Chiaroscuro: Contrast Between the Gothic and the Fantastic

Chiaroscuro is a technique in art that uses strong contrasts between light and dark to bring more interest to a composition. This balance of light and dark has been a common theme throughout history, but one of the periods that demonstrates this well is the Romantic. During this period there was a sudden blossoming of publishing, and the rise of the novel gave way to two distinct styles: the Gothic and the Fantastical.

These two genres both stem from an abundance of imagination: one exploring our highest hopes, and the other unearthing our darkest fears. Together they clearly show the notions and ideals of the period. The American and French Revolutions were characterized by a spirit of Rebellion and Freedom, and this led to the rhetorical criticism of society and the imagination of new ideas. Many Romantic heroes and horrors came from this new originality; simultaneously producing fantastical stories of Arthurian legend while introducing the world to horrors such as Frankenstein’s monster.

Nature: From Science to Spirit

The instrument depicted is a microscope from the Enlightenment era which symbolizes the science and reason of nature in that time period. The overgrowth and butterfly represent the inspiring and untamed side of nature from the Romantic period.

In his Essay on Man, Alexander Pope wrote about the hierarchical assemblage of the universe and proposed that everything has a purpose for its existence. He pitied the people who thought they found something of the divine in nature, saying, “Lo! The poor indian! Whose untutor’d mind sees God in clouds, or hears him in the wind; His soul, proud Science never taught to stray Far as the solar walk, or milky way;” Nature was a source of understanding and rational inspiration during the Enlightenment. Far from looking for God in clouds, scientists, philosophers, and artists turned to nature to explain the order of things in the world. John Locke contended that all understanding came from the five senses or from rational thought. Jean-Jacques Rousseau held up man’s primitive natural state as the ideal. Isaac Newton, Galileo Galilei and Francis Bacon turned to deep study of nature as the source of answers about the world. They sought to understand nature so they could predict it and control it. From the social contract to calculus, countless world-changing theories and discoveries based on the careful observation of nature emerged during this time.

Look—There's a Colorful Rock Behind You!

The Industrial Revolution was truly a great period of societal advancement. There were new jobs, new wonders of technologies, and new ways to gain fortune that opened doors to many groups, and in turn, the individuals. Although the response to new machines, techniques, and iron making were praised by many, others disapproved of the advancements from industrial life.

In protest to these hazardous machines, toxic pollution, and meaningless deaths, Romanticism arose.

Newton, William Blake, 1795-c.1805

In the picture above, William Blake, a prestigious romantic artist, portrays Isaac Newton as young and muscular, rather than the older figure of popular imagination. Here, he is crouching naked on a rock, covered with algae, at the bottom of the sea and his attention is focused on his diagram which he draws with his compass. Blake, critical of Newton’s scientific approach, shows that Newton merely follows the rules of his compass and is completely blind to the colorful rocks behind him.

Romanticism was in essence a protest of the Enlightenment period. The fact that scientific discoveries were being made about nature, many disapproved and wanted nature to stay as a pure, as a work of God, not scientific discovery. Public protest was developed into an art form during the 20th century, known as the Modernist era; thus, playing into the romantic theme of Individualism and Romanticism as Reaction. Main points of protest and popular discontent include:

1. The Civil Rights Movement
2. The Women's Rights movement
3. The protest against prohibition

Up or Down: Change Isn't Easy

How does change happen?

Maybe this sounds like a question you would find on a self-help blog, or perhaps in a scientific journal talking about some shift in nature. But on a societal level if we look at change there seems to be two different methods that change sweeps nations. There is a level of change that takes place from the top and trickles down, new laws, new ways to learn and accumulate new ideas, often these top-down movements are marked by the fact that the people who come up with this type of change are those with money. The renaissance couldn’t happen all at once but the chance for people to start exploring more began with those who had the money to do so.

Another method of change is from the bottom and works it's way up until it becomes a part of the general culture. While Martain Luther was wealthy enough to have gone to college the reformation spread like a wildfire primarily due to the everyday people.

This might be a bit of a simplification but overall the reformation took on a life of its own. One that could be influenced by those in power but moved to swiftly and too spread out to completely be reigned in.

Even Luther himself with the words: “I, Martin Luther, have during the rebellion slain all the peasants, for it was I who ordered them to be struck dead.” disavowed many who were moving outside of his influence.

But as stated there were more people that wanted change. And rapid change affected all of Europe to the point where within a handful of decades there were hundreds of churches that had been born in this time period

This is not to say that the reformation was more impactful than the renisance for it wouldn’t have happened at all if the renaissance hadn’t started first. But if comparing how the two movements changed life then it can be said that one was swift and decisive while the other was slower but built a stage for the world to continue to move forward with.

To see the differences in the types of people that two movements affected during their peaks and then comparing how both changes took place we can potentially point out that the faster change was the one that the more common people took a hold of.

