The word Renaissance translates to "rebirth." It marked a cultural and artistic revival inspired by the classical art, philosophy, and literature of ancient Greece and Rome, emphasizing human potential, observation, and humanist values alongside religious faith.

Florence was wealthy because of trade, banking, and textile production. Wealthy families, religious institutions, and civic authorities supported artists through patronage.

Humanism emphasised classical learning, human abilities, education, and individual experience. It encouraged artists to study the human body, emotions, and the natural world.

Linear perspective is a technique that creates the illusion of three-dimensional space on a flat surface by making parallel lines appear to converge at a vanishing point.

The dome of Florence Cathedral and the church of San Lorenzo.

Donatello's bronze David was the first freestanding, life-sized nude male statue created since classical antiquity. It revived the naturalistic classical contrapposto stance, celebrating human anatomy and physical presence rather than the stylized, rigid forms common in medieval art.

Ghiberti varied the depth of the relief. Foreground figures project more strongly, while distant figures and buildings are carved more shallowly.

Masaccio's fresco The Holy Trinity (c. 1425–1427) in the church of Santa Maria Novella in Florence is celebrated as one of the earliest painted masterworks to use rigorous mathematical linear perspective, making the barrel-vaulted chapel seem like a true physical space cut into the wall.

Patronage provided the crucial financial and civic foundation for Renaissance art. Wealthy merchant and banking families (such as the Medici), civic guilds, and religious bodies commissioned paintings, public monuments, and churches to showcase civic pride, religious piety, and social prestige.

Early Renaissance art placed greater emphasis on realistic anatomy and proportion, as well as the use of linear perspective to create convincing three-dimensional space.

High Renaissance art is characterised by harmony, balance, ideal beauty, realistic anatomy, and carefully organised compositions.

Powerful popes and the Catholic Church commissioned major works of art and architecture, attracting talented artists to Rome.

Sfumato is a technique that blends colours and tones gradually to create soft transitions without sharp outlines. It is associated with Leonardo da Vinci.

The painting uses linear perspective to create depth and direct attention towards Christ. The disciples' gestures and expressions communicate their emotional reactions.

The fresco depicts philosophers of ancient Greece in an impressive architectural setting. It reflects Renaissance humanism and the renewed interest in classical learning.

Contrapposto is a standing pose in which the body's weight rests mainly on one leg, creating a natural shift in the hips and shoulders. Michelangelo used this pose to give David a natural and balanced appearance.

The sculpture combines idealised forms, delicate marble carving, a balanced composition, and powerful emotion as the Virgin Mary holds the dead body of Jesus.

High Renaissance architecture emphasises symmetry, proportion, geometric forms, columns, domes, and inspiration from ancient Greek and Roman buildings.

Its circular design, classical columns, and harmonious proportions reflect Renaissance ideals inspired by ancient Roman architecture.

They studied anatomy, nature, and perspective to create realistic figures and spaces, while using balanced compositions and ideal proportions to represent beauty and harmony.

Mannerism developed in Italy around 1520, after the High Renaissance.

The term comes from the Italian word maniera, meaning “style” or “manner.”

They used elongated figures, unusual proportions, complex compositions, unexpected arrangements, and heightened emotional expression instead of the balance and harmony associated with the High Renaissance.

It features elongated figures, compressed space, and spiritual tension rather than balanced proportions and clear spatial organisation.

His paintings feature elongated figures, intense colours, dramatic lighting, and a strong spiritual focus.

They rearranged and transformed Renaissance forms, using unusual proportions, unexpected decorative details, and complex relationships between architectural elements.

High Renaissance art emphasised harmony, balance, and ideal proportions, while Mannerism explored unusual proportions, complex compositions, stylisation, and emotional tension.

In some Protestant regions, religious images were criticised or destroyed, reducing demand for traditional religious paintings and altarpieces. Artists increasingly explored portraits, landscapes, everyday life, and moral subjects.

Realism, careful attention to detail, rich colours, subtle effects of light, and the use of oil paint.

It combines detailed realism with complex Christian themes and demonstrates the possibilities of oil painting in Northern Europe.

Its precise details, carefully represented interior, convex mirror, and inscription demonstrate Van Eyck's skill. The exact purpose of the painting remains debated.

He adopted Italian ideas about proportion, perspective, and the human body while maintaining the Northern European tradition of careful observation and attention to detail.

It shows food and other everyday objects in the foreground while smaller background scenes introduce religious and moral meanings connected to material wealth, charity, and Christian values.

He depicted landscapes, rural life, celebrations, and ordinary people. His paintings combine detailed observation of everyday activities with broader reflections on human behaviour.

Baroque art developed during a period of religious conflict, political change, and growing royal power in Europe. The Catholic Reformation, also known as the Counter-Reformation, encouraged the use of religious art to communicate Catholic teachings and inspire devotion.

The Catholic Church commissioned paintings, sculptures, and architectural decorations to communicate religious ideas, inspire faith, and move viewers emotionally.

Chiaroscuro uses light and shadow to create volume, depth, and three-dimensional form. Tenebrism uses a particularly dramatic contrast, with brightly illuminated figures emerging from deep darkness.

Caravaggio uses a beam of light against a dark interior to draw attention to the figures and emphasize the moment when Jesus calls Matthew. The realistic setting makes the biblical event feel immediate and human.

The painting shows a dramatic moment of action with realistic figures, intense emotion, strong movement, and powerful contrasts between light and darkness. Judith and her maidservant are presented as active and determined figures.

Bernini depicts David preparing to throw a stone at Goliath. His twisted body and concentrated expression capture movement and tension, making the viewer imagine the action continuing beyond the sculpture.

Bernini combined sculpture, architecture, and light to create theatrical and emotionally powerful experiences. Borromini used curved walls, complex geometry, and unusual spatial arrangements to create a sense of movement in architecture.

The painting includes the young Infanta Margarita, her attendants, Velázquez himself, and a mirror reflecting the king and queen. Its arrangement of figures and gazes makes viewers question who is looking at whom and what is happening outside the picture.

Caravaggio uses dramatic light and deep shadows to emphasize a moment of religious transformation. Vermeer uses softer natural light to reveal the textures of everyday objects and create a quiet, carefully observed domestic scene.