What is the Renaissance?

Renaissance- it has global importance era in the history of European culture, which replaced the Middle Ages and preceded the Enlightenment. It falls - in Italy - at the beginning of the 14th century (everywhere in Europe - from the 15th-16th centuries) - the last quarter of the 16th centuries and in some cases - the first decades of the 17th century.

The term Renaissance is already found among Italian humanists, for example, in Giorgio Vasari. AT modern meaning the term was coined by the 19th-century French historian Jules Michelet. Nowadays, the term Renaissance has become a metaphor for cultural flourishing.

The distinctive features of the Renaissance are anthropocentrism, that is, an extraordinary interest in man as an individual and his activities. This also includes the secular nature of culture. In society, there is an interest in the culture of antiquity, something like its “revival” is taking place. Hence, in fact, the name of such an important period of time appeared. The outstanding figures of the Renaissance can be called the immortal Michelangelo, Niccolò Machiavelli and the ever-living Leonardo da Vinci.

Renaissance literature is a major trend in literature, component throughout the culture of the Renaissance. Occupies the period from the XIV to the XVI century. It differs from medieval literature in that it is based on new, progressive ideas of humanism. Synonymous with the Renaissance is the term "Renaissance", of French origin.

The ideas of humanism originate for the first time in Italy, and then spread throughout Europe. Also, the literature of the Renaissance spread throughout Europe, but acquired in each individual country its own national character. The term Renaissance means renewal, the appeal of artists, writers, thinkers to the culture and art of antiquity, the imitation of its high ideals.

In addition to humanistic ideas, new genres are emerging in the literature of the Renaissance, and early realism is being formed, which is called "Renaissance realism". As can be seen in the works of Rabelais, Petrarch, Cervantes and Shakespeare, the literature of this time was filled with a new understanding human life. It demonstrates a complete rejection of the slavish obedience that the church preached.

Writers present man as the highest creation of nature, revealing the richness of his soul, mind and the beauty of his physical appearance. The realism of the Renaissance is characterized by the grandiosity of images, the ability for great sincere feeling, the poeticization of the image and the passionate, most often high intensity of the tragic conflict, demonstrating the clash of a person with hostile forces.

Renaissance literature is characterized by a variety of genres, but still some literary forms dominated. The most popular was the novella. In poetry, the sonnet is most clearly manifested. Dramaturgy is also gaining high popularity, in which the Spaniard Lope de Vega and Shakespeare in England are most famous. It should be noted high development and popularization of philosophical prose and journalism.

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Brief description of the Renaissance. Revival (Renaissance), a period in the cultural and ideological development of the countries of Western and Central Europe (in Italy XIV - XVI centuries in other countries, the end of the XV - beginning of the XVII centuries), transitional from medieval culture to the culture of modern times.

Distinctive features of the Renaissance culture: anti-feudalism at its core, secular, anti-cleric character, humanistic worldview, appeal to cultural heritage antiquity, as if "revival" of it (hence the name). The revival arose and most clearly manifested itself in Italy, where already at the turn of the XIII - XIV centuries. its harbingers were the poet Dante, the artist Giotto and others.

The work of the Renaissance figures is imbued with faith in the unlimited possibilities of man, his will and mind, the rejection of Catholic scholasticism and asceticism (humanistic ethics). The pathos of affirming the ideal of a harmonious, liberated creative personality, the beauty and harmony of reality, the appeal to man as the highest principle of being, the feeling of wholeness and harmonious laws of the universe give the art of the Renaissance great ideological significance, a majestic heroic scale.

In architecture, secular structures began to play a leading role - public buildings, palaces, city houses. Using arched galleries, colonnades, vaults, baths, architects (Alberti, Palladio in Italy; Lescaut, Delorme in France, etc.) gave their buildings majestic clarity, harmony and proportionality to man.

Artists (Donatello, Leonardo da Vinci, Raphael, Michelangelo, Titian and others in Italy; Jan van Eyck, Brueghel in the Netherlands; Dürer, Niethardt in Germany; Fouquet, Goujon, Clouet in France) consistently mastered the reflection of all the richness of reality - the transmission volume, space, light, the image of a human figure (including a naked one) and the real environment - an interior, a landscape.

