Renaissance art saw a transition from religious themes in painting and sculpture to more secular themes of love and romance. A renewed connection with ancient philosophy, literature, and science from the Greco-Roman Period was the central issue in the development of Renaissance Art.
Early Renaissance
The art in the 15th century is considered Early Renaissance art. Florence, Italy, was the center for artistic thinking. This was due to the creation of the Republic and a lessening of the power of the aristocracy. Because of this shift, artists were respected as great men rather than a burden. Many artists came to settle in Florence because of these ideal political circumstances.
Early Renaissance artists included Donatello, a sculptor, Masaccio, a painter, and Brunelleschi, an architect. Renaissance artists were looking for a better way to paint or create the natural world. They wanted to show human personality and behavior, as opposed to the medieval period’s focus of trying to glorify God. Artists sought to perfectly represent the body, properly display proportions in architecture, etc. But by the late 15th century, artists began to focus more on personal meaning and expression, rather than perfection of the human form, in their art.
High Renaissance
The High Renaissance period spanned a brief period of about 75 years, lasting from approximately 1495 to 1520. High Renaissance artists included some of the most famous artists of the entire Renaissance period, such as Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci, and Raphael. High Renaissance art, unlike the early Renaissance, had a general and unified view of pictorial representation or architectural composition. So the art was designed in a way that all had the same interpretation. This increased the expression and physical appearance of the work.
Leonardo da Vinci(1452-1519)
All people who study art in the Renaissance period consider Leonardo da Vinci a model of perfection and excellence. Da Vinci was a genius who began a huge variety of projects, many of which were never finished. His impressive intellect gave him an insight into the natural sciences. Some of his most famous works were the Mona Lisa, The Last Supper, and The Virgin of the Rocks. He also had many inventions.
Michelangelo Buonarroti (1475-1564)
Michelangelo’s work was often of a religious nature. He spent many years working in Rome for various popes on projects in the Vatican and on the tomb of Pope Julius II. His most famous work was in the Sistine Chapel, depicting the Bible stories preceding the giving of the Law to Moses. His most famous sculpture was the nude statue of David, which was meant to depict the perfect male form. The last 20 years of his life was devoted to architecture, of which his most famous work was the Cathedral of St. Peter’s in Rome, still one of the largest cathedrals in the world today.
Late Renaissance
The sack of Rome in 1527 temporarily put a stop to the city’s role in art, forcing artists to move to other centers of Italy, Spain, and France. Late Renaissance art saw the addition of Mannerism into painting, meaning the artist included some of his personal idiosyncrasies in his art, creating a link between himself and his painting. It was a visually appealing movement that used grace and elegance in accordance with the personalities of the artists. Some of these artists were Pontormo, Fiorentino, and Parmigianino.
(Edited from source)