It is very difficult for anyone to have never heard of the Renaissance, or by its various other names: Renaissance, Renaissance, etc.

But what actually happened during that period that made you so famous? More than that, how did that era change and mark the arts in a way so remembered today?

In this article, we will explore a bit about what the Renaissance movement was, its characteristics and how they were reflected in the artistic expressions of the time. Shall we go?

What was the Renaissance?

The Renaissance was a cultural, artistic, economic and political movement which took place between the 14th and 17th centuries. This remarkable period in history began in Italy and soon spread to more European countries.

The Renaissance movement proposed several changes and transformations in society during the period in which it was in force. The focus of the discussions and questions shifted from theocentrism and migrated to anthropocentrism.

This new perspective enabled the emergence of new artistic styles and new philosophical currents. Some scholars go further and place on the Renaissance the responsibility for the superposition of the Middle Ages by humanity.

Historical context of the Renaissance

As at various moments in history in which there was a significant change or event, it is not possible to blame just one single factor for the emergence of the Renaissance.

There were several issues that helped and converged to strengthen this period.

New old ideals

First of all, let's remember that the beginning of the Renaissance took place in Italy, in the Tuscany region. At that time, the Italians were seeking revive the ideals of ancient Rome and antiquity in general. There was a great deal of interest in reviving ancient culture, through Greek writings.

These ideas made us reflect on the human condition and on all the possibilities of achievements and discoveries that the human being could achieve. This thought was opposed to Primordial thought of the Middle Ages, in which God and religion were the protagonists of human beings' questions and inspiration.

Because of this desire to resume the ideals of antiquity, this period became known as the Renaissance, the Renaissance, or even the Renaissance.

However, what was “reborn” were not exactly the same ancient pagan cultural ideas. There was no effective break with Christianity, what happened was the return of the appreciation of the arts and urban culture, as in Classical Antiquity.

Therefore, one of the first factors for the strengthening of the Renaissance movement is the resumption of ancient ideas that placed the human being at the center of their own lives.

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Great navigations and the reach of new worlds

Another important factor for the period was the maritime technological advancement, allowing the development of great navigations and the reach of new places in the world.

There is no doubt that the great navigations helped and boosted trade in Europe, through the colonization of new lands and the possibility of doing business with other countries and regions of the world.

Because of this, the transformations in the world were very remarkable, Making room for the development of capitalism, the rise of the bourgeoisie and the strengthening of European monetary policy.

A new social class: the bourgeoisie

The new maritime routes and commercial expansion - also strengthened by the Crusades - made it possible to transition from feudalist to mercantilist/capitalist model.

Commercial activities intensified and the small towns known as burgos began to expand as well, housing not only merchants and artisans, but workers in general.

With the strengthening and expansion of the burgos, a social class began to emerge: the bourgeoisie. At first, this expression referred to anyone who lived within the villages, but over time it began to be used to refer to merchants and rich people.

The bourgeoisie was very important for the cultural and artistic development of the Renaissance because they began sponsor writers, painters, and various artists, in a format called patronage.

Patronage in the Renaissance

The practice of patronage was not initiated in the Renaissance. This type of sponsorship came from antiquity, but it suffered great decline during the Middle Ages.

And since we have seen that one of the pillars of the Renaissance is the recovery of some old ideals, it is not surprising that the bourgeoisie returned to this practice during the period.

The point is that Patronage was not something purely and solely to help artists, but it also played a politically relevant role. The patrons, that is, the rich who sponsored artists, had a political and economic projection in parallel with the promotion of culture and the arts.

Therefore, being a patron was a means of the bourgeoisie if Affirm socially and guarantee more powers and relevance in that society that was leaving the Middle Ages and entering the Modern Age.

The bourgeoisie was important to the rise of the Renaissance because encouraged and financed important artistic figures who were already thinking less on theocentrism and more on anthropocentrism.

The invention of the printing press

Another essential factor for the strengthening of the Renaissance was the invention of the printing press, by the German Johann Gutemberg.

Gutemberg invented the printing press between 1439 and 1440 and revolutionized society's information media.

With the printing press, copying manuscripts became much easier and cheaper, facilitating access to books across all layers of society.

At first, Gutemberg made copies of the Bible, but the printing press became very important in the dissemination of the Protestant ideas of Martin Luther and of Renaissance philosophers, scientists, thinkers, and artists.

The use of the press made it possible for all these new ideas to reach more people quickly., making the Renaissance and its ideals popular.

The Protestant Reformation

The last factor that we are going to mention in this text and that helped to strengthen the Renaissance movement in Europe was Protestant Reformation.

Broadly speaking, the Protestant Reformation was a religious reform that I criticized various actions of the Catholic Church at the time. Although their initial motives were indeed religious, there were also many political and economic conflicts that helped to strengthen the reform.

The leader of the movement was Martin Luther and the Protestant Reformation spread rapidly and was absorbed by several other people, such as John Calvin.

The Reformation was important for the Renaissance, because clearly weakened the Catholic Church and allowed new religious thoughts to emerge and if they became popular, like Protestantism and Anglicanism.

In addition, the reform strengthened the economic and political principles of the bourgeoisie, nourishing capitalist ideals.

In other words, the weakened Catholic Church, the greater focus of the human being on himself, and the growth of capitalism and the bourgeoisie were essential for the Renaissance period to actually become a relevant movement in history, both from an economic and social perspective, as well as from an artistic and cultural perspective.