Renaissance literature created such monuments of enduring value as "Gargantua and Pantagruel" (1533 - 1552) by Rabelais, Shakespeare's dramas, the novel "Don Quixote" (1605 - 1615) by Cervantes, etc., organically combining interest in antiquity with an appeal to folk culture, the pathos of the comic with the tragedy of being.

Petrarch's sonnets, Boccaccio's short stories, Aristo's heroic poem, philosophical grotesque (Erasmus of Rotterdam's treatise "Praise of Stupidity", 1511), Montaigne's essay - in different genres, individual forms and national variants embodied the ideas of the Renaissance.

In music imbued with a humanistic worldview, vocal and instrumental polyphony develops, new genres of secular music appear - solo song, cantata, oratorio and opera, contributing to the establishment of homophony. During the Renaissance, outstanding scientific discoveries in geography, astronomy, anatomy. The ideas of the Renaissance contributed to the destruction of feudal-religious ideas and in many respects objectively met the needs of the emerging bourgeois society.

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Culture and became the forerunner of the culture of modern times. And the Renaissance ended in the XVI-XVII centuries, since in each state it has its own start and end date.

Some general information

The distinctive features of the Renaissance are anthropocentrism, that is, an extraordinary interest in man as an individual and his activities. This also includes the secular nature of culture. In society, there is an interest in the culture of antiquity, something like its “revival” is taking place. Hence, in fact, the name of such an important period of time appeared. The outstanding figures of the Renaissance can be called the immortal Michelangelo, and the ever-living Leonardo da Vinci.

The Renaissance (the main features are briefly described in our article) left its ideological and cultural imprint on all the states of Europe. But for each individual country there are individual historical boundaries of the era. And all - because of the unequal economic and social development.

There was a renaissance in Italy. Here, its first symptoms were noticeable in the XIII-XIV centuries. But the era was firmly rooted only in the 20s of the XV century. In Germany, France and other powers, the Renaissance arose much later. At the end of the XV century falls the highest flowering of the Renaissance. And already in the next century there is a crisis of ideas of this era. As a result of the incident, baroque and mannerism arise.

What was this era?

The time of the Renaissance is the period when the transition from the medieval to the bourgeois begins. This is precisely the stage in history when bourgeois-capitalist relations had not yet taken shape, and the social and feudal foundations had already been shaken.

During the Renaissance, a nation begins to take shape. At this time, the authorities of the kings, with the support of ordinary citizens, managed to overcome the power of the feudal nobles. Until that time, there were so-called associations, which were called states solely for geographical reasons. Now large monarchies are being born, the foundations of which are nationalities and historical destinies.

The Renaissance is characterized by the incredible development of trade relations between different countries. During this period, grandiose geographical discoveries are made. The Renaissance was the period when the foundations of modern scientific theories were laid. Thus, natural science appeared with its inventions and discoveries. The turning point for the described process is the discovery of printing. And it was it that immortalized the Renaissance as an era.

Other achievements of the Renaissance

The Renaissance is briefly characterized by high achievements in the field of literature. Thanks to the advent of printing, it acquires the possibilities of distribution, which it could not afford before. Ancient manuscripts that have risen like a phoenix from the ashes are beginning to be translated into different languages and republish. They travel the world as fast as ever. The learning process has become much easier thanks to the ability to multiply on paper media the most diverse scientific achievements and knowledge.

The revived interest in antiquity and the study of this period was reflected in religious mores and attitudes. Caluccio Salutatti, Chancellor of the Republic of Florence, announced that Holy Bible is nothing but poetry. During the Renaissance, the Holy Inquisition reaches the peak of its activity. This was due to the fact that such a deep study of ancient works could undermine faith in Jesus Christ.

Early and High Renaissance

Features of the Renaissance are indicated by two periods of the Renaissance. So, scientists divide the whole era into the Early Renaissance and the High Renaissance. The first period lasted 80 years - from 1420 to 1500. During this time, art has not yet completely got rid of the remnants of the past, but already tried to combine them with elements borrowed from classical antiquity. Only much later and very slowly, thanks to the influence of radically changing conditions of culture and life, did artists abandon the foundations of the Middle Ages and, without a twinge of conscience, begin to use ancient art.

