The Northern Renaissance And The Spirit Of The Northern Renaissance

Jan van Eyck painted portraits and religious paintings during the Northern Renaissance. He painted portraits of royalty and other wealthy people. Van Eyck also painted religious paintings for the church. Van Eyck was one of the only Northern Renaissance painters who could read and write. He signed his own paintings with a clever signature. He also wrote lengthy inscriptions on his paintings. Van Eyck’s work is still copied today.

Jan van Eyck was born during c. 1935 in Maaseik, Bishopric of Liege, the Renaissance period. He had a sister Margareta, and at least two brothers, Hubert (died 1426) and Lambert was active between 1431 and 1442 (Both of them were also painters). Yet the order of their births is not known. Another significant, and rather younger, painter who worked in Southern France, Barthélemy van Eyck, is presumed to be a relation. It is not known where Jan was educated, but he had knowledge of Latin and used the Greek and Hebrew alphabets in many of the inscriptions, indicating that he was schooled in the classics. (From Wikipedia) The first ever record of Eyck is from the court of John of Bavaria at The Hague, where payments were made to Jan van Eyck between 1422 and 1424 as court painter, with the court rank of valet de chambre. This suggests a date of birth

PBS Interview on Italian and Northern Renaissance The Italian Renaissance, in the 1300s and 1600s, is more significant than the Northern Renaissance, which started after the Italian Renaissance was in countries North of Italy. The reason that the Italian Renaissance was more significant was because it was portrayed as a reintroduction to classic arts and large discoveries, as compared to the Northern Renaissance which had many religious changes and technical advances. The Italian Renaissance was centered around the rebirth of classic Roman and Greek arts and studies.

The Italian and Northern Renaissances’ happened about the same time in the 15th century but the Italian Renaissance is the more famous of the two. The Italian Renaissance is well known because of artists’ like Michelangelo while the Northern Renaissance is well known because of artists like Jan Van Eyck. Although there are many differences in the two renaissances’ there are also a few similarities between them. Both of the Renaissances had distinct artists’ hubs or centers. The Italian’s was in Florence and the Northern Renaissance was in Flanders, Belgium and then eventually Germany.

Van Eyck pursued a career at two courts. Working for John of Bavaria, count of Hainaut-Holland, and then was made court painter and valet de chambre to Duke Philip the Good, Duke of Burgundy, the most powerful ruler and foremost patron of the arts in Flanders (Pioch). Employment at court secured him a high social standing which was very unusual for a painter, as well as artistic independence from the painters’ guild of Bruges. Many aspects of his work were intended to promote his personal reputation and abilities, which he accomplished by signing and dating his pictures (also

Northern Renaissance humanists placed more emphasis on early Christian history and works than their Italian counterparts. They studied the Holy Scriptures and the works of several early church fathers, such as Augustine and Jerome. They believed that the Christian church was much simpler than the church of their time. They were also noted for their reform program, in which they believed that they need to change the humans in order to improve society. Erasmus, a famous humanist, wrote that he “would [prefer] that even the lowliest women read the Gospels and the Pauline Epistles.” (Spielvogel 337). His quote reflected the attitude of many Christian humanists at that time. Christian humanists support the use of education since they believed

The Italian and Northern Europe Renaissances were both an important mark in history by changing the ideals of life, thought, culture, and art of the people’s of this time. In this paper I will explain the motive for change in these cultures, including the similarities and differences of the two cultures.

Historically, there was economic, social order, and governmental upheavals that occurred before the renaissance began such as the spread of the Bubonic Plague in the 14th century. The beginning of the renaissance was introduced by the Italian renaissance since they experienced a period of academic changes throughout Europe. However, the Northern renaissance came along that started in France with particular types of strengths and traits involved. Equally important, the Northern renaissance was the expansion of goals, mainly from Italy and then to the rest of Northern Europe while the Italian renaissance was more secular. For that reason, social with political improvement led to the values of christianity and the reform of the church.

The Renaissance was a period of great cultural and technological changes that swept Europe from the end of the 13th century. It was integral in developing Europe into a powerhouse. Although, each part of Europe was subjected to different changes, there were two primary renaissances, which were most notable. They were the Italian and the Northern renaissance. Both of these renaissances had a profound impact on Europe. But they also had some typical differences among them and each was unique in its own way.

The time during the Netherlandish Renaissance was when Dutch painter Dieric Bouts flourished. The Netherlandish Renaissance took place during the 15 and 16th centuries and it brought about the rapid growth of fine art painting. The artists of the time experimented with oil paintings to create paintings focusing on what they saw and less on aesthetics or perspective. As a result of churches being strong beneficiaries to painters and the arts, there was a large increase in Christian themed paintings.

Not much is known of Van Eyck's socio-economic background however based on the time period one can infer what influenced his artwork. The Lucca Madonna was painted during the Northern Renaissance.The northern Renaissance is an artistic period that occurred in Northern European countries such as the Netherlands, Germany, Holland, England, and France. Artwork during the period was influenced by gothic traditions, exploration of the new world, individualism, realism, the formation of nation-states and religion. The Northern Renaissance painting often included iconography, intense detail and vibrant colors. Although Catholicism was practiced in northern Europe, the end of feudalism diminished the church's power and many secular institutions began to arise.

The Renaissance began in Florence, Italy around the 1500’s to about the 1700’s. Florence, Italy was the mecca of this rebirth because at the time Florence was extremely wealthy and the people of the city had political freedom and those new ideals of the Renaissance were not being condemned in Florence as they were other cities. This was a time where the arts and the logic of one’s own mind was valued rather than criticized, the antiquated medieval ideals no longer matched the needs of those who were living during the early Renaissance. Eventually, a term for this way of thinking arose and was called Humanism, and what humanism is, is an ideology where humans can lead themselves to create a prosperous life and instead of leaning on supernatural forces for answers. Humanists believe that humans have enough logic to create conclusions themselves. This brand-new way of thinking caused a lot of controversy because it did question God’s ability and the church’s power, but the ideas behind it are still heavily used today, even in the 21st century. Humanism in the early Renaissance is important because it called for thinking with reason, it allowed an appreciation for human body and mind, inspired authors and caused a shift in power.

The Renaissance period is known for the revival of the classical art and intellect born in ancient Greece and Rome. The Renaissance is also a time that is marked by growth, exploration, and rebirth. The Italian Renaissance started in Florence and progressively made its way into Venice and then into the great city of Rome. During the Renaissance, Rome was home to some of the most renowned works of art and the finest architectural masterpieces in the world - too many that still holds true today. Along with the delicate architecture and grand artistry, Rome was also home to a mixture of people and cultures. It is in this cultural context and through the book A Street Life in Renaissance Rome: A Brief History with Documents, that understanding how men, woman, and specifically Jews and Christians lived in Rome becomes important to better understand this period of renewal.

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“The rebirth.” “The early modern period.” The Renaissance is alluded to by many names, referring to the great artistic renewal period beginning in the 14th century and ending in the 17th century. Occurring after the Medieval Period, it is often considered to be the bridge to modern day history as we know it. It was period of change, revival, and great augmentation for society. With the Middle Ages coming to an end and with the intellectual decline that had followed, scholars and thinkers alike began to study the ideals of ancient philosophers of the classical world, most prominently the Greeks and Romans, a time of great innovation and high human achievement, the likes of Humanism that hadn’t been seen for centuries.