Summary of the Renaissance    

For those who have not taken any art courses, this is really important because it will help you link the concepts in World Gardens with the “spirit of the times” in the Renaissance.  The art of a period is a reflection of the psychological, religious, and political forces at work during that period. The reading assignment can be found at the following URL:

http://courses.washington.edu/ah361/resources/summary.html

The section on "Ideas and Concepts: Humanism, Neoplatonism, and Aristotelianism" is particularly important.  It is a succinct summary of the philosophy which underlay the Classical art of painting, sculpture, architecture, and gardens, although the latter are not specified.