Make yourself richer: study art history

The Creation of Adam by Michelangelo

Many of us have dropped the term ‘Renaissance’ casually in to a conversation, aware of how impressive it sounds, but not entirely aware of its meaning or origin. We then hope like heck that we won’t be asked to explain…

Well, in a nutshell the term Renaissance comes from a French word meaning: re-birth. And that little nugget of information maybe more than enough to instil within you enough confidence to boldly brandish the word in your next uber-intellectual exchange. But some of you might indeed be curious to take this knowledge further!

My first introduction to the term came from studying Art History in High School, which I found to be a very helpful context to help me gain a wider understanding of what ‘Renaissance’ was all about.

The term is most commonly associated with a rather fascinating period in European history; roughly the 15^th & 16^th centuries. It defines a period of time nestled between the end of the Middle Ages and the beginning of the Modern Age. The whole notion of ‘rebirth’ links to the renewed interest and revitalisation of the art, literature and ideas of ancient Greece and Rome (Classical Age). The men and women of the Classical Age celebrated objects of beauty, independent thinking and the works of great writers and philosophers. They encouraged the pursuit of knowledge, and those ancient scholars possessed a spirit of inquiry about the world. Because this period of history pre-dated Christian civilisation, the Greco-Romans were free to question ideas without the constraints of the teachings of the Church.

And so it was that many, many years later, the restless hearts and minds of the 15^th & 16^th century Europeans were hungry for fresh inspiration on how to engage with the world around them. Suddenly, everything those clever, innovative and too-cool-for-school  Greco-Romans dabbled with was big news for the Renaissance set. The climate was ripe for a cultural movement to sweep the continent, satiating intellectual and emotional appetites and creating a new spirit of human enterprise, poised to achieve great things.

What I find so captivating about this period in history is the way so many facets of life were impacted on as a result of this resurgence of ideas from Classical Antiquity. From art to politics; the Renaissance scholars admired and took seriously the attitudes and views of the ancient Greeks and Romans which they believed demonstrated advanced thinking.

There are so many aspects of the Renaissance worthy of further investigation and study – to list but some:

• The emergence of extraordinary artists whose names are familiar to us all; Leonardo, Michelangelo, Raphael.
• The embracing of Humanist beliefs, where human beings replaced God as being centre of the universe.
• Those who dared to challenge the entrenched doctrine of the Church (Luther, Zwingli, Calvin et al) and sparked a turbulent period of religious reformation in the process.
• The invention of printing with movable, metal type – for the first time providing printed reading material to the masses. This is arguably the most important development of the Renaissance; such that the historic Reformation may never have occurred otherwise.

In summary, the Renaissance period is an exciting, vibrant and inspiring subject to study because its characters were re-exploring the artistic and intellectual possibilities of man. Even if you don’t want to major in it, it worth at least taking a course in it to cover the basics, as I promise that you’ll be richer for it!

Here are some places that you can study art history online/by distance learning:

Breyer State University – Bachelor of Fine Arts (online)

Mansfield University of Pennsylvania – Bachelor of Arts in Art History (online)

Open University (UK) – Department of Art History