The most important city artistically in the Renaissance is Florence. The Renaissance started with humanism and a study of classical Greek and Roman culture, history, and science and those studies would lead artists to rediscover in those ancient worlds the ideas of perspective, and depth, and realism in sculpture and painting. And while Medieval or Gothic buildings soared fantastically toward the heavens or were often unplanned, fanciful structures, architects during the Renaissance would bring buildings back to classical human proportions.

The most important city artistically in the Renaissance is Florence. The Renaissance started with humanism and a study of classical Greek and Roman culture, history, and science and those studies would lead artists to rediscover in those ancient worlds the ideas of perspective, and depth, and realism in sculpture and painting. And while Medieval or Gothic buildings soared fantastically toward the heavens or were often unplanned, fanciful structures, architects during the Renaissance would bring buildings back to classical human proportions.

The High Renaissance is marked by an intense focus on the human form and was informed by artists' dissections of cadavers. This practice had been outlawed by the church in Medieval times. Leonardo, Michelangelo and Raphael are the three main artists of the High Renaissance in Italy.

The High Renaissance is marked by an intense focus on the human form and was informed by artists' dissections of cadavers. This practice had been outlawed by the church in Medieval times. Leonardo, Michelangelo and Raphael are the three main artists of the High Renaissance in Italy.

This is The Last Supper by Leonardo da Vinci and it achieves and perfects all of the principles of the Renaissance. Check out SmartHistory online for some great commentary on this painting.

http://smarthistory.khanacademy.org/leonardo-last-supper.html

This is The Last Supper by Leonardo da Vinci and it achieves and perfects all of the principles of the Renaissance. Check out SmartHistory online for some great commentary on this painting.

http://smarthistory.khanacademy.org/leonardo-last-supper.html

This is The Last Supper by Leonardo da Vinci and it achieves and perfects all of the principles of the Renaissance. Check out SmartHistory online for some great commentary on this painting.

http://smarthistory.khanacademy.org/leonardo-last-supper.html

This is The Last Supper by Leonardo da Vinci and it achieves and perfects all of the principles of the Renaissance. Check out SmartHistory online for some great commentary on this painting.

http://smarthistory.khanacademy.org/leonardo-last-supper.html

This is The Last Supper by Leonardo da Vinci and it achieves and perfects all of the principles of the Renaissance. Check out SmartHistory online for some great commentary on this painting.

http://smarthistory.khanacademy.org/leonardo-last-supper.html

This is The Last Supper by Leonardo da Vinci and it achieves and perfects all of the principles of the Renaissance. Check out SmartHistory online for some great commentary on this painting.

http://smarthistory.khanacademy.org/leonardo-last-supper.html

This is Michelangelo's Pieta and depicts Mary holding the dead figure of Christ. This theme was very popular in the Northern Renaissance and is a little odd that it shows up in Italy. It is the only piece that Michelangelo every signed. It is noted for it's realism and naturalism and while the figures are slightly out of proportion, there is an intimacy between them. The sculpture is in a classic pyramid with Mary's drapery becoming wider and the rock of Golgotha anchoring the base. Michelangelo has again balanced the Renaissance ideals of classical beauty and naturalism.

This is Michelangelo's Pieta and depicts Mary holding the dead figure of Christ. This theme was very popular in the Northern Renaissance and is a little odd that it shows up in Italy. It is the only piece that Michelangelo every signed. It is noted for it's realism and naturalism and while the figures are slightly out of proportion, there is an intimacy between them. The sculpture is in a classic pyramid with Mary's drapery becoming wider and the rock of Golgotha anchoring the base. Michelangelo has again balanced the Renaissance ideals of classical beauty and naturalism.

Raphael's School of Athens is a perfect example of the values of humanism and Greek and Roman antiquity in the Renaissance. Here we have many of the most well known ancient philosophers (sometimes depicted with the faces of famous Italians) gathered together. This could be a metaphor for Italian society and art during the Renaissance, as it gathered all the expertise and knowledge of antiquity into one time period.

Raphael's School of Athens is a perfect example of the values of humanism and Greek and Roman antiquity in the Renaissance. Here we have many of the most well known ancient philosophers (sometimes depicted with the faces of famous Italians) gathered together. This could be a metaphor for Italian society and art during the Renaissance, as it gathered all the expertise and knowledge of antiquity into one time period.

The Northern Renaissance was the Renaissance that occurred in Europe north of the Alps. Before 1497, Italian Renaissance humanism had little influence outside Italy. From the late 15th century, its ideas spread around Europe. This influenced the German Renaissance, French Renaissance, English Renaissance, Renaissance in the Low Countries, Polish Renaissance and other national and localized movements, each with different characteristics and strengths.

In France, King Francis I imported Italian art, commissioned Venetian artists (including Leonardo da Vinci), and built grand palaces at great expense, starting the French Renaissance. Trade and commerce in cities like Bruges in the 15th century and Antwerp in the 16th increased cultural exchange between Italy and the Low Countries, however in art, and especially architecture, late Gothic influences remained present until the arrival of Baroque even as painters increasingly drew on Italian models.[1]

Jan van Eyck was a Dutch Renaissance painter known for his portraits and religious panels commissioned for churches called diptychs (2 panel) or triptychs (3 panel). Northern Renaissance subjects were more likely to be realistic or naturalistic portraits of the living and if they were religious they had none of the heroism and idealism of Greek mythology in them like paintings from the Italian Renaissance. They were much less likely to include subjects from Greek and Roman mythology. The use of oil based paints rather than working in fresco allowed the artists to work more slowly and produce paintings that were almost photo-realistic.

Link to Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B9vXathZikM

Link to Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ODhKqFaugQ

Pieter Bruegel is known for his portrayal of peasants or everyday people in his paintings. Even in the midst of terrible death and destruction we can see the life of peasants, what they wore, their daily activities, and the ways they entertained themselves with games and other pastimes. This picture of ordinary life would be extremely hard to find in the Italian Renaissance which was very focused on its wealthy patrons. Northern Renaissance paintings were also more likely to contain contemporary everyday landscapes rather than grand Roman or Greek architecture.

Pieter Bruegel is known for his portrayal of peasants or everyday people in his paintings. Even in the midst of terrible death and destruction we can see the life of peasants, what they wore, their daily activities, and the ways they entertained themselves with games and other pastimes. This picture of ordinary life would be extremely hard to find in the Italian Renaissance which was very focused on its wealthy patrons. Northern Renaissance paintings were also more likely to contain contemporary everyday landscapes rather than grand Roman or Greek architecture.

Link to Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q1X0Lj7YEMs

Link to Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zr3el94OP3Q