MMW 13 Lecture Notes - Lecture 19: Leon Battista Alberti, Petrarch, Vanishing Point
Key Focus:
The tenets of Humanism and how they depart from Scholasticism
1)
Socio-political and cultural implications of the Renaissance
2)
Medieval Synthesis or Rational Scholasticism
Rebirth of the Classical Tradition
Universities as the natural home for study of classical texts in 12th
century
i)
Role of Spanish Islamic scholars, and to a lesser extent, Byzantine
scholars
ii)
a)
Tradition of Scholasticism
Assumes truth is firm and absolute
i)
Then what is a scholar’s role?
ii)
b)
Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274)
Synthesized Aristotelian philosophy and Christian Theology
i)
“Summa Theological” as epitome of Medieval Synthesis
God as a Prime Mover
(1)
Existence cannot emanate from non-existence
(2)
ii)
Are these arguments based more on science or faith?
iii)
c)
I)
The Rise of Humanism
The Curriculum of Humanism
Role of orators and poets
i)
Key departure from Scholasticism
ii)
Francesco Petrarch (1304-1374)
Associating eloquence with classical virtue
(1)
“This-worldliness”
(2)
iii)
For Petrarch, was this secular humanism compatible with Church
doctrine?
iv)
a)
The Spirit of Humanism
Pico Della Mirandola’s (1463-1494) “Oration on the Dignity of
Man”
Departure from Aquinas
(1)
i)
b)
II)
Lecture 19
Tuesday, May 22, 2018
10:16 AM
Document Summary
The tenets of humanism and how they depart from scholasticism. Universities as the natural home for study of classical texts in 12th century. Role of spanish islamic scholars, and to a lesser extent, byzantine scholars b) Then what is a scholar"s role? i) ii) Summa theological as epitome of medieval synthesis (1) (2) Pico della mirandola"s (1463-1494) oration on the dignity of. Last of god"s creations not molded after any previous archetype. Placed at the midpoint of the world (2) (3) Renaissance art and the ideology of control a) How to transpose three-dimensional space onto two-dimensional canvas (1) Use of a fixed vanishing point and vantage point (a) (b) Artist becomes the seer and organizer of reality b) Renaissance architect who believed public buildings can and should inspire citizens towards greater virtue and civic responsibility. Architecture and art as rational embodiment of social harmony, order, symmetry, and control d) Social implications of renaissance rationalism i) ii) iii) iv)
