What Is the Renaissance?

Anabelle Brisita
Nov 24, 2020
3 min read

Updated: Dec 6, 2020

The Renaissance is a period of time where there was an incredible amount of cultural and artistic development, as well as the forwarding of many scientific discoveries in Europe. The word 'renaissance' itself means 'rebirth' in French. It was an accurate word, describing the many innovations made during this time and the many new and iconic scientists and artists alive during this time.

The Renaissance was a period of time happening in the 14th century and ending in the 17th century. The movement originally started in Italy, and then spread outward. People like Leonardo Da Vinci, Raphael, Michelangelo and the father of modern science Galileo Galilei were alive during this time. Due to their innovations, we have many advanced technologies today.

Coming Out of the Dark Ages

The Dark Ages was a period of time in Europe with many wars happening, and most famously the happening of the Bubonic Plague, threatening to wipe out humanity. The time for a rebirth had come. The development of science and literature did not happen as much as it did in the coming years.

How Did It Start?

The Renaissance started due to wealthy citizens in Italy, the origin of the advancements in society. This is because, they had started to see art as something more accessible to them, commissioning painters for their work in order to be hung up in their homes and such. This greatly forwarded artistic development in society, leading to the invention ad use of many new tools like oil paint, fresco, and tempera.

Iconic Figures of the Renaissance

William Shakespeare, was a genius playwright of many famous texts still referenced today, like Romeo and Juliet, Hamlet, and Macbeth. He was incredibly popular in his time, and also was the origin of many modern words we use today, like 'upstairs'.
Leonardo da Vinci, was a painter, architect and a scientist. He was a genius of his time, famous for things like his anatomical drawings and the famous Mona Lisa. He also invented a painting technique, sfumato.
Galileo Galilei, also known as the father of modern science was the first man to use the telescope for purposes of looking at celestial bodies in space. He was the first man to notice moons orbiting Jupiter, and testified against the Church in the name of science by saying that the Earth revolved around the Sun, when at the time it was believed to be the other way around. His ideas, although not accepted at the time, are thought to be scientific fact today. He was isolated from the rest of society due to his ideals.

The Scientific Revolution

The Scientific Revolution was a period of time in the 16th and 17th century, where there was great change in the scientific community, and many new innovations were discovered. The influence of the Catholic Church for the longest time, had been the center of European society's standards. This however, changed over time due to scientific discoveries. During this period of time, we had scientists like Copernicus, Galileo, and Isaac Newton. These scientists discovered concepts like gravity, and debunked common ideals at the time, like the revolution of the earth around the Sun being verified, and the use of telescopes to study celestial bodies.