The dictionary version: The period of European history at the close of the Middle Ages and the rise of the modern world; a cultural rebirth from the 14th through the middle of the 17th centuries The revival of learning and culture Now, i had to take art history in university, and i was told,you have to learn about the past masters in order to understand and make reference to any peice of art. it is sort of like..if you don't know your past, you won't know your future, you just keep re-inventing the wheel. in order to create intelligently, usually conceptually, you have to understand your history. this prevents you from making the same mistakes, and you learn from others. during the renaissance, they were doing things that were never heard of, these are things worth noting and admiring. of course they usually focus on european when speaking about art history, yet you should also learn that all cultures have a history, and were created art then also. it simply was not appreciated. jove

As a history student, I would like to add that the revival during this period in time was not only in the arts. Diffrent historians have diffrent answers to what has happened to arose this, but they all agree that not like before (the early middle ages), there was a growth in the population and people managed to produce more then just to their needs and that of their small comunity and feodal. And so commrece began and with it began to arise the necessity to think in an abstract way, the need for more litraracy and so on. p.s One should pay attention that the revival started in the late middle ages. around the end of the 11th century.

The Renaissance was a time of rebirth in learning, but especially in the arts. Sculpture, painting, and drawing took a more realistic approach, and artists like Michealangelo and Leonardo DaVinci studied the human body to make their art more three-dimensional and believable. Much of the basis of art today was set down by masters during this time period.

Wow, what a question. Academics have devoted their entire lives to answering this question. Here is the short answer from an art historical perspective. 1. Artists began to master and use linear perspective in their paintings. 2. As mentioned previously artists were able to paint people in a realistic three-dimensional manner. 3. The revival of Classical antiquity (Roman). The rediscovery of the Romans influenced and inspired artist to use classical and mythological themes and these themes were applied to the fine and decorative arts. 4. The new found development in artists painting portrait busts, landscape and still-life painting. 5. In sculpture it was the development of the free- standing statue, equestrian monument and portrait bust. During this period it was also the first for new art techniques like the use of oil painting, wood cuts, copperplates, the first printed book. For further reading there are several books that are important to scholars interested in this period. Jacob Bruckhardt, The Civilization of the Renaissance in Italy. Paul Oskar Kristeller, Renaissance Thought and the Arts Anthony Blunt, Artistic Theory in Italy 1450-1600 Peter Burke, The Italian Renaissance: Culture and Society in Italy. Anything by E.H. Gombrich on the Renaissance.

It's a great place to see jousts with hot long haired men on horses, big chested women with low- tight bodices and eat giant roasted turkey legs... Oh, you didn't say Renaissance Faire?? Sorry...

HUGE question.....try this: In the traditional view, the Renaissance was understood as an historical age in Europe that followed the Middle Ages and preceded the Reformation, spanning roughly the 14th through the 16th century. The Italian Renaissance of the 15th century represented a re-connection of the west with classical antiquity, the absorption of knowledge (particularly mathematics), a focus on the importance of living well in the present (Renaissance humanism), and an explosion of the dissemination of knowledge brought on by the advent of printing. In addition, the creation of new techniques in art, poetry, music, and architecture led in turn to a radical change in the style and substance of the arts and letters. The Italian Renaissance was often labeled as the beginning of the Modern Age, or the Early Modern. Present day historians are skeptical about excessive claims for the modernity of the period and the common assumption that previous centuries were in some way "darker", viewing the Renaissance as a cultural program or movement based on humanism, arts, classics, and Christianity rather than an entire historical age.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Renaissance

French for "rebirth" Italian for "rinascimento"...re = again...nascere = be born It is the bridge between the Middle Ages + Modern Era It is known for artistic developments...Leonardi da vinci...Michelangelo...BUT what is the effect of this upon Enlgish Literature and language? Please answer this.