Cultural Epoch Theory: The Shift

Cultural Epoch Theory: The Shift From Medieval to Renasissance Europe The evolution of the world represents an entire system of change and development of ideas and social structures which in the end defined the world in which we live today. As part of the history of the world, there are several eras which influenced its evolution more than in other cases. These eras can be the Medieval and the Renaissance periods.

Still, in order to understand their relevance for the human civilization, it is important to take into account several aspects from a particular perspective given by the cultural-epoch theory. The cultural epoch theory defines the way in which a culture can change and the means used to achieve this change. More importantly, the cultural epoch theory implies a continuous flux inside the system, a driving force aimed at changing the current reality, as well as the change of different values and moral norms (Culture-Epoch Theory, n.d.).

These elements of change are rather visible especially in the way in which medieval order collapsed and the Renaissance took its place in Europe. This passage was considered to be one which defined the order between the so called Dark Ages as the medieval time was rightfully considered and the emergence of the Renaissance, one of the most flourishing periods of the human civilization.

The Medieval period is seen as a moment of regress for the civilization from various points-of-view which relate to the fact that the political, economic, and cultural dimensions of life saw a return to the more primitive aspects of the human being (Berstein and Milza, 1994).

In this sense, the period of the Middle Ages had followed the disintegration of the Roman Empire, an event which marked a sudden and at the same time negative change in the way in which territories were organized, social relations were established, as well as the way in which religious and cultural life was perceived and conducted (Berstein and Milza, 1994).

Therefore it can be said that the coming of the Middle Ages was in fact an annulment of the flourishing centuries of Roman and Greek tradition and culture which was more or less a visible and important shift. The Renaissance on the other hand represented the reinvention of the culture and history of the period before the middle Ages, a rejuvenation of what the ancient culture meant for the classic world, with its norms and values.

From the point-of-view of the cultural epoch theory, the passing from the Middle Ages to the Renaissance period represented the period in which old values were rediscovered and new ones were invented in order to move the process of humanity forward (Culture-Epoch Theory, n.d.). There are several factors which contributed to the reconsideration of the beliefs, values and practices which forced the end of the middle Ages and the emergence of the Renaissance.

As one author considered, "civilizations are not societies which rise and fall in recurring cycles but cultural systems which build upon the work of the predecessors" (Raman, 2001) Therefore, new cycles of culture are built, rather that invented. In this sense, one of the most important aspects of this change was the geographical discoveries and more precisely the discovery of the American continent. The desire for sophisticated goods, spices, new lands represented a real incentive for rulers such as the Spanish, the Portuguese, or the Dutch (Berstein and Milza, 1994).

The religious aspect was yet another crucial matter, as the Catholic Church began to lose the grip on the people due to the difficult regime it imposed on them such as different taxes and levies (Braunstein and Pepin, 1998). One of the main factors which triggered the evolution from medieval times to Renaissance was the invention of the printing machine (the Literacy Company, n.d.). this represented an important shift in the way in which information was delivered.

At the same time, it considerably increased the number of books that would reach the masses, allowing them to see outside the teachings of the Church or of the religious preachers. Moreover, the printing machine offered the possibility for those opposing the rule of the Catholic Church to spread their beliefs and convictions.

Thus, Gutenberg's invention was the main tool for what would later be called the Reformation, the religious movement which is often associated with the Renaissance and which influenced the artistic movement in the same manner as the Renaissance affected the emergence of the reformist churches. The hallmarks of the previous era were rather obvious and contrasted to the ones the Renaissance promoted. They manifested themselves at all the levels of the society.

Thus, during the middle Ages, the Church represented the highest institution of the state which had as its subjects all political and land owners (Berstein and Milza, 1994). From an artistic point-of-view, the Church influenced the way in which art would be developed. One relevant example is painting where the theme was the religious and symbolic aspects of the world.

In this sense, for instance, one of the best known paintings of the Middle Ages is Ascension Panel from the Altarpiece of Saints Vincent and Giles attributed to Gherardo Starnina in Spain (Hispanic Society, 2006). It reveals religious scenes depicted in a manner to suggest eternal worship which was the main idea for the artistic perspectives of the middle Ages. By comparison, the Renaissance tried to bring in front the man as the center of the universe.

The value of man as the main element of the world is clearly visible in Leonardo Da Vinci's masterpiece "The Vitruvian Man" which underlines the perfect nature of the human being and its placement in the center of the universe. At the same time, the live of the individual was no longer fully organized around the Church or coordinated by it largely due to the fact that the Church itself began to have its authority questioned by the reformist attempts.

The passing from the middle ages to the Renaissance was visible in the artistic world more than in any other area. In this sense, the paintings saw a rebirth in the themes used for.