Part 1. The dawn of humanism -- Petrarch, the father of humanism -- Leonardo Bruni and civic humanism -- Part 2. Florence: the humanist republic -- The rise of the Medici in florence -- The Medici dynasty -- The challenge of Savonarola -- Savonarola in power -- The age of Niccolo Machiavelli -- Part 3. Princes, patronage, and power -- The Vipers of Milan -- Milan triumphant -- Mantua and the age of the Gonzaga -- Ferrara and the Este -- Urbino and the Montefeltro -- Part 4. The Renaissance at the edges -- Venice in the Renaissance -- Venice in the age of Palladio -- The Kingdom of Naples -- The Re-emergence of Renaissancxe culture in Naples -- Part 5. Rome in the Renaissance -- The Redemption of Rome -- The Restoration of Rome -- Julius II -- The Medici popes -- Rome and the Counter Reformation -- The end of the Renaissance in Rome -- Conclusion.
Summary:
"The Italian Renaissance has come to occupy an almost mythical place in the imaginations of those who appreciate history, art, or remarkable personalities. This book will reinforce the contention that individuals with access to wealth and power can have a profound influence. They matter. And this explains why the Italian Renaissance is often perceived as elitist. Those who commissioned the works of art, often those who produced them, and many of those who appreciated them were privileged, educated, influential members of the Renaissance "one percent." This is meant in no way to denigrate modern interest in the poor and the marginalized, but merely to say that the enduring ideas and artifacts of the Renaissance arose from a highly-rarefied world of sophisticated talent and thought galvanized by individual curiosity and accomplished with practiced skill. And so it is that this book will be an exploration of the Italian Renaissance guided by particular moments and men - and a few remarkable women. It will be a large canvas with broad strokes intended to be seen at a distance for the dynamic sweep of its narrative of ideas and creative genius." --Provided by publisher.
This resource is supported by the Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act as administered by State Library of Iowa.