Humanities
The Renaissance period changed the world, after the disasters, indecencies and barbarism of the dark ages it was a hope of light for mankind. It gave human beings the cultural upheaval; flourished in Europe it steadily transformed the way of living. The elements introduced and worked on in that era are still present in our daily lives, being enjoyed and cherished more or less by every human being. Its power introduced many new fields and transformed the existing ones; fields like philosophy, art and fine art, music, affairs of state, science, religion, literature and other scholarly aspects. It promoted creativity and introduced humanistic methodology to studies of natural sciences, praised Christianity as a religion and paved way for many inventions one still uses in everyday life. The focus of scholars back to historical texts, its reinterpretation and spread of simpler versions educated the masses in Europe. Among many uncountable contributions some major ones are; The invention of printing, advancements in western traditional medicine and modern architecture, discovery of the Americas by advancement of navigation, development of trade and commerce, advancements in the field of aerodynamics, renewed focus on evidence rather than historical traditions or even religions and development of scientific methods. It was a conscious age of enlightenment performed by men using his thinking and critical abilities for challenging descriptions and justifications provided by men of ancient times. It was not a disregarding era or an era of fixing the fixed rather an era of inquiry and further development of unfinished work. It was a discovery made by man of abilities and potentials possessed by man; a courage and heroism not attainted by the way of war or trickery but heroism achieved by intellect and performing arts. Renaissance encouraged individualism and challenged religious teachings; scholars started proposing theories of their own which soon proved true hence many important scientific discoveries were made which led to the industrial revolution period. With enlightenment man became more aware, more civilized and societies developed and flourished in the renaissance era giving a halt to violence and war. Upheaval of society and culture through introducing and giving the real meaning to the artistic fields such as painting, music, writing, sculpturing and many others ignored by man first through wars and the devastation of many plagues. The elements of society one sees today in most developed countries have definite links to development of man in the renaissance era. Essential elements such as increased self-awareness, focus on collective prosperity, freedom of speech, equal opportunity and thirst for knowledge made us who we are today. Man in this age although not a "Renaissance Man" but may be close to it (Strathen 2007).,
Michelangelo is regarded as the man of many talents, a sculptor, architect, engineer, physician and a poet. His immense contribution to renaissance era is undoubted, only Leonardo Da Vinci and Rafaello Sanzio (Rafael) come close to his genius. He was not a good student but was obsessed with learning the art of drawing. Michelangelo was a true interdisciplinary, not only crossed the traditional boundaries of various fields but also achieved phenomenal success and accolades. Remembered as the most distinguished artist of 16th Century, his work as a painter is admired throughout all following ages, astonishing paintings elaborating scenes from Genesis, ceiling of Sistine Chapel and The Last Judgment. Before he turned thirty he had achieved more than most people achieve in a lifetime, as a sculptor he created unparalleled art as Pieta and David, introduced Mannerist style and designed the dome of St. Peter's Basilica proving his skills as an architect and mathematician. He wrote 300 sonnets and madrigals as a poet with some poems provoking controversy due to their erotic nature, his poems are highly regarded and are translated in many languages. One may argue that his skills and abilities were only limited to arts and literature but his work on anatomy of human body and knowledge about it made him equal to most doctors of that...
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