Paper Summary:

In this article, the writer explores the birth of the Italian Renaissance. The writer maintains that that the Renaissance came about due to three principle causes: the development of Humanism, the unique organization of the Republican city-state, and the new conception of the artist as a respected creator. The writer specifically argues that the Renaissance developed first in the city of Florence, growing out of a major expansion in classical interest, the unique position of the Florentine city-state, and the new concept of the artist as a respected creator. Brunelleschi's dome is examined as a major Florentine feat during the proto or early Renaissance.

From the Paper:

"For the first time since the medieval period, human values and interests came to the fore. The religious orthodoxy of the dark ages were giving way to an enlightened form of thinking that has come to shape the way we view the world today. This is not to suggest that the Renaissance was a period of secularization. Indeed, religious mores and values were still deeply rooted in the every day lives of Europeans. What the Renaissance allowed was a competing voice in European social fabric, an opportunity to explore human and secular interests - including the arts for self and religious glorification - on an unprecedented scale. Paul Walker observes that the Renaissance was more than a rebirth of ancient learning; it was also a first birth ..."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Holmes, George. Renaissance. London: Orion House, 1998.
• Kleiner, Fred S. and Mamiya, Christin J. Gardner's Art through the Ages. 11th ed. Vol.I. New York: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, Inc., 2001.
• Walker, Paul. The Feud that Sparked the Renaissance. New York: Perennial, 2003.

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