Page 101 - ABCTE Study Guide_Neat

c. 1460 The Flagellation, painted by Piero della Francesca, exemplifies the strong trend toward proper
perspective and realistic proportioning in visual art.

1506 Construction begins in Rome on the Basilica of Saint Peter, the largest Christian church.
1512 Michelangelo completes his work decorating the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel in
the VaticanPalace . The frescoes, begun in 1508, depict more than 300 biblical figures.
1516 King François I purchases and brings to France for the first time an untitled painting by
Leonardo da Vinci. It came to be known as La Gioconda and later the Mona Lisa.
1546 Construction begins on the modern Chateau du Louvre, designed by Pierre Lescot, which
would become a public museum in 1793.
1564 William Shakespeare, reputedly the greatest writer in the English language, is born.

The Reformation

With the unearthing of Greek and Roman thinkers, the Catholic Church’s hold on absolute truth began to
slip. Coupled with the fact the church was a sprawling, wealthy bureaucracy, the stage was set for a big
change.

Enter Martin Luther, a priest and professor at Wittenberg College . Upset over the church’s policy
concerning indulgences, Luther put together his Ninety-five Theses on October 31, 1517 . Luther and
his steadfast refusal to back off his ideas touched off a powder keg of anti-church sentiment, and violence
against church leaders was widespread.

Question

Which Renaissance artist and inventor drew the Vitruvian
Man?

A Petrarch

B Leonardo da Vinci

C Michelangelo

D Donatello

Answer

Answer B is correct. One of history’s most famous artists,
Leonardo da Vinci was a painter, inventor, and much more.
His Vitruvian Man is a study of human anatomy based on the
ideas of Roman architect Vitruvius. Da Vinci lived between
1452 and 1519.

The Age of Exploration

Europe in the fourteenth century took a cue from the Greeks and Romans and began reaching out for new
lands and new markets. First the Portuguese, then the Spanish, and later the British, French, and Dutch
sent ships out to the New World for economic and political empire building. With the high-risk, high-profit
business of exploration, nations raced to claim new land in the name of financial gain and religious fervor.
The motives behind the exploration and colonization of the New World were an often selfish desire for