Who Were The Players?

When we're talking about the Italian Renaissance, we're talking about a time period that typically spans from the 14th to the early 15th century. All of the classic paintings and statues that we immediately think of as Renaissance art were completed during the High Renaissance, or from about 1490 to about 1520. The place? Italy. More specifically, Florence, Florence, Florence...with a dash of Rome, thanks to Michelangelo.

The leading men (female artists, in this time period, were few and far between—sorry, ladies) during the High Renaissance are everybody's favorite teenage mutant ninja turtles: Leonardo, Michelangelo, Raphael, and Donatello. These guys set the standard during the High Renaissance for color, proportion, and generally great composition. They would be nothing without a few artists who came before them, though. Giotto was the first artist who added weight and personality to his subjects. An easy way to remember this is the memorable, alliterative quote, â€œGiotto makes massive Madonnas." Then there was Masaccio, who was the first guy to figure out perspective and how to use it in art—he was a brilliant mathematician and a talented artist (there were a bunch of those types of guys during the Renaissance).

source 1, source 2