Northern Renaissance 15-2

Section 2: The Northern Renaissance

In this section

· You will learn how the ideas of the Italian Renaissance spread to other parts of Europe.

· You will find out how the printing press affected life in Europe.

· You will discover how northern Renaissance writers differed from Italian humanists.

· Finally, you will learn about the principal characteristics of northern Renaissance art.

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Focus Questions

1. How did the printing press affect life in Europe?

2. How did Erasmus and More differ from Italian humanists in their outlooks on life?

3. What evidence would you give that realism was important in northern Renaissance art?

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Vocabulary

Section 2

Johannes Gutenberg: First European to use movable type to print books; printed the Bible in about 1450

Desiderius Erasmus: Dutch scholar and former monk who criticized the medieval church for making Christian faith too complicated and ceremonial

Thomas More: English humanist who condemned governments as corrupt and argued that private ownership of property causes unnecessary conflict between people

William Shakespeare: Leading literary figure of the Renaissance who transformed well-known stories into masterpieces of drama and skillfully portrayed personality and human emotions

Flemish school: Group of painters who perfected the technique of oil painting on canvas

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Section 2 Summary

Renaissance ideas soon spread from Italy to Northern Europe. Travelers carried them through mountain passes piercing the Alps and along the Danube, Rhine, and Rhone Rivers. Students who studied in Italy carried their knowledge back to Germany, the Netherlands, France, and England. As trade created new wealth, universities were established in these countries.

The invention of printing also spread Renaissance ideas. Hundreds of years earlier, the Chinese had etched writing on wooden blocks, inked them, and pressed them on paper. The Chinese also assembled blocks from separate pieces, or type. In about 1450, Johannes Gutenberg of Germany became the first European to use movable type to print books. He printed copies of the Bible. Printing presses spread throughout Europe, with great economic, social, and technological impact. Printed books spread humanist ideas to a wide audience.

The most influential humanist of northern Europe was Desiderius Erasmus (i·RAZ·mus), a Dutch scholar and former monk. Unlike Italian humanists, Erasmus was interested in the early Christians as well as early Greek and Roman culture. Erasmus criticized the medieval church for making Christian faith too complicated and ceremonial. He condemned fasting, pilgrimages, and the church’s interpretation of the Bible. Erasmus argued for a return to the original, simple message of Jesus.

Thomas More, an English humanist, took a similar view. In his book Utopia, More condemned governments as corrupt and argued that private ownership of property causes unnecessary conflict between people. He created an ideal society where all male citizens were equal and worked to support the society. More’s works were read by humanists throughout Europe.

Later in life he served King Henry VIII, who executed More for refusing to agree that the King was head of the English church. The Catholic Church made him a saint. English Renaissance writers created great works of literature. Playwrights such as Christopher Marlowe wrote plays about human, rather than godly, actions.

William Shakespeare, the leading literary figure of the time, transformed well-known stories into masterpieces of drama. He skillfully portrayed personality and human emotions. Northern European merchants brought back Italian paintings, and Northern European artists studied with Italian masters. Soon they developed their own styles.

The Flemish school was a group of painters who perfected the technique of oil painting on canvas. Brothers Jan and Hubert van Eyck focused on realistic detail such as facial expressions. Another Flemish artist, Pieter Brueghel (BROO·guhl), painted lively scenes of peasants, including village festivals and dances.

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German artist Albrecht Dürer made copper engravings and woodcuts, which could be used to print illustrations in books. Another German artist, Hans Holbein the Younger, traveled through Europe painting lifelike portraits of famous people. Portraits reflected the Renaissance interest in individual lives.

Northern European artist adopted Italian techniques such as perspective. However, Italian paintings often depicted figures based on Greek and Roman ideals. Northern artists painted human figures more like Europeans of the 1500s—bald, frail, and imperfect. Some northern artists did depict the early Christian church, reflecting the ideas of Christian humanism.

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1. How did the printing press affect life in Europe?

The printing press had great economic, social, and technological impact on Europe and spread Renaissance humanist ideas. The printing press had great economic, social, and technological impact on Europe and spread Renaissance humanist ideas.

2. How did Erasmus and More differ from Italian humanists in their outlooks on life?

• Erasmus and More differed from Italian humanists in their outlooks on life because they were interested in early Christian as well as classical culture.

3. What evidence would you give that realism was important in northern Renaissance art?

• Evidence of realism in northern Renaissance art includes their great attention to detail such as facial expressions; realistic subject matter such as village festivals and portrait painting; and portrayal of realistic human figures that were like Europeans of the 1500s—bald, frail, and imperfect.