But it all happened in Italy. In other states, art was subordinated to Gothic for a long time. Only at the end of the 15th century did the Renaissance begin in Spain and in the states located north of the Alps. Here, the early stage of the era continues until the middle of the 16th century. But nothing worthy of attention was produced during this period.

high renaissance

The second era of the Renaissance is considered the most grandiose time of its existence. The High Renaissance also lasted 80 years (1500-1580). During this period, Rome becomes the capital of art, not Florence. All this became possible due to the ascension to the throne of Pope Julius II. This was an ambitious man. He was also famous for his honesty and enterprise. It was he who attracted the best Italian artists to his court. Under Julius II and his successors, a huge number of monumental sculptures were built, unsurpassed sculptures were molded, frescoes and paintings were painted, which are still considered masterpieces of world culture.

Renaissance Art Periods

The ideas of the Renaissance were embodied in the art of that period. But before talking about the art itself, I would like to highlight its main stages. So, they celebrate the Proto-Renaissance or the introductory period (approximately 1260-1320), Ducento (XIII century), Trecento (XIV century), as well as Quattrocento (XV century) and Cinquecento (XVI century).

Naturally, the sequence of the boundaries of centuries does not quite coincide with the specific stages of cultural development. The Proto-Renaissance marks the end of the 13th century, the Early Renaissance ends in the 1490s, and the High Renaissance ends before the 1530s. Only in Venice does it continue to exist until the end of the 16th century.

Renaissance literature

Renaissance literature is such immortal names as Shakespeare, Ronsard, Lorenzo Vala, Petrarch, Du Bellay and others. It was during the Renaissance that poets demonstrated the victory of mankind over their own shortcomings and mistakes of the past. The most developed was the literature of Germany, France, England, Spain and Italy.

On the English literature Italian poetry and classical works had a great influence. Thomas Wyatt introduces the sonnet form, which quickly gains popularity. Also worthy of attention is the sonnet created by the Earl of Surrey. The history of the literature of England is in many ways similar to the literature of France, although their external similarity is minimal.

German Renaissance literature is known for the introduction of Schwanks during this period. These are interesting and funny stories, which were first created in the form of poetry, and later - in prose. They talked about life, about everyday life ordinary people. All this was served in a light, playful and casual style.

Literature of France, Spain and Italy

French literature of the Renaissance is marked by new trends. became the patroness of the ideas of the reformation and humanism. In France, folk and urban creativity began to come to the fore.

The Renaissance (briefly it can be found in our article) in Spain is divided into several periods: the early Renaissance, the High Renaissance and the Baroque. Throughout the epoch, there has been an increased attention to culture and science in the country. In Spain, journalism is developing, typography appears. Some writers intertwine religious motives and secular ideas of humanism.

Representatives of Italian literature of the Renaissance are Francesco Petrarca and Giovanni Boccaccio. They became the first poets who began to express lofty images and thoughts in a frank, common language. This innovation was received with a bang and spread to other countries.

Renaissance and art

The features of the Renaissance is that the human body has become the main source of inspiration and the subject of research for the artists of this time. Thus, emphasis was placed on the similarity of sculpture and painting with reality. The main features of the art of the Renaissance period include radiance, refined brushwork, the play of shadow and light, thoroughness in the process of work and complex compositions. For Renaissance artists, images from the Bible and myths were the main ones.

In resemblance real person with his image on this or that canvas was so close that the fictional character seemed alive. This cannot be said about the art of the 20th century.

The Renaissance (its main trends are briefly outlined above) perceived the human body as an endless beginning. Scientists and artists regularly improved their skills and knowledge by studying the bodies of individuals. At that time, the prevailing opinion was that man was created in the likeness and image of God. This statement reflected physical perfection. The main and important objects of Renaissance art were the gods.

