Renaissance means "rebirth" and it happened during the 15th and 16th Centuries. The renaissance was a time of harmony, and advances in art, philosophy and architecture. Italy was a chief center of trade and technological advances throughout the Renaissance. Great artists arose during this point in time such as Michelangelo, Leonardo, Raphael, and Donatello, (and sadly they didn't mean the Ninja Turtles). The Protestant reformation happened during this time also, primarily because certain individuals of the clergy were becoming corrupt, so in turn there was a revolt against the church. .
The "rebirth" of the world as we have come to know it happened in Italy and spread throughout Europe and the world during the 15th and 16th centuries. The Renaissance happened for numerous reasons, one of them being that people started believing in the concept of Humanism- an attitude that emphasizes the dignity and worth of the individual. Many advances in Science, Liberal Arts, Fine Arts, and Religion were also made during this time.
The Renaissance had vastly broadened the range of art, both in its series of theme and in its array of human knowledge. In theory, the artist could now do more or less anything. Artists such as, Leonardo Da Vinci who was one of the first artists to start sketching outdoor portraits. He also had many unfinished sketches of the first, airplane, parachute, helicopter, tank, repeating rifle, and many other genius ides. .
The interest in the Classical Arts of ancient Greece and Rome was reborn during this time. The rediscovery of this traditional world thoroughly changed their vision of their own, and gave to the art of painting a new diversity of fashion and principle. The divine content painting changed by the year 1500, as devotional art became humanized. Artists no longer honored dead heroes and dignified saviors.
