- Inspiration is ancient greek and roman art and literature
- Most literature about religion and after life world
- During renaissance literature more about humans and their problems
- Italian artists see this and start to make humanistic art like Michael angelo started sculpting humans
- Renaissance spread into north Europe and changed literature to start talking about human values
- Shakespear part of this, he is a humanist author
- The renaissance is a great cultural and intellectual movement that begins in Europe, in Northern Italy (1300s).
- The inspiration for the Renaissance is really ancient Greek and Roman literature and art, because prior to this time in medieval Europe, the concern of most art and literature was not of this world (not of human concerns but instead more of spiritual concerns).
- Greek and Roman literature has a very humanistic element to it. It’s very concerned with the “here and now”, and human issues.
- By reading and observing ancient Roman and Greek literature and art, Italian artists and intellectuals start to express humanistic ideals in their art and in their literature, so that statues made by people like Michael Angelo are very realistic and idealistic (represent human body).
- Renaissance art is more realistic than medieval European religious art of the Middle Ages.
- A century later, the Renaissance spread to Northern Europe. The greatest achievements of the later (Northern) Renaissance are in literature as it starts to express humanist values, and talk about things in a human perspective. (Best example of this is in William Shakespeare’s literature at the end of the 16th century, who was a humanist author).