What did Walter Pater think of the Renaissance?his feelings. just to summarize

In his own words, Walter Pater felt that the Renaissance
was

the most
interesting period in the history of the
mind.

This statement clearly
reflects that Pater not only analyzes that period from the mere perspective of artistic
expression. As both a philosopher and a writer, Pater tends to explore what motivated
such exquisite manifestations of beauty, ideology, and genius. He studies it from a
historical, psychological, social, and emotional point of view that leads us to
understand the multidimensional world of Renaissance Europe. At the same time, he
includes the detail and care that was given to Art as a form of expression, and as a
conduit of pure beauty.

Pater tracks the evolution of the
Renaissance to as early as the late 13th century, where already there had been signs of
change in society. He notices that this period tends to revert to the classic art of the
Greeks, but that the style is more in-depth than a mere recreation of artistic
expression. He says that the movement is:

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not merely the revival of classical antiquity
which took place in the fifteenth century . . . but a whole complex movement, of which
that revival of classical antiquity was but one element or
symptom.

To support this
statement, think of the magnificent changes that took place during this time. The greats
such as Da Vinci, Bramante, Michaelangelo, Raphael, and Boticelli expressed gave the
world their genius. The best novels, paintings, sculptures were produce then. The
combination of a reversal to the classical past and a love for nature were equally
exemplified by the combination of bucolic art with classical art. Walter Pater agreed
that this period was the biggest awakening in human intellect, and perhaps the time when
beauty was appreciated in its highest splendor.