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visual artists developed the technique of perspective,which enabled them to make paintings look three-dimensional, and therefore more realistic. Have students think about the advances in com-puter-generated images and discuss how the two are similar.* Niccolo Machiavellis book The Prince was greatly misunderstood andMachiavelli himself was often criticized for its content.Have students thinkof contemporary artists who have also been criticized
or misunderstood forthings they have said in books,songs,etc.*The art, music and literature of the Renaissance is still being viewed andperformed today.Why do students think these great works have stood thetest of time? Why do they continue to be relevant?Focus Questions1.Name some of the important artists and writers of the Renaissance.2.What contributed to Renaissance painting being different from the paint-ing of previous periods?3.What were some of the causes of the artistic boom during theRenaissance?4.What is the relationship between anatomy,painting and sculpture?5.Why was the concept of making things look real important to Renaissanceartists?6.How did artists create fresco?7.Why was Machiavelli nicknamed “Old Nick”?8.What was the role of the patron during the Renaissance?(Continued)Program SummaryThere are few periods in history that can boast the creative endeavors andartistic output of the Renaissance, for it was during this particular period ofEuropean history that Shakespeare wrote his plays, the musical forms ofopera and madrigal came into being, Michelangelo sculpted David andLeonardo painted the Mona Lisa. Renaissance art, music and literature areboth unique and distinctive, a consequence of a fortunate blending of ideas,science, patronage and ability. Humanism impacted the arts as it encouragedartists and writers to see humanity as it really was,and to render it as such.Itwas during the Renaissance that the depiction of people, both in sculptureand painting, became much more realistic.The development of perspective,allowing painters to create three-dimensional images on a two-dimensionalsurface, further enhanced this realism. New anatomical knowledge learnedfrom the dissection of cadavers helped artists to understand the subtle work-ings of muscle,bone and tissue,which influenced the artistry of the sculptor.Writers began to pen tales about the state and nature of man as they sawthem, not as they thought they should be. Shakespeares rousing plays aboutlove, war, political