Northern Renaissance

An introduction to the Northern Renaissance in the 15th century

The word Renaissance is generally defined as the rebirth of classical antiquity in Italy in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. Seems simple enough, but the word “Renaissance” is actually fraught with complexity.

Scholars argue about exactly when the Renaissance happened, where it took place, how long it lasted, or if it even happened at all. Scholars also disagree about whether the Renaissance is a “rebirth” of classical antiquity (ancient Greece and Rome) or simply a continuation of classical traditions but with different emphases.

Traditional accounts of the Renaissance favor a narrative that places the birth of the Renaissance in Florence, Italy. In this narrative, Italian art and ideas migrate North from Italy (largely because of the travels of the great German artist Albrecht Dϋrer who studied, admired, and was inspired by Italy, and he carried his Italian experiences back to Germany).

However, so much changed in northern Europe in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries that the era deserves to be evaluated on its own terms. So we use the term “Northern Renaissance” to refer to the Renaissance that occurred in Europe north of the Alps.

Some of the most important changes in northern Europe include the:

• invention of the printing press, c. 1450
• advent of mechanically reproducible media such as woodcuts and engravings
• formation of a merchant class of art patrons that purchased works in oil on panel
• Protestant Reformation and the translation of the Bible from the original languages into the vernacular or common languages such as German and French
• international trade in urban centers

Copyright:  Dr. Bonnie Noble, “An introduction to the Northern Renaissance in the 15th century,” in Smarthistory, August 9, 2015, accessed June 14, 2024, https://smarthistory.org/an-introduction-to-the-northern-renaissance-in-the-fifteenth-century/