Northern Renaissance Art

The Protestant and English reformation were both reforms that took place in the 16th century against the Roman Catholic Church. Comparatively these reformations are alike and different in some sense. For example, Two leaders led these reforms and went against the church’s beliefs for different purposes.For personal reasons , King Henry VIII went against the church, whereas Martin Luther knew the church could not offer him salvation amongst other reasons.

During the 16th and 17th century areas that were forbidden before began to change. These were areas were humans were only entitled to know what God wanted to reveal, otherwise they were inaccessible or forbidden. The limits on the knowledge humans were able to possess became more accessible during the 16th and 17th centuries. The Reformation shows the decline of the Catholic Church and the rise of questioning authority leading to the Scientific Revolution. The Scientific Revolution showed that observations and conclusions became an acceptable source of knowledge and truth, where it had been less so in earlier times.

Even though Christopher Columbus held onto his belief that he had reached the Indies until the day he died, the new continent he had actually reached had been the result of much geographical speculation and exploration by many curious men. “In some ways, these journeys of discovery collectively represent man’s most astounding characteristic: intellectual curiosity (Watson 424).”

The sixteenth century in Europe was a time of change for the Europe. People were starting to question the Church's authority, some people who questioned the Church were Martin Luther, John Calvin and Henry VIII. These people helped to start the Protestant Reformation. The Protestant Reformation was a time when new religions were formed by people who protested the Catholic faith and what it was doing.

The Renaissance movement was characterized in literature, art, and thought in many ways. It served as the evolutionary bridge between Europe’s Middle Ages and the modern world. The Renaissance is also noted for some of history’s greatest minds, philosophers, artists, and writers.

The Protestant Reformation was an outbreak of resentment toward the Catholic Church in Europe starting in 1517. Catalyzing this era of reform was a man named Martin Luther, as he posted his Ninety-five Theses on the door of Castle Church in Wittenberg, Germany. The Ninety-five Theses were a list of questions and propositions regarding the Church’s corrupted traditions. This was an important event, highlighting the corrupt aspects of the Church, and kicking off an array of different plans to help reform the Church. People such as John Calvin, leaders in England, and most importantly, Martin Luther helped to kick off the start to a new era of change, by making their opinions publicized. People began to recognize these flaws and form their own opinions as to how religion should be, in result, creating new branches of specialized beliefs. The

Martin Luther was one of two of the greatest leaders of the reformation along with John Calvin. The Reformation was the period in the 16th century (1571-1648) where the was a cultural upheaval the divided the European catholic population. Not only did it create a cultural upheaval it created political and intellectual disruption. Luther believed that the Catholic church was corrupt, his 95 Theses was a list of 95 arguments about the catholic church which he wanted to resolve. Luther believed that salvation was achieved by the grace of god and not by doing the work that the church demanded. The Reformation was so much more than a religious revolution even though it started out with a religious nature, it exceeded pass religion.

This investigation seeks to identify the qualities and characteristics of Martin Luther, which are truly indicative of The Protestant Reformation in Europe. The body of the investigation describes the significant events in the life of Martin Luther, that impacted the era. The specific characteristics that he exhibited will be identified, examined and analyzed.

Many recent texts all include different degrees of social disruption. These are made to improve society or to improve the certain individual’s society. All four texts read in class are suggesting social disruption for freedom and improvement.

The Middle Ages was the time period after the fall of the Roman Empire around 500 CE to the 1350’s. During this time the Roman Catholic Church and the Pope held the most power throughout Europe, the priests often lived in a closed area inside the walls of the monasteries. “Schools were few. Illiteracy was widespread” (Background essay) because of this average person of this time was illiterate .and more than 85 percent of the population were farmers and peasants called serfs and they worked in an estate for the owner called the lord. Almost everyone in that time looked at the Catholic Church to explain the world around them and had faith completely in the churches. Most of the art in this era were focused on Jesus Christ and had deep religious

The period of time that spans from around the 1400s to about 1700, otherwise known as the Renaissance was the rebirth and awakening for new ideas and inventions. It was vastly different from the previous era known as the Middle Ages, for a variety of reasons. Different advances were made in the Renaissance and, people became more educated in science, math, and literature. Ignorance about the world and nature was no longer the norm for the average person. During the Renaissance, a majority of the population were no longer illiterate, which in turn influenced the populace to become curious and ask questions. There was knowledge on a wide spectrum that would forever change the way that people thought about the world around them. Consequently,

Michelangelo had a gigantic influence on the renaissance. He was a master at both painting and sculpting, he also was an architect, engineer, and poet. During his day he was unbeatable in his painting and sculpting skills. He had many artist study under him and help him with painting the Sistine Chapel in Vatican, but none were on par with him.

The similarities and difference between the Italian and Northern Renaissances are greatly reflected by the works of Leonardo da Vinci and William Shakespeare. While both periods invoked a rebirth of humanism, the two artists suggest how the eras differed and resembled one another. For the most part, the Italian Renaissance and Northern Renaissance both emphasized the humanistic aspect of Catholicism. While Leonardo da Vinci illustrated some religious scenes, such as The Last Supper, Shakespeare shied away from any religious influence in his various plays. Both Leonardo da Vinci and William Shakespeare stressed the importance of man in their respective works, however, they used different techniques to achieve their goals. Da Vinci emphasized

These ideas prompted many Catholics into finally correcting the church themselves and seeking Reformation. Martin Luther became the leading figure of the Reformation because he had openly challenged the authority of the Pope and attacked the practice of indulgences in his “Ninety-Five Theses” letter. Several other prominent Theologians such as John Calvin and Huldrych Zwingli seized upon Luther’s beliefs and Reformation swept across 16th century Europe, leading eventually to

Much like the Olympians from ancient mythology, Renaissance artists are regarded as gods. They revolutionized the art world, reviving themes and styles derived from the Ancient Greeks and Romans. The style they created completely contrasted with that of its predecessor, International Gothic. But how did this “Rebirth” come about? There are many answers to this question, but much of it lies in patriotism and civic values, especially in sculpture. One of the best examples of this is in 15th century Florence, which was virtually the birthplace of the Renaissance. It is there that sculpture reached its culmination, as a result of pride in the city, its history, and its values.