The Renaissance was a cultural movement that lasted from the 14th to the 17th century. It all began in Italy after the Black Death killed between a third and half of the population. It subsequently spread to the rest of Europe. People showed a new interest in the arts and sciences. They were curious about the human body as it manifested itself in changes in art and medicine. There was a new interest in government, literature and thought. The revival was delayed in northern Europe. Despite the delay in the north, amazing results were achieved that influenced all of Europe. The Renaissance was delayed in Northern Europe for several reasons. The north was further from commercial and cultural centers. Northern people clung to the feudal system of life and “as a result, cities, commerce, and the more progressive ideas that tend to accompany wealth developed more slowly in the North.” (http://www.flowofhistory.com) The influence of feudalism and the church prevented things from moving forward in the north. The more influence the church had, the slower it was to adopt humanism because the focus was on God. With the growth of trade, the revival of cities, and the demise of the feudal system, the north became more modern. After the invention of the printing press, ideas could travel faster. Art in the Northern Renaissance was all made in Northern Italy in Germany, France and the Netherlands, from which it takes its name. Northern art retained its Gothic roots much longer than in Italy. “Northern Renaissance artists took a different approach to composition than Italian artists.” (http://arthistory.about.com) Humanism was important in the art community because it meant that artists created... in the middle of paper......printing certainly started an "information revolution" on par with the Internet today. The press could spread new ideas quickly and with greater impact.” (http://www.historyguide.org) As the Renaissance period moved from place to place in Europe, it took longer to reach the north. Art, literature, and changes in medicine were important to the new way of life. People stopped seeing the church as the center of their world, art stopped being just about the gods, and people started looking closely at their surroundings and the human body. Not only did art change, printing helped people get written information faster, and there were many important changes in medicine. All these exciting changes eventually made their way to the north as times changed and people's social classes changed and people had more freedom and money..