The Middle Ages was an era characterized by an immense decline in art, learning, advancements, and much more. The Renaissance was a period in Europe that brought about many changes to Europe. It lasted from around 1300 until 1600. The French word “renaissance” translates to “rebirth” or “revival” in English. During the Middle Ages, people were focused on religion and going to heaven in the afterlife. Life on Earth was full of suffering and sadness, and people believed anything that the Church said, even without the evidence. However, the late Middle Ages caused new attitudes and ways of thinking to spread across Europe. People regained interest in Greek and Roman art. The focus of art was no longer religion, and it displayed the beauty of man. …show more content…
During the Middle Ages, man’s focus was mainly directed toward the Church, God, and going to heaven in the afterlife. Art was usually very flat and depicted religious figures. The human body was portrayed in a very unrealistic way. An example of this was the painting Madonna Enthroned Between Two Angels by Duccio di Buoninsegna (Document A). The painting portrayed The Mother Mary sitting on a throne with the baby Jesus in her lap, surrounded by angels. In this painting, Jesus did not look much like a baby, and Mary’s fingers were unreasonably long and slender. There was very little shading and detail, and the illustration was very two-dimensional, showing no depth. However, the Renaissance brought about new techniques and ways of painting. People started to represent themselves in art instead of constantly painting religious images, too. A Renaissance painting that displayed this was Mona Lisa by Leonardo da Vinci, which is believed to be a portrait of Lisa Gherardini, the wife of a wealthy Florentine merchant (Document A). In the painting, the subject was depicted with more emotion and realistic proportions, and Da Vinci used shadows in different areas to create the illusion of depth. In addition, Renaissance artists started to utilize detail. Accordingly, painted images started to reveal more of …show more content…
People in the Middle Ages were very eager to finish life on earth and go to heaven in the afterlife. In life, their priorities mainly consisted of the Church and religion. An excerpt from the English play Everyman by an unknown author conveys a message straight from the Middle Ages, though it was written in the Renaissance period in 1485. The character “Everyman” represents every man in the form of one person. It discusses Everyman’s ideas about good times and sin, as well as the general reckoning, or Judgment Day (Document B). The excerpt communicated ideas about how people would put the Church before himself and that life on earth was all about awaiting Judgment Day. The writing had a very negative tone as if the writer felt that life on earth had no meaning. An excerpt from Act II, Scene II of Hamlet, a tragedy written by William Shakespeare in 1601, tells of man’s sublimity and his wonderful attributes. In the excerpt, Shakespeare praises man, describing him as “a piece of work,” “noble in reason,” “infinite in faculty,” “the paragon of animals,” and more (Document B). People started putting themselves first before the Church and appreciating the beauty of humans. They recognized their importance and place in the world. Humanists justified enjoying life on earth because they believed that people enjoy it and be good Christians at the same time.