Nature and beauty of the human body

Renaissance art paid great attention to nature. A characteristic element of the landscapes was a varied and lush vegetation. Skies of a blue-blue hue that pierced the sun's rays that penetrated through the clouds white color, were a great backdrop for the hovering creatures. Renaissance art worshiped beauty human body. This feature was manifested in the refined elements of the muscles and body. Difficult poses, facial expressions and gestures, a well-coordinated and clear color palette are characteristic of the work of sculptors and sculptors of the Renaissance period. These include Titian, Leonardo da Vinci, Rembrandt and others.

A distinctive feature of the Renaissance is the secular nature of culture and its anthropocentrism (that is, interest, first of all, in a person and his activities). There is an interest in ancient culture, there is, as it were, its “revival” - and this is how the term appeared.

The term Renaissance is already found among Italian humanists, for example, in Giorgio Vasari. In its modern meaning, the term was coined by the 19th-century French historian Jules Michelet. Nowadays, the term Renaissance has become a metaphor for cultural flourishing: for example, the Carolingian Renaissance of the 9th century.

General characteristics of the Renaissance
A new cultural paradigm arose as a result of fundamental changes in social relations in Europe.

The growth of city-republics led to an increase in the influence of estates that did not participate in feudal relations: artisans and artisans, merchants, and bankers. All of them were alien to the hierarchical system of values ​​created by the medieval, largely church culture and its ascetic, humble spirit. This led to the emergence of humanism - a socio-philosophical movement that considered a person, his personality, his freedom, his active, creative activity as the highest value and criterion for evaluating social institutions.

Secular centers of science and art began to appear in the cities, the activities of which were outside the control of the church. The new worldview turned to antiquity, seeing in it an example of humanistic, non-ascetic relations. The invention of printing in the middle of the 15th century played a huge role in spreading the ancient heritage and new views throughout Europe.

The revival arose in Italy, where its first signs were noticeable as early as the 13th and 14th centuries (in the activities of the Pisano, Giotto, Orcagni, and others families), but where it was firmly established only from the 20s of the 15th century. In France, Germany and other countries, this movement began much later. By the end of the 15th century, it reached its peak. In the 16th century, a crisis of Renaissance ideas was brewing, resulting in the emergence of Mannerism and Baroque.

Renaissance art.
Under the theocentrism and asceticism of the medieval picture of the world, art in the Middle Ages served primarily religion, conveying the world and man in their relation to God, in conditional forms, was concentrated in the space of the temple. Neither the visible world nor man could be self-valuable objects of art. In the 13th century in medieval culture new trends are observed (the cheerful teaching of St. Francis, the work of Dante, the forerunners of humanism). In the second half of the 13th c. the beginning of a transitional era in the development of Italian art - the Proto-Renaissance (lasted until the beginning of the 15th century), which prepared the Renaissance. The work of some artists of this time (G. Fabriano, Cimabue, S. Martini, etc.), quite medieval in iconography, is imbued with a more cheerful and secular beginning, the figures acquire a relative volume. In sculpture, the Gothic incorporeality of figures is overcome, Gothic emotionality is reduced (N. Pisano). For the first time, a clear break with medieval traditions manifested itself at the end of the 13th - the first third of the 14th century. in the frescoes of Giotto di Bondone, who introduced a sense of three-dimensional space into painting, painted figures more voluminous, paid more attention to the setting and, most importantly, showed a special, alien to exalted Gothic, realism in depicting human experiences.

On the soil cultivated by the masters of the Proto-Renaissance, the Italian Renaissance arose, which passed through several phases in its evolution (Early, High, Late). Associated with a new, in fact, secular worldview, expressed by humanists, it loses its inextricable connection with religion, painting and statue spread beyond the temple. With the help of painting, the artist mastered the world and man as they were seen by the eye, applying a new artistic method (transferring three-dimensional space using perspective (linear, airy, color), creating the illusion of plastic volume, maintaining the proportionality of figures). Interest in the personality, its individual traits was combined with the idealization of a person, the search for "perfect beauty". The plots of sacred history did not leave art, but from now on their depiction was inextricably linked with the task of mastering the world and embodying the earthly ideal (hence Bacchus and John the Baptist Leonardo, Venus and Our Lady of Botticelli are so similar). Renaissance architecture loses its gothic aspiration to the sky, acquires a “classical” balance and proportionality, proportionality to the human body. The ancient order system is being revived, but the elements of the order were not parts of the structure, but decor that adorned both traditional (temple, palace of authorities) and new types of buildings (city palace, country villa).

