Characteristics of Humanism:

Characteristics of Humanism Transcript (PDF)

• A philosophical belief
• A study of Greek philosophers, sciences and arts.
• Celebration of human achievement
• Emphasis on human reason, spirit, and physical beauty
• The Medicis and The Platonic Academy of Philosophy in Florence

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  Section of “Madonna of the Meadow” Raphael, 1505, Florence, Italy Click for more info

Humanism and Art in the Italian Renaissance – required

Petrarch – the Father of Humanism

Petrarch – portrait by Altichiero, Italian, circa 1370-1380

Petrarch Transcript (PDF)

• Latin scholar and poet
• Studied Latin poets — Virgil and Cicero
• High moral tone
• Wrote sonnets — love for Laura
• Extended metaphors
• Widely imitated

Other Writers Who Defined Humanism

Marsilo Ficino – Theologia Platonica

Marsilo Ficino Transcript(PDF)

Click on the Theologia Platonica link and then click on the “preview the book” link to get a little taste of what Ficino wrote.

• Head of the Platonic Academy in Florence
• His writings shaped Neo-Platonism and Humanism during the Renaissance

Pico della Mirandola – Oration on the Dignity of Man

Pico della Mirandola Transcript(PDF)