finishing up the year

The Renaissance is a period when humanity finally seemed to be getting back on track. After several centuries of stagnation, it's like we were "reborn" (which is what the word renaissance means). Throughout Europe, a cultural revolution took place, especially in painting, sculpture, architecture, and literature.

Your assignment - due Tuesday - is to find examples of the fantastic work done in each of these fields. Post four pictures, and brief descriptions of the pictures, of Renaissance painting, sculpture, architecture, and literature.

It's sad that we have to go through the Renaissance so quickly (stupid February snow!), but we will do the best we can covering one of the coolest time periods in human history. Enjoy your three day weekend!


EXAMPLE of how to do this assignment:

This painting is called "Birth of Venus," painted around 1482 by an Italian artist named Botticelli. Venus is the most beautiful of the goddesses, and the painting was meant to arouse feelings of physical love as well as intellectual love in whoever saw it.






Michelangelo's Pietà is is a beautiful sculpture that shows Mary cradling the body of Jesus after he has been taken down from the cross. Due to recent discoveries in anatomy, as well as Michelangelo's sweet sculpting skills, this is a very realistic-looking work. He carved this statue in Rome, in 1499, when he was only 24 years old. Not bad.






St. Peter's Basilica in Rome is a great example of Roman architecture, as it places great emphasis on proportion and symmetry, and uses columns that recall the great buildings of ancient Rome. It can hold 60,000 people, and is even more beautiful on the inside.








The obvious choice is to include William Shakespeare here, since The Bard is easily the dominant figure of Renaissance literature. But I'm going with John Donne, famous for writing these words after hearing church bells ringing for a funeral:

"... any man's death diminishes me, because I am involved in Mankinde;
And therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls; It tolls for thee."

The picture of John Donne shows what he expected to look like when he rose from his grave at the Apocalypse.