“He who imitates must have a care that what he writes be similar, not identical.”
— Petrarch
The Creation of Adam — Michelangelo
Humanism and Art
Renaissance art reflects a belief in humanism—the idea that human beings are capable of great achievement and worthy of study in their own right. Paintings and sculptures focused on realistic anatomy, perspective, and emotion, celebrating both the beauty of the human body and the complexity of the human mind. Works like Michelangelo’s David or Leonardo’s Vitruvian Man illustrate the Renaissance fascination with proportion, balance, and the union of art and science.
A Classical Rebirth
The Renaissance, beginning in the 14th century, marked a rebirth of interest in classical antiquity and human potential. Artists such as Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, and Raphael revived Greek and Roman ideals while blending them with new ideas about individualism and scientific observation.
The Vitruvian Man — Leonardo da Vinci
What is Renaissance Humanism?
The Last Supper — Leonardo da Vinci
The Portrait Begins
Patronage also reveals Renaissance values. Wealthy families like the Medici family and leaders such as the popes commissioned grand works of art not only as acts of devotion, but also as symbols of status, learning, and cultural refinement. Many patrons would commission portraits of themselves or family members. Much of the art from the Renaissance is portraits of these individuals.
Religious Themes with a Human Focus
Religion remained a dominant theme, but it was approached differently than in the Middle Ages. Biblical figures were painted with lifelike expressions and set in realistic landscapes, bridging the sacred and the earthly. This reflected the belief that divinity could be understood through human experience.
Lorenzo de’ Medici — Raphael
Portrait of Henry VIII — Hans Holbein the Younger
