Browse Items (85 total)

Miguel Cervantes and his contemporary Félix Lope de Vega represent the Golden Age of Spanish culture. Cervantes wrote his magnum opus, Don Quixote, in Castilian. This dialect developed into literary Spanish. Lope de Vega’s plays and sonnets inspired…

Niccoló Machiavelli’s The Prince served as a major inspiration for Early Modern leaders. He believed that the job of a ruler (a prince) was to preserve order by any means necessary. He believed that coercion and strong-arming the population were par…

Desiderius Erasmus is often considered a pinnacle of Renaissance humanism and represents the spread of humanism to Northern Europe. He self-identified as a citizen of an international republic of letters, and he definitely existed as a citizen of…

Castiglione’s Book of the Courtier is an important account of the experiences of Renaissance court life. It describes the ideal qualities of a male courtier and the perfect lady. The book represents the Renaissance and Early Modern focus on personal…

Giorgio Vasari’s book is an example of the heroic view of the Renaissance, a view that portrays the era’s prominent figures as superhumans with extraordinary abilities. Many intellectuals and artists of the Renaissance recognized their own genius and…

Titian developed oil painting in Venice and served a major role mentoring other artistic greats such as El Greco, Veronese, and Tintoretto. He is thought of as one of the greatest Venetian painters of the Renaissance, and his use of color…

Albrecht Dürer worked in Nuremberg, Germany, beyond the range of the Italian Renaissance. Dürer visited Italy multiple times during his long career, and was inspired by the Classical style and humanistic thought of the region. He represents the…

Raphael’s The School of Athens represents the value of classical ideas in the art world of the Renaissance. The painting depicts several prominent philosophers of Ancient Greece in a large, Classical building. The image represents the Renaissance…

Michelangelo represents the influences of the patronage system on Renaissance artists. The patronage system involved wealthy individuals or institutions sponsoring artists, requesting specific works of art, and supporting artists’ careers. This…

Leonardo da Vinci represents the status of Renaissance artists as humanist scholars. Along with his prolific artistic talents, Leonardo also had skill as a scientist and engineer. He observed nature with insatiable curiosity and provided a legacy of…