The ancestor of the Early Renaissance is the Florentine painter Masaccio, who picked up the tradition of Giotto, achieved an almost sculptural tangibility of figures, used the principles of linear perspective, and left the conventionality of depicting the situation. Further development of painting in the 15th century. went in the schools of Florence, Umbria, Padua, Venice (F. Lippi, D. Veneziano, P. dela Francesco, A. Pallayolo, A. Mantegna, K. Criveli, S. Botticelli and many others). In the 15th century Renaissance sculpture is born and develops (L. Ghiberti, Donatello, I. della Quercia, L. della Robbia, Verrocchio, etc., Donatello was the first to create a self-standing round statue not connected with architecture, he was the first to depict a naked body with an expression of sensuality) and architecture (F. Brunelleschi, L. B. Alberti and others). Masters of the 15th century (primarily L. B. Alberti, P. della Francesco) created the theory of fine arts and architecture.

Around 1500, in the work of Leonardo da Vinci, Raphael, Michelangelo, Giorgione, Titian, Italian painting and sculpture reached its highest point, entering the time of the High Renaissance. The images they created perfectly embodied human dignity, strength, wisdom, beauty. An unprecedented plasticity and spatiality was achieved in painting. Architecture reached its peak in the work of D. Bramante, Raphael, Michelangelo. Already in the 1520s in the art of Central Italy, in the art of Venice in the 1530s, changes were taking place, which meant the onset of the Late Renaissance. The classical ideal of the High Renaissance associated with the humanism of the 15th century quickly lost its significance, not responding to the new historical situation (the loss of Italy's independence) and the spiritual climate (Italian humanism became more sober, even tragic). The work of Michelangelo, Titian acquires dramatic tension, tragedy, sometimes reaching despair, the complexity of formal expression. P. Veronese, A. Palladio, J. Tintoretto and others can be attributed to the Late Renaissance. The reaction to the crisis of the High Renaissance was the emergence of a new artistic movement - mannerism, with its heightened subjectivity, mannerisms (often reaching pretentiousness and affectation), impulsive religious spirituality and cold allegorism (Pontormo, Bronzino, Cellini, Parmigianino, etc.).

The Northern Renaissance was prepared by the emergence in the 1420s - 1430s on the basis of the late Gothic (not without the indirect influence of the Jott tradition) of a new style in painting, the so-called "ars nova" - "new art" (E. Panofsky's term). Its spiritual basis, according to researchers, was primarily the so-called "New Piety" of the northern mystics of the 15th century, which assumed specific individualism and pantheistic acceptance of the world. The origins of the new style were the Dutch painters Jan van Eyck, who also improved oil paints, and the Master from Flemall, followed by G. van der Goes, R. van der Weyden, D. Boats, G. tot Sint Jans, I. Bosch and others (mid-second half of the 15th century). New Netherlandish painting received a wide response in Europe: already in the 1430s–1450s, the first samples of new painting appeared in Germany (L. Moser, G. Mulcher, especially K. Witz), in France (Master of the Annunciation from Aix and, of course, Zh .Fuke). The new style was characterized by a special realism: the transmission of three-dimensional space through perspective (although, as a rule, approximately), the desire for three-dimensionality. "New Art", deeply religious, was interested in individual experiences, the character of a person, appreciating in him, above all, humility, piety. His aesthetics is alien to the Italian pathos of the perfect in man, passion for classical forms (the faces of the characters are not perfectly proportioned, gothic angular). With special love, nature, life were depicted in detail, carefully written out things, as a rule, had a religious and symbolic meaning.

