The most significant outcomes of the renaissance stem from the changes in politics, economy, philosophy and art.
Art
Art in the renaissance drastically changes from less sophisticated medieval art to humanistic, realist and classical forms of art. Artists studied human anatomy, measuring proportions and seeking the ideal human form. People looked solid and displayed real emotions, allowing the viewer to connect with what the depicted persons were thinking and feeling. Artist such as Da Vinci studied the human anatomy to increase the realism in their art. Da Vinci used his perspective of realism to create the Vitruvian Man. To be able to successfully study the human body, they dissected animals along with people who have already passed. People were now depicted much more precisely in body size and parts. The rise of Humanism can be seen in paintings created by Renaissance artists. During the Middle Ages, saints in paintings wore halos around their heads. Artists during the middle ages made saints or members of the family of God larger in scale than ordinary or less important figures. As Humanism became more popular during the Renaissance, ordinary people grew to be the same size as saints in paintings and saints began to look more like ordinary people. For example, halos became fainter and eventually disappeared during the Renaissance. Classicism was first seen after the fall of Byzantium during the Italian Renaissance. As education began to increase after the medieval period and information about Europe’s ancient past came to light, people began to copy its forms and ideals. Artists began to copy classical art in form, symmetry, balance, and overall sense of order. Leading artists of Renaissance classicism include Michelangelo, Raphael, and Correggio.
Economy
The economy in Italy drastically changed during the renaissance period. The increase of trade led to a new kind of economy, people began using coins to buy goods which created a money economy. Craftspeople produced goods that merchants traded all over Europe. Bankers exchanged currency, loaned money, and financed their own business. The Medici bank was one of the largest and most respected banks of its period. The Medici family was one of the richest families in Italy at its time and their wealth and status came from their work in the banking system. The banks we currently have in today’s society stem from those created in the renaissance. The rise of the merchant class came with the new trading system. Many wealthy families such as the Medici family began investing their money in banking sectors to increase their profits from the trade. Before long, Florence had also become the center of European finance. These merchants became the new 'rich' class, gradually taking power and prestige away from the nobility. Within this class of merchants, wealth was commonly held within families. Before the renaissance there was no middle class, you were either wealthy or poor and the majority of the population was made up of poor citizens. As the fortunes of merchants, bankers, and trades people improved, they had more than enough money to meet their basic needs for food, clothing, and shelter. They began to desire more from their lives and these desires of middle class stimulate the economy. The middle-class population also had leisure time to spend on education and entertainment. In fact, education was essential for many middle-class professions.
Politics
The Renaissance began in northern and central Italy. Part of it was because of the prosperity of Italian city-states. The struggle for power between the popes and the emperors allowed Italian towns to expand their power and independence. These city-states continued increasing their power and influence and by the 14th century, five states controlled all of Italy. These five states had a lot of differences in their political and military powers. Italian city-states conducted their own trade, collected their own taxes, and made their own laws. Some city-states, such as Florence, were governed by an elected council. During the Renaissance groups of guild members, often ruled Italian city-states. Some wealthy families gained long-term control; city-states were ruled by a single family, such as the Medicis. Trade made the Italian city-states wealthy. Italy's location on the central Mediterranean placed its cities in the middle of the trade routes. People from all over Europe came to northern Italy to buy, sell, and do their banking. Many city-states developed specializations. The wealth of many city-states encouraged art and learning. Rich families paid for statues, paintings, beautiful buildings, and avenues to be created all over Italy. They built centers of learning and hospitals. Renaissance ideas spread to the rest of Europe from the city-states of Italy. Prior to the renaissance, people did not associate themselves with a nationality.
Philosophy and Literature
Throughout the Middle Ages, religion was a strong, pervasive force in society. Most individuals were more concerned with God and the possibility of the afterlife than they were with current human affairs. By the time the Renaissance occurred, this social attitude was beginning to change. Religion was still practiced, but people began to be more focused on secular or humanist values, rather than spirituality, at this time. Due to the new found secularism human activities and decisions, especially political ones were becoming more unbiased to religious influence. Humanism focuses on human beings, their values, abilities, and individual worth, and human society as something valuable that could be improved. Humanism allowed people to develop individual and independent lives. Humanists embraced the views of the classic and were no longer stuck in the strict restrictions of the medieval times. Classical writings suggested that life on Earth, during people’s lifetimes, had value. Before this, most people believed that preparing for the afterlife was more important than worrying about daily life in this world. Their studies of the ancient texts and their contacts with other cultures led academics to believe that humans had the potential to do great things as individuals. Humanism, secularism and classicism were included in many different art forms. Humanism was able to be spread across Europe with the new invention of the printing press. Without the printing press the philosophies would have never traveled the distances which they did to increases knowledge on the subject.