英语论文 The significance of the Renaissance

The significance of the Renaissance
The Renaissance was a cultural movement that followed the Middle Ages and preceded the Reformation, spanning roughly the 14th through the 16th century. As a cultural movement, it encompassed a revival of learning based on classical sources and humanism, arts, classics, and Christianity rather than an entire historical age.
Renaissance’means ‘rebirth’in French and during this time Europe left behind the mindset of the Middle Ages and created the beginnings of the modern world. It was a “rebirth”of certain classical ideas that had long been lost to Western Europe. It was the “rebirth”of culture and knowledge; it was a significant change from the ignorance of the Middle Ages. Renaissance’s influences can be seen clearly in the works of such renaissance men as Machiavelli, Leonardo DaVinci, Copernicus and Galileo to name a few.
Before the Renaissance, Europe was in the dark age which lasted more than 1000 years. The renaissance is a period that began after the dark ages, which was a time where no significant inventions were made, no art was created, and all individualism was suppressed. The Catholic Church had pretty much outlawed everything but paying tithes. The main significance of the Renaissance was the revival of ancient learning lost or destroyed during the barbarian raids of the Dark Ages or banned by the Catholic
Church during the Middle Ages in Europe. Primarily the teachings of Ancient Greeks such as Socrates and Plato gave new insights into the political processes of the time, as well as logic, and the Ancient Greek mathematicians provided a framework for further scientific studies, i.e. astronomy and anatomy.
The Renaissance was so importance because was the beginning point of humanistic views, the great people of the Renaissance were what inspired the enlightenment, which came during the mid- 1700's. The Renaissance was when we as humans started having more confidence in our selves. In addition, the creation of new techniques in art, poetry, music, and architecture led in turn to a radical change in the style and substance of the arts and letters. During this period Artists began to master and use linear perspective in their paintings. In sculpture it was the development of the free- standing statue, equestrian monument and portrait bust. The new found development in artists painting portrait busts, landscape and still-life painting occurs in this time. Artists used linear perspective in their paintings, the revival of classical time, Greek and Roman mythology was inspiration for many. Michelangelo and da Vinci studied the human body to make their arts more realistic. It was also the first for new art techniques like the use of oil painting, wood cuts, copperplates, and the first printed book. Artists were able to paint people in a realistic three-dimensional manner. A new kind of brilliant architecture also started during this period.
The civilizations of Greece and Rome were rediscovered, inspiring an interest in Classical learning which challenged medieval beliefs and ideas. The population was becoming wealthier which led to an increase in trade and travel and the spread of new ideas. The rise in prosperity also generated an interest in education, supported the flourishing of the arts and promoted scientific discoveries and new inventions. Perhaps the most important of these was the printing press which allowed the distribution of information to a much wider audience than ever before, further fuelling the clamor for more knowledge.
At this time important universities were set up, including one at Padua which had a large medical faculty where anatomy, the study of the body, was taught. They studied anatomy and carried out dissections to understand the workings of the body in order to create a more realistic portrayal of the human figure.
All in all, Renaissance was viewed as a bridge between the Middle Ages and the Modern era.。