Renaissance
The Renaissance was a European cultural movement that began in Italy and renewed interest in classical learning, literature, and artistic forms.
Renaissance humanism: An intellectual movement that studied classical literature and emphasized human agency, education, and civic life. Its focus on classical texts and human capacities shaped Renaissance education and writing.
Florence: A city in Tuscany that became a major center of finance, politics, and Renaissance art. Its civic institutions and wealthy patrons supported an early concentration of Renaissance work.
Italian city-states: Independent or semi-independent urban political communities that shaped Italy before national unification. Their rivalry and wealth created competing centers for Renaissance commissions and learning.
Renaissance art: European visual art associated with renewed classical study, naturalistic representation, and experimentation with perspective. Painting and sculpture made the movement's formal innovations especially visible.
Classical antiquity: The civilizations and cultures of ancient Greece and Rome, especially their literature, art, and political thought. Renaissance scholars and artists treated Greek and Roman works as models for renewal.
Leonardo da Vinci: An Italian artist, engineer, and natural philosopher whose notebooks and paintings epitomize Renaissance inquiry. His work joined artistic practice with close observation of nature and technology.
Medici family: A Florentine banking and political dynasty that supported artists, architects, and scholars. Medici patronage helped make Florence a leading center of Renaissance culture.
Renaissance literature: Writing from the Renaissance that drew on classical models and developed vernacular and humanist forms. Writers adapted ancient genres while expanding literature in European languages.
Linear perspective: A method of representing three-dimensional space on a flat surface through converging lines and a vanishing point. Its mathematical construction helped Renaissance painters create convincing depth.
Michelangelo: An Italian sculptor, painter, architect, and poet known for works including the David and Sistine Chapel ceiling. His sculpture and painting show the movement's renewed engagement with classical bodies and monumental form.