Module 8

1) I chose these films to watch because I felt the topics would be something that would interest me and help me to understand the history of art.

2) Florence: Heart of the Renaissance Key Concepts

• Florence was the home of the Renaissance and the birthplace of the modern Western world
• In Florence, there was a rebirth of the cultures of ancient Greece and Rome which swept across Europe
• Capitalism was replacing feudalism- Florence was "middleman of trade between East and West"
• Renaissance was an age of humanism- escaped from the church's shadows
• Sculptors, painters, and poets during the Renaissance turned to ancient work for inspiration.
• During the Renaissance, as in the ancient world, people saw the glory of God in the beauty, order, and harmony of the human body

Art and Life in the Middle Ages: The Luttrell Psalter

• The Luttrell Psalter is a prayer book containing scenes from the Bible and everyday life, as well as plants, animals, birds, and even monsters.
• The pictures in the Psalter reveal a lot about the Luttrell family as well as medieval life in general.
• The Luttrell Psalter is one of the few surviving pieces of evidence as to how people in England lived in the Middle Ages. 
• People in the Middle Ages, whether wealthy or peasants, depended on the success of the harvest.
• Peasants worked in exchange for a piece of land as well as a portion of the harvest.
• The rich and poor would celebrate the bringing in of the harvest together.
• People had a very literal belief of heaven and hell in the Middle Ages.

3) The films related to the readings by helping to give context as to the history of these time periods and how art was influential.

4) I appreciated the films because as mentioned, it is helpful to understand the time period outside of just the art styles. By understanding more of the history, it creates a more complete picture of how art evolved.