| The Renaissance Man Project |  |
“A man can do all things if he will.”
The term Renaissance Man is used to describe a person who is well educated or who excels in a wide variety of subjects or fields. The concept was developed in Renaissance Italy between the fourteenth and seventeenth centuries, from the notion expressed by one of its most accomplished representatives, Leon Battista Alberti, that “a man can do all things if he will.”
The basic idea behind Renaissance Humanism is that humans are empowered and limitless in their capacity for development, and so they should embrace all knowledge and develop their capacities as fully as possible. Renaissance Men didn’t restrict their education to academic and scholarly fields, but rather sought to be well rounded and excel athletically, in song and dance, and in the arts.
“The Book of the Courtier” by Baldesar Castiglione outlined the ideal characteristics of a Renaissance Man or polymath. According to him they should possess skills and knowledge in the following areas:
- Fighting and weaponry
- Poetry
- Music
- Dance
- Visual art
- Philosophy and science
Over the next few months, my life will become an experiment.
Using Castiglione’s guide to becoming the perfect courtier or gentlemen, I will attempt to become a modern-day Renaissance Man. Each month for 6 months I will dedicate myself to learning a particular skill that was expected of Renaissance men.
Ultimately, if all goes as planned, by the time this experiment is through I will have spent 6 months in 6 different countries learning 6 different skills that were expected of Renaissance men.
This blog will detail my adventure as I attempt to become a modern-day Renaissance Man on a global scale.
First stop, studying poetry at Ezra Pound's castle in northern Italy.
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