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Characteristics of the Renaissance

Like every important moment and movement in history, the Renaissance had several outstanding features who were able to differentiate this period from the others.

We already briefly went through some of these characteristics at the beginning of this text, such as anthropocentrism, for example. In this section, we will delve deeper and learn about other peculiarities of the Renaissance.

Anthropocentrism

Anthropocentrism was one of the most evident and striking features of the Renaissance, emerging as a counterpoint and, in a certain way, a opposition to the theocentrism of the Middle Ages.

The line of thought of anthropocentrism places the human being at the center of the universe and as a perfect creation of nature. In this sense, anthropocentrism preached The importance of man and emphasized their freedom of action in the world.

The independence of the human being in relation to religion enabled the reflection, creation and production of various other knowledge, giving rise to great discoveries in the field of science.

However, despite this change of focus between religion and the human being, anthropocentrism did not leave aside belief in God, which continued to be very important for people's lives.

The point is that religion ceased to be the only source of truth and of knowledge, these being sought, in anthropocentrism, through reason and not through belief or faith.

Humanism and Individualism

Humanism is closely linked to anthropocentrism because it represents Appreciation of the human being. In the Renaissance period, it was the return to classical ideals that originated humanist thought.

Like anthropocentrism, Humanism does not deny religion, but emphasizes science and empiricism rather than spirituality and the supernatural. To be a humanist is to give importance to human capacity.

In line with humanist thinking, we also have the individualism, very striking in the Renaissance period.

Individualism is related to self-recognition, in terms of the individual's personality, talents, and ambitions. This line of thinking places individuality above the collective.

Rationalism and Scientism

Based on and characteristics based on the appreciation of the human being and the search for truth through observations, other important values of the Renaissance were Rationalism and Scientism.

Rationalism values reason as the main way of acquiring knowledge, valuing observation and empiricism.

Based on this, Scientism values Science and places it above the other various ways in which it is possible to understand the world and the human being, such as philosophy and religion, for example.

However, it is important to stress that Scientism does not preach a doctrine of theory, in which we must apply science at all levels and situations of life. The issue is to use science as a lens to unravel the different mysteries of the world, while at the same time that scientific and technological discoveries are made.

In the Renaissance, there were several scientists whose discoveries changed world perspectives, such as:

• Nicholas Copernicus;
• Galileo Galilei;
• Isaac Newton;
• Leonardo da Vinci;
• Francis Bacon;
• Rene Descartes.

Universalism

Universalism valued the knowledge of people in various areas, such as philosophy, literature, botany, physics, among several others.

The Renaissance period was marked by the expansion of teaching through schools, colleges, and universities.

As a consequence of Universalism, many people were considered polymaths, that is, they had various professional qualifications.

Leonardo Da Vinci, for example, was a poet, inventor, painter, geologist, sculptor, mechanic, and active in several other areas.

The artistic expressions of the Renaissance

The characteristics of the Renaissance period influenced various cultural and artistic areas, mainly because of the change in focus, first religious and then on the human being.

This change in thinking was not only expressed in paintings or sculptures, but they were also very present in architecture and literature.

Architecture

In architecture, names such as:

• Leon Battista Alberti;
• Filippo Brunelleschi;
• Donato Bramante;
• Andrea Palladio;
• Michelangelo Buonarotti.

One of the main changes in architecture was its Emancipation of painting and sculpture, previously seen as something unique. In addition, mathematical orders were prioritized for the construction of structures, but always with a focus on simplicity.

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Painting

Painting was perhaps the artistic manifestation that gained the most strength during the Renaissance and in which great names emerged, such as:

• Leonardo da Vinci;
• Michelangelo;
• Raphael;
• Paolo Uccello;
• Lucas Signorelli;
• Wreath.

Anthropocentric thinking was also extensively explored in the paintings, praising the human being and bringing more realism to the works.

In addition, it was quite common during the period to use different techniques, such as perspective, light and shade, and oil paints.

Another striking feature was the strengthening of artists' personal styles. Despite living at the same time and drinking from the same Renaissance fountain, the painters began to develop their own working styles, underscoring the individualism of the period.

Literature

Literature was another artistic expression heavily influenced by the Renaissance, contemplating the main ideas of the period, such as anthropocentrism and humanism.

The creation of the printing press greatly benefited literature Of the Renaissance because it made it possible for authors to reach more people more quickly. This also meant that the works were written in native languages and not only in Latin, French, or Provençal.

Among the most outstanding Renaissance authors, we can mention:

• Dante Alighieri;
• William Shakespeare;
• Miguel de Cervantes;
• Luís de Camões;
• Nicholas Machiavelli.

The Impact of the Renaissance on Arts and Design

The impact of the Renaissance was quite significant, not only with regard to culture and the arts, but on the world as a whole.

The more scientific perspective opened new doors and perspectives, in addition to the economic and social change that the period provided.

In this context, the arts and design were greatly impacted by the Renaissance in various ways. From the adoption of new techniques, such as perspective in paintings, to the use of mathematical logic in architecture.

In addition, the anthropocentric view was important for us to begin to reflect on man, through man's own vision. Placing the human being at the center can be very familiar to those who work with UX Design.

But don't do it false associations. It can't be said that the user experience was a direct consequence of the Renaissance. However, the importance of a new vision opened many cultural and artistic paths that influenced design in the following centuries, until we arrived today and in UX and UI Design.