical teaching from the ancient Greek and roman times that included many areas of study such as poetry literature geography and science. Humanism required a certain path of study, type of individual, and was about education over everything. It was meant for rich individuals of the fifteenth century and high status leaders in society. In 1402 Pier Palo Vergerio said that if a man didn’t find himself interested in the act of letters or speculative thought than why exist because you are basically useless as a citizen. Latin grammar was the fundamental language for humanism. Although without ancient Greek Latin would not exist, Latin remained the grammatical choice in humanism. Young rich men continued there educations longer and were sent overseas whereas middle class to poorer kids where taught a trade. Poets held one of the major roles and positions in humanism by writing out the experience of man and humanism as a guide to shape the ideal man through experiences. Rhetoric or the art of persuasion in speaking and writing was the high aim for humanists. Men in public and high power positions where expected to know art of rhetoric. Eloquence was the main source of study in order to be a prince you had to be well rounded in the act of ruling and politics. The historical studies that were included in Humanism included ancient Greek, Roman, and the history of the current Italian cities of the 1400s. The old and new testaments were later omitted from the humanistic historical teachings. The study of history was extremely important to humanists in that in molded the positions of their leaders and politicians in order to better themselves as a population. Humanists used history as a way to spread their name around the world and through history. They were cocky in the fact that there goal was to be the best and were all about success. They were Self congratulating and proud of their accomplishments. Humanists looked down upon money making and more at a preparation for life and development as man. To sum it up humanists of the 14oos were searching not for wealth but for mastering the human experience by learning the world and enjoying the world.