Renaissance
Many argue that the ideas characterizing the Renaissance had their origin in late 13th-century Florence, in particular with the writings of Dante Alighieri (1265–1321) and Petrarch (1304–1374), as well as the paintings of Giotto di Bondone (1267–1337). Some writers date the Renaissance quite precisely; one proposed starting point is 1401, when the rival geniuses Lorenzo Ghiberti and Filippo Brunelleschi competed for the contract to build the bronze doors for the Baptistery of the Florence Cathedral (Ghiberti won). Others see more general competition between artists and polymaths such as Brunelleschi, Ghiberti, Donatello, and Masaccio for artistic commissions as sparking the creativity of the Renaissance. Yet it remains much debated why the Renaissance began in Italy, and why it began when it did. Accordingly, several theories have been put forward to explain its origins.
Charleston Renaissance
In the Antebellum era, Charleston was one of the ten largest cities in America. The Civil War destroyed the city's prosperity, and the economic after-effects lingered through the Reconstruction era into the early 20th century. Beginning around World War I, however, the city experienced a renaissance in the arts as the local art community worked on bettering their city and representing it in various media. The Charleston Renaissance contributed to the rise of such art institutions as the Gibbes Museum of Art (which grew out of the Carolina Art Association's gallery) and the Poetry Society of South Carolina. It lasted through the Great Depression until World War II.