Renaissance Web sites

The Renaissance

One of the most important of many changes in the Renaissance occurred in the field of art, especially painting and sculpture. Many well-known and well-loved masterpieces were created at this time by famous artists like Leonardo d Vinci, Michelangelo Buonarroti, Raphael and Titian. You can check out their work (and the work of nearly every artist imaginable) at various virtualmuseums, or the one-stop-shop site:

Artcyclopedia.com

This site is very impressive and easy to use. This particular link takes you to art of the High Renaissance period, but if you return to the home page, you can search by "title", "artist", "country" or "movement". There are actually four different sections for Renaissance art: early, high, mannerism and northern. In any section you can click on an artist's name and read about his or her life. In addition, there are quick connections provided to museums around the world, with many more images, and even some interactive tours and lectures.

For example, check out "A Closer Look at the Mona Lisa", from Le Louvre, in Paris.

Mona Lisa

Another great site is the fun and useful Renaissance Connection. It was developed in 2000 by the Allentown Art Museum. It uses Renaissance art to enhance the middle school math, art, social studies, language arts and science curricula, as set out in Pennsylvania state guidelines.

This site is fun, colourful and interactive. It has music, artwork, quizzes, and lesson plans for teachers with background/history notes. The information supplied is basic and somewhat superficial, not extensive, but it makes the Renaissance (and the study of history itself) come alive. It does a great job connecting past developments with present day life. It makes the Renaissance seem cool and definitely relevant.

Check it out:

The Renaissance Connection

Another great site is the Renaissance at Learner.org. There are several sections of useful, general information. It is a great overview of the time period. There is a fun, interactive decision-making activity in the Exploration and Trade section. Try it. See how you'd survive.