The Enlightenment

Examines Renaissance art as a reflection of the culture of the period which lasted from the fourteenth to the mid-seventeenth century, and includes discussion of selected artists, and examples of their work.

Comments on the upper classes and religious institutions of the Renaissance through the personification of traits such as folly, wealth, and flattery.

Presents a biography of late fifteenth-century Italian political philosopher, musician, poet, and playwright, Niccolo Machiavelli; and provides an introduction to his writings and his influence on political and social thought of his day.

An examination of daily life in Renaissance Italy, looking at a range of settings and socioeconomic backgrounds, discussing families, honor and religion, media, literacy and schooling, houses, food, clothing, disease and healing, and other topics.

Provides historical, cultural, and social contexts for the study of English literature, looking at the literary genres and highlighting key writers and works from the Renaissance, and includes a time line, glossaries, and resources for further study.

Traces the life and times of Leonardo da Vinci showing his effect on the world of art and on the history of the Italian Renaissance.

Presents an overview of Italian Renaissance sculpture, providing a look at the major works of art from 1260 to 1600.

Describes the arduous training and difficult day-to-day working lives of painters in Florence during the Renaissance and discusses how their changing approach to the art they created elevated their standing and influence in Florentine society.

Discusses the history of the Sistine Chapel, including the frescoes, Michelangelo's influence, the Last Judgment, and modern day restoration.