Actually art Northern Renaissance born at the turn of the 15th-16th centuries. as a result of the interaction of the national artistic and spiritual traditions of the trans-Alpine countries with the Renaissance art and humanism of Italy, with the development of northern humanism. The first artist of the Renaissance type can be considered the outstanding German master A. Durer, who involuntarily, however, retained the Gothic spirituality. A complete break with Gothic was made by G. Holbein the Younger with his "objectivity" of the painting style. The painting of M. Grunewald, on the contrary, was imbued with religious exaltation. The German Renaissance was the work of one generation of artists and dwindled in the 1540s. in the Netherlands in the first third of the 16th century. currents oriented towards the High Renaissance and mannerism of Italy began to spread (J. Gossart, J. Scorel, B. van Orley, etc.). The most interesting thing in the Dutch painting of the 16th century. - this is the development of the genres of easel painting, everyday life and landscape (K. Masseys, Patinir, Luke of Leiden). The most nationally original artist of the 1550s–1560s was P. Brueghel the Elder, who owns paintings of everyday life and landscape genres, as well as paintings-parables, usually associated with folklore and a bitterly ironic look at the life of the artist himself. The Renaissance in the Netherlands ends in the 1560s. The French Renaissance, which was entirely courtly in nature (in the Netherlands and Germany, art was more associated with the burghers) was perhaps the most classical in the Northern Renaissance. The new Renaissance art, gradually gaining strength under the influence of Italy, reaches maturity in the middle - second half of the century in the work of architects P. Lesko, the creator of the Louvre, F. Delorme, sculptors J. Goujon and J. Pilon, painters F. Clouet, J. Cousin Senior. The “Fontainebleau school”, founded in France by the Italian artists Rosso and Primaticcio, who worked in the Mannerist style, had a great influence on the above-mentioned painters and sculptors, but the French masters did not become Mannerists, having perceived the classical ideal hidden under the Mannerist guise. The Renaissance in French art ends in the 1580s. In the second half of the 16th century Renaissance art of Italy and others European countries gradually gives way to mannerism and early baroque.

The Renaissance is a time of cultural flourishing, the heyday of all the arts, but the most fully expressing the spirit of its time was the fine arts.

Renaissance, or Renaissance(French "newly" + "born") was of world importance in the history of European culture. The Renaissance replaced the Middle Ages and preceded the Enlightenment.
The main features of the Renaissance- the secular nature of culture, humanism and anthropocentrism (interest in a person and his activities). During the Renaissance period, interest in ancient culture flourished and, as it were, its “revival” took place.
The revival arose in Italy - its first signs appeared as early as the 13th-14th centuries. (Tony Paramoni, Pisano, Giotto, Orcagna and others). But it was firmly established from the 20s of the 15th century, and by the end of the 15th century. reached its highest peak.
In other countries, the Renaissance began much later. In the XVI century. the crisis of the ideas of the Renaissance begins, the consequence of this crisis is the emergence of mannerism and baroque.

Renaissance periods

The Renaissance is divided into 4 periods:

1. Proto-Renaissance (2nd half of the XIII century - XIV century)
2. Early Renaissance (beginning of the XV-end of the XV century)
3. High Renaissance (late 15th - first 20 years of the 16th century)
4. Late Renaissance (mid-16th-90s of the 16th century)

The fall of the Byzantine Empire played a role in the formation of the Renaissance. The Byzantines who moved to Europe brought with them their libraries and works of art, unknown to medieval Europe. In Byzantium, they never broke with ancient culture either.
Appearance humanism(of the socio-philosophical movement, which considered man as the highest value) was associated with the absence of feudal relations in the Italian city-republics.
Secular centers of science and art began to appear in the cities, which were not controlled by the church. whose activities were outside the control of the Church. In the middle of the XV century. typography was invented, which played an important role in spreading new views throughout Europe.

Brief characteristics of the Renaissance periods

Proto-Renaissance

Proto-Renaissance is the forerunner of the Renaissance. It is still closely connected with the Middle Ages, with Byzantine, Romanesque and Gothic traditions. It is associated with the names of Giotto, Arnolfo di Cambio, the Pisano brothers, Andrea Pisano.

