History of arts: Renaissance Baroque Rococo
The Renaissance times The European Renaissance was a time of massive economic and cultural growth following the stagnation of the Middle Ages. Beginning in Italy in the 14th century, the movement spread to all parts of the continent during the next 300 years. The outstanding cultural and artistic heritage of the Renaissance can still be […]
The Renaissance times
The European Renaissance was a time of massive economic and cultural growth following the stagnation of the Middle Ages. Beginning in Italy in the 14th century, the movement spread to all parts of the continent during the next 300 years. The outstanding cultural and artistic heritage of the Renaissance can still be seen today in many of the great cities of the period, including Florence and Venice in Italy, Bruges in Belgium and Toledo in Spain.
During its heyday between the 13th and 16th centuries, Venice was one of the most powerful city-states in Europe, controlling the all-important trade routes between East and West. The vast wealth generated by this trade left a legacy that can still be seen today, in the magnificent Renaissance palaces and churches of Venice.
In Northern Europe, the Renaissance first took hold in the Flemish-speaking area of modern-day Belgium. Bruges was one of the great cities of the period and where the heritage of the Renaissance is most easily visible today. Michelangelo’s sculpture of the Madonna and Child is on display in the city, as it has been since it was purchased by a wealthy Flemish merchant during Michelangelo’s own lifetime. Bruges also produced artists of its own, however. Probably the best known of these is the 15th-century painter Jan van Eyck, whose works can be seen in the city’s museums.
When the King of Spain moved his capital to Madrid in the 16th century, the old capital of Toledo became a forgotten backwater — a virtual time capsule of the Renaissance period. At its height, however, the city was more than just the capital of Spain. The Spanish king was also the Holy Roman Emperor, and for a time Toledo was the imperial capital. The greatest painter of the Spanish Renaissance, El Greco, lived and worked in the city for almost 40 years. Among the many works by him that remain in Toledo is his masterpiece, the gigantic “Burial of the Count of Orgaz.”
What is Feudalism and why did it change to nobility?
What is Feudalism? It can be best defined as the most prevalent social system in Medieval Europe, in this system the crown gave away lands to the nobles, forming a legacy of nobility and in exchange for military services. The peasants of the lands were entitled to answer their lords to provide them with homage, labour, and some share of their produce in return for the protection that was granted to them by the nobles. The system came in handy after the fall of Rome and the collapse of a strong governing authority in Western Europe.
Architecture during the Renaissance movement adopted the features of classical Rome. But there were a lot of elements in play that changed the form of Renaissance architecture. In generality, the plans of Renaissance structures followed symmetrical appearances, and proportions were derived from modularity. The features that inspired the style were the classical orders – The Doric, Ionic, and Corinthian, the difference being in the earlier times those were used to as a decorative feature by the Romans, whereas during the movement they became more of constructive significance.
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