From the Dark Ages and Poverty to Bursting with Culture and New Ideas

In 1300 A.D, the Renaissance began in Italy. Creative art styles and classical ideas spread throughout Europe. In 1920, another renaissance began, but this time in Harlem, New York. Although in a different place in the world, the effect was similar. Arts flourished and literature became more common. Harlem transformed from a poor city in poverty to a city full of new ideas. However, exactly what new ideas formed in both renaissances were different.

The Renaissance in Italy was more focused in arts such as painting and sculpting. Famous artists who lived at the time were Leonardo da Vinci, and Michelangelo. On the other hand, the Harlem Renaissance leaned to music. Jazz music became very popular among the population, and people like Louis Armstrong and Lil Hardin Armstrong became famous for the music they played. In addition, a new style to play the piano, called stride style, was created during the Harlm Renaissance. As you can see, art was important in both Harlem and Italy.

In addition to art in the Italian Renaissance, literature flourished. writers began to write more about the lives of real people, instead of fictional characters. One of the authors of the time was Dante Alighieri. His greatest work was The Divine Comedy, which focused on spiritual developement. Dante also influenced other authors to write in the native language Italian, instead of Latin, which was also commonly used. Authors in the Harlem Renaissance also wanted to depict the lives of people. Rudolph Fisher, an author during this period wrote The Walls of Jericho, which showed the lives of black people in Harlem. This shows how much literature grew in both Renaissances.

As stated above, the things that grew and flourished in both Italy and Harlem are similar, and different. However, even though some of the ideas were different, the growth of culture happened for the same reason. After the Renaissance, both areas became much more cultured, as opposed to the Dark Ages and poverty.