Renaissance Art

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November 18, 2021

20 Famous Italian Renaissance Paintings That Left Their Mark on History

As the Middle Ages came to an end in the 1400s, a new era of art and culture was born in Italy. The Renaissance—a term derived from the Italian word Rinascimento, or “rebirth”—is often regarded as a golden age of art, music, and literature, which had a profound impact on the course of art history.

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October 6, 2021

Sandro Botticelli: The Renaissance Artist Who Became the Master of Mythology Scenes

Few artists encapsulate the pristine beauty of Renaissance art as well as Sandro Botticelli.

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July 4, 2021

Exploring ‘Lady With an Ermine,’ an Oft-Forgotten Renaissance Portrait by Leonardo da Vinci

Renaissance master Leonardo da Vinci produced vast amounts of work in the fields of art and science.

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May 19, 2021

Where to View Leonardo da Vinci’s Notebooks Online for Free

Painter, inventor, and scientist Leonardo da Vinci paved the way in many fields during his lifetime. One of the reasons why historians know so much about the Renaissance Man is because of the numerous notebooks he kept from the 1480s until his death in 1519. Inside these journals, Da Vinci explored the many fields that interested him, including anatomy and physiology, engineering, art, and more.

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April 5, 2021

Who Was Albrecht Dürer? Learn About the Pioneering Northern Renaissance Printmaker

The 15th century was a period of major artistic growth in Europe.

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December 31, 2020

What Is a Reliquary? Here’s a Short Introduction To the Bejeweled Medieval Vessels

The veneration of saints was a fundamental feature of medieval Christianity.

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August 9, 2020

How to Decipher the Symbolism in Jan van Eyck’s Famous ‘Arnolfini Portrait’

Nearly 100 years before Leonardo da Vinci (c. 1452-1519) created the Mona Lisa, another painter was setting the standard for realistic oil portraiture. Born in what is now Belgium, artist Jan van Eyck (c. 1390-1441) was an early master of the oil medium and used it to create meticulously detailed compositions.

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August 2, 2020

How Sister Plautilla Nelli Became the First Woman Artist to Paint ‘The Last Supper’

It's no secret that the Italian Renaissance is one of the most influential movements in Western art history.

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July 25, 2020

How the Florence Cathedral Spent Centuries Under Construction to Become a Beloved Landmark

From its scarlet red dome to its beckoning bell tower, the Santa Maria del Fiore is an architectural gem.

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June 30, 2020

8 Interesting Facts About Raphael, Master of the Italian Renaissance

When listing famous Renaissance artists, it's impossible not to think of Raphael. He was a child prodigy brought to Rome in his mid-20s by the pope and trusted with painting some of the Vatican's most important rooms. From oil paintings and frescos to tapestries to architecture, Raphael was an artist who mastered anything that was thrown his way.

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