When talking about Renaissance, we need to identify two periods. First of all, from the 14th through 17 century, Italy underwent an unprecedented age of enlightenment. Known as the Renaissance—a term derived from the Italian word Rinascimento, or “rebirth”—this period saw increased attention to cultural subjects like art and architecture.

“The Early Renaissance” denotes the period between 1400 and 1490, when artists like Fra Angelico and Botticelli began to experiment with realism. Between 1490 and 1527 the “High Renaissance” occurred, when well-known Italian artists produced particularly celebrated works of art.

Italian Renaissance artists like Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci, and Raphael found inspiration in classical art from Ancient Rome and Greece, adopting ancient interests like balance, naturalism, and perspective. In Renaissance-era Italy, this antiquity-inspired approach materialized as humanist portrait painting, anatomically correct sculpture, and harmonious, symmetrical architecture.

Comes to mind two of Buonarroti’s best-known works, the Pietà and David, sculpted before the age of thirty. He also created two of the most influential frescoes in the history of Western art: the scenes from Genesis on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel in Rome, and The Last Judgment on its altar wall. In his lifetime, Michelangelo was often called Il Divino (“the divine one”).

Italian art was – during the Dark Ages – predominantly rooted in religion. In painting, this unique approach was characterized by spiritual iconography, flat compositions, unrealistic color palettes, and ethereal figures. In the 1300s, however, Italian artists based in Florence abandoned this distinctive aesthetic and adopted a more humanist approach to art. This time of change would eventually be known as the Italian Renaissance.