So how does society change? Top-down or bottom-up the movements have pros and cons but the renaissance and reformation suggest that the faster change comes from bottom-up rather than top-down. 

Psychology of Humanism

I’ve always been fascinated by the concept of “nature versus nurture,” and how we are shaped by and shape our culture. Examining movements such as the Renaissance through the lens of psychology yields some interesting ideas about how exactly changes in prevailing ideologies shape the future. 

photo by "Pere" on flickr (text added) 

According to Freud’s model of the mind, our consciousness is divided into 2 parts: the conscious mind and the subconscious mind. The conscious mind takes up only 10 percent; and our much larger subconscious is a blank slate when we are born. Throughout our lifetime, that slate is filled with patterns derived from our conscious thought and knowledge absorbed from others and the environment. Since the subconscious mind is 90% of our overall mind, whatever is in our subconscious forms our character, which then determines what we will accomplish in life.


The strong influence of external stimuli on the development of the subconscious means that changes in general attitudes, ideals, or prevailing wisdom (the “environment”) have significant impacts on the character, and therefore the actions and achievements, of individuals living in those times. The Renaissance and Reformation were absolutely crammed with such changes to the intellectual environment, and the rise of Humanism specifically may have altered attitudes about human nature and influenced the general psyche in a way that was key to later development and progress.

One of the fundamental tenets of Renaissance Humanism, as expressed by Petrarch, is that God gave humans intellectual and creative potential that was meant to be used. Humanism in that era also emphasized the responsibility of humans in developing themselves and promoting the race as a whole. Finally, as part of the “ad fontes” movement, the ancient Greek concept of Eudaimonia was probably becoming prominent, convincing people that the search for and creation of happiness and well-being was an important purpose of life. The spread of these ideologies would have significantly impacted the minds and characters of those who learned them, especially younger people whose subconscious minds were still being filled and developed.

Consider the impact this type of teaching would have on a person, in contrast with the previously dominant church doctrines. Rather than being told their individual life didn’t matter and salvation in the next life is the only thing for which they had to hope and work, someone growing up in the high Renaissance would start to internalize feelings of self-worth and agency. During the Reformation, things got even better: rather than the dogma that having wealth is a sin, Calvinists taught that material prosperity is evidence of God’s favor, motivating people to work hard and advance themselves financially.

In a discussion during the salon activity about how Renaissance and Reformation ideologies laid the foundation for the spectacular economic growth of later centuries, Joe pointed out how, in many cases, it’s not circumstances that change our mindset but rather our mindset that allows us to change our circumstances. I think the rise of Humanism during the Renaissance is a history-altering example of this. Humanism changed people, and people changed the world.

Sources:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Petrarch

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Humanism#Humanistic_psychology

Image: https://www.flickr.com/photos/pere/523019984

Humanism and the Path to More Exclusive Religious Memberships

When thinking about the renaissance or the reformation in connection to religion, a lot of times the thoughts that come are those of distance and abandonment of faith. But, like we discussed in my salon midterm groups the Renaissance term, humanism, brought a never-there appreciation for individual human value. This new term brought with it the idea that humans also have worth. The stream of thinking didn’t necessarily step away from religion, but it questioned the self-deprecating nature that came with not giving humans the basic tools necessary to read and decipher religious doctrines and texts. 

With the coming of new technology like the printing press, came the easier access to those typically regarded as low on the social economic "totem pole." The ability to get text to many who otherwise wouldn't have access to religious texts came with the above mentioned foundation of prioritizing human knowledge and existence. Without having first explored that simple idea: humanism, there wouldn't be a desire for creating technology to share truths throughout the masses. 

Now, like I mentioned earlier, a lot of misconceptions about the effects of coming-of-age time periods have been passed on--like that of less religiosity. But, the images above are a good example of how that is not always so, especially within the Christian community. I think this has to do with how, with the coming and ability to share ideas within a religious spectrum, came the chance for Ad fontes-- a chance to go back to the sources. 

The exploration of beliefs logically stems from taking that original thing that taught something. In this case, religion. In our church, we are encouraged to do just that: go to the original sources and explore the ideas we are taught. We do not believe in passive learning. In the bible verse Joshua 1:8, we read, “Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful”. This concept of meditating on God’s word is one that is taught a lot in the church. We are taught to now be slothful and be active in our learning, mediating on teachings and applying it to our real lives. 

The times periods of both the Renaissance and the Reformation gave way for positive spiritual reforms, that made calls for changes in corrupted practices of churches (particularly the catholic church). These calls for action made for the chance for people to have personal access to God’s word. Thus, allowing for further conversion and appreciation for the human life.

Paganism and the Reformation

In the middle ages, people lived in the Colosseum while its walls crumbled around them. When I first learned that, I wondered how anyone, of any age and place, could see the magnificence that is the Colosseum and decide that it was a great place to stable animals.