Late in the 14th century, a group of Italian thinkers declared that they lived in an era called the new age. According to them, the ferocious, superstitious Middle ages were long gone and that the new age of learning art, literature and culture was reborn. This simple fact was the trigger of the Italian Renaissance revolution.
It was the rebirth of a period currently referred to as the Renaissance, another word for renewal. Several scholars concur that between the 14th century and 17th century, a new enlightened way of thinking was emerging in the world that replaced the archaic one. However, many artistic, cultural and scientific discoveries of the Renaissance had common themes, believing that man was the center of his universe as prominent.
Early Italian Renaissance
Giotto and Cimabue propagate realism, reject Byzantine religious paintings, and push for authenticity, depicting human form and space.
Realism peaked with the coming of artists such as Paolo Uccello and Andrea Mantegna, who are known for using a one-point perspective. Using their education and art knowledge, they mesmerized many with their work. There was a change in the subject matter in drawing and painting during the early Italian Renaissance. Religion shaped and influenced many artistic works since it was a predominant element in almost everyone who lived.
However, new avenues such as the mythological matter were opening up for painting. According to scholars, one such painting on a mythological subject was Botticelli’s work Birth of Venus, which was among the first of its kind. This deviation from religious painting to realism and mythological subjects opened a world for other artistic imaginations, themes, and production.
High Italian Renaissance
This period began in the 1490s with Leonardo Fresco. It ended with the Sack of Rome by the army of Charles V in 1527. The term High Renaissance was coined because scholars believe that the goals and the aspiration of medieval artistry reached their most fantastic applications. The shift from point perspective to classical art and the application of development characterize this stage of history. The age of high Italian Renaissance was predominated by three musketeers. Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci and Raphael.