Andrea Pisano. Bas-relief "Creation of Adam". Opera del Duomo (Florence)

The painting of the Proto-Renaissance is represented by two art schools: Florence (Cimabue, Giotto) and Siena (Duccio, Simone Martini). The central figure of painting was Giotto. He was considered a reformer of painting: he filled religious forms with secular content, made a gradual transition from planar images to three-dimensional and relief images, turned to realism, introduced the plastic volume of figures into painting, depicted the interior in painting.

Early Renaissance

This is the period from 1420 to 1500. The artists of the Early Renaissance of Italy drew motives from life, filled traditional religious subjects with earthly content. In sculpture, these were L. Ghiberti, Donatello, Jacopo della Quercia, the della Robbia family, A. Rossellino, Desiderio da Settignano, B. da Maiano, A. Verrocchio. Free-standing statues, picturesque reliefs, portrait busts, and equestrian monuments begin to develop in their work.
In Italian painting of the XV century. (Masaccio, Filippo Lippi, A. del Castagno, P. Uccello, Fra Angelico, D. Ghirlandaio, A. Pollaiolo, Verrocchio, Piero della Francesca, A. Mantegna, P. Perugino, etc.) are characterized by a sense of the harmonious ordering of the world, conversion to the ethical and civic ideals of humanism, joyful perception of the beauty and diversity of the real world.
The ancestor of Italian Renaissance architecture was Filippo Brunelleschi (1377-1446), an architect, sculptor and scientist, one of the creators of the scientific theory of perspective.

A special place in the history of Italian architecture is occupied by Leon Battista Alberti (1404-1472). This Italian scholar, architect, writer and musician of the Early Renaissance was educated in Padua, studied law in Bologna, and later lived in Florence and Rome. He created theoretical treatises On the Statue (1435), On Painting (1435–1436), On Architecture (published in 1485). He defended the "folk" (Italian) language as a literary one, in the ethical treatise "On the Family" (1737-1441) he developed the ideal harmoniously developed personality. In architectural work, Alberti gravitated towards bold experimental solutions. He was one of the pioneers of the new European architecture.

Palazzo Rucellai

Leon Battista Alberti designed a new type of palazzo with a façade treated with rustication to its full height and dissected by three tiers of pilasters, which look like the structural basis of the building (Palazzo Rucellai in Florence, built by B. Rossellino according to Alberti's plans).
Opposite the Palazzo stands the Rucellai Loggia, where receptions and banquets for trading partners were held, weddings were celebrated.

Loggia Rucellai

High Renaissance

This is the time of the most magnificent development of the Renaissance style. In Italy, it lasted from about 1500 to 1527. Now the center of Italian art is moving from Florence to Rome, thanks to the accession to the papal throne. Julia II, an ambitious, courageous, enterprising person who attracted to his court best artists Italy.

Raphael Santi "Portrait of Pope Julius II"

Many monumental buildings are being built in Rome, magnificent sculptures are being created, frescoes and paintings are being painted, which are still considered masterpieces of painting. Antiquity is still highly valued and carefully studied. But imitation of the ancients does not stifle the independence of artists.
The pinnacle of the Renaissance is the work of Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519), Michelangelo Buonarroti (1475-1564) and Raphael Santi (1483-1520).

Late Renaissance

In Italy, this is the period from the 1530s to the 1590s-1620s. The art and culture of this time is very diverse. Some believe (for example, British scientists) that "Renaissance as a holistic historical period ended with the fall of Rome in 1527. Art late Renaissance represents a very complex picture of the struggle of various currents. Many artists did not seek to study nature and its laws, but only outwardly tried to assimilate the "manner" of the great masters: Leonardo, Raphael and Michelangelo. On this occasion, the aged Michelangelo once said, looking at how artists copy his "Last Judgment": "My art will make many fools."
AT Southern Europe the Counter-Reformation triumphed, which did not welcome any free thought, including the chanting of the human body and the resurrection of the ideals of antiquity.
Famous artists of this period were Giorgione (1477/1478-1510), Paolo Veronese (1528-1588), Caravaggio (1571-1610) and others. Caravaggio considered the founder of the Baroque style.