Jacob Burckhardt’s The Civilization of the Renaissance in Italy: A New Modernized Version

Jacob Burckhardt

Hun 2023 · Industrial Systems Research

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This is a new modernized version of The Civilization of the Renaissance in Italy by the Swiss historian and art critic Jacob Burckhardt. It presents the text in contemporary language to improve accessibility and engagement for present-day readers.

First published in 1860, Burckhardt’s book brilliantly analyzes Italian arts, culture, politics, and society. 

In reviving classical ideas and values, the Italian Renaissance was a marked departure from the Middle Ages. Here as elsewhere in the Europe of the Renaissance, the driving spirits were humanism, individualism, secularism, and the pursuit of knowledge. However, Italy had important distinctive features in the patronage of the arts, the ascent of the merchant class, the city-states, and the rise of the “Renaissance man” or “universal man” adept in multiple disciplines. 

The arts both reflect and shape the society, its values, and the aspirations of individual people.

Burckhardt delves deeply into the evolving art and architecture of Renaissance Italy. We read of the resurgence of ancient Greek and Roman forms, the rediscovery of perspective, the mastery of human anatomy, and the illustrious contributions of artists like Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, and Raphael.  

The book has exerted a profound influence on our understanding and interpretation of the Renaissance. Burckhardt's emphasis on individualism, secularism, and celebrating human achievement continues to shape scholarly discourse surrounding this subject. Later research has challenged and refined some of Burckhardt's ideas.  Nonetheless, his work remains an indispensable reference for anyone seeking a comprehensive understanding of the cultural and intellectual history of a momentous era.

Contents

Editorial Foreword

Part 1: The State as a Work Of Art

Part 2: The Development of the Individual  

Part 3: The Revival of Antiquity

Part 4: The Discovery of the World and Of Man

Part 5: Society and Festivals

Part 6: Morality and Religion

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Jacob Burckhardt (1818-1897) was a Swiss historian and art critic.  After studying history and theology at the University of Basle, he later became a professor there. The Civilization of the Renaissance in Italy is his most famous work.  The book revolutionized the study of the Renaissance and had a lasting impact on the field of art history and the arts in wider socio-cultural context.