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By the end of his career, van Eyck and his peers had established portraiture as a major art form. Jan van Eyck was a leading force in 15th-century Flemish painting due to his innovations in optical perspective and his use of oil paint. He achieved a very high level of realism, in part due to his use of atmospheric perspective. He is known as an innovator in veristic realism not only for his detailed portraiture but also for his backgrounds, which appear to recede into the background.
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Donatello was the first artist to bring back nude sculpture. Unlike art that focused only on the realm of religion, Donatello's works explore a person's place in the world. He worked under the patronage of Cosimo de' Medici, the head of the most powerful family in Florence at the time, who commissioned the sculpture David. He formed a new type of architectural bas-relief that highlighted depth and three-dimensionality and focused on the anatomical accuracy of his figures.
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A rise in wealthy merchants was driven by expanding trade and the growth of cities. This new merchant class became major patrons of art, which drove the cultural achievements of the Renaissance. Their secular patronage encouraged the development of portraiture, landscapes and cityscapes, and genre scenes. The printing press accelerated the spread of artistic ideas across Europe, connecting artists like Durer to Italian Renaissance styles. Advances in oil paints allowed for new depth and texture.
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The Early Italian Renaissance was a cultural rebirth that affected every part of society. Artists created artworks that were deepened by their knowledge of architecture, philosophy, mathematics, science, and theology. Compared to flat-planed and two-dimensional icon artwork from prior periods, art during this time incorporated atmospheric perspective, chiaroscuro, and foreshortening. Art became less about religious traditions and more focused on the natural world, humanism, and individualism.
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This is the Biblical hero David, depicted as a classical-inspired nude. It is the earliest known freestanding nude sculpture since the ancient past. He demonstrates the interest in humanism—he stands in a contrapposto pose and is anatomically correct. Renaissance Italy was male-dominated, and the sculpture reflects the Florentine obsession with youthful male beauty.
Donatello. David. Late 1420s–1460s. Bronze. Museo Nazionale de Bargello, Florence, https://smarthistory.org/donatello-david/ -
The painting celebrates material wealth and taste, as seen in the luxurious clothing and bedroom. It conveys gender roles, with the woman positioned near the bed and the man near the window, representative of the public sphere. Its detailed textures, realism, and use of symbolism are characteristic of the Northern Renaissance art style.
Jan van Eyck. The Arnolfini Portrait. 1434. Oil paint and panel. The National Gallery, London, https://smarthistory.org/jan-van-eyck-the-arnolfini-portrait/ -
The style of the church and the S-curve of the Madonna figure align with the Gothic style popular in Northern Renaissance art. The blending of symbolism with naturalism to represent theological concepts is also characteristic of this style. An innovation in art at the time, a vanishing point helps create a 3D effect.
Jan van Eyck. The Madonna in the Church. c. 1438. Oil paint on oak. Gemäldegalerie, Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, https://recherche.smb.museum/detail/868435/die-madonna-in-der-kirche -
Botticelli was one of the first Western artists since classical times to depict non-religious subject matter. The subject of many of his paintings was beauty and virtue, qualities represented by the goddess Venus. His artworks were influenced by his knowledge of anatomy and perspective. Unlike art during the High Renaissance, Botticelli also incorporated an artistic decorative style. It is perhaps for this reason that his art was disregarded after his death—being associated with Medieval art.
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Bosch was one of the first artists to represent abstract concepts in his work. Unlike other Netherlandish painters, such as Jan van Eyck, whose technique was smooth and exact, Bosch's brushwork is energetic and varied. He was also among the first European painters to depict everyday life, inspiring and influencing other artists of his time. Scholars describe his paintings as sermons on folly and sin. The dreamlike and nightmarish quality of his works makes Bosch a precursor to the Surrealists.
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Venus is shown as an idealized nude, inspired by classical sculpture and the renewed Renaissance interest in ancient mythology. Her elongated proportions and graceful pose emphasize beauty, purity, and spiritual love. The work reflects the humanist idea that classical myths could express moral and philosophical truths.
Sandro Botticelli. The Birth of Venus. c. 1483–85. Tempera paint and canvas. Galleria degli Uffizi, Florence, https://www.britannica.com/topic/Birth-of-Venus -
During this period, the Catholic church faced declining moral authority. The central panel of The Garden reflect Northern Renaissance concerns about lust, sin, and temptation. It is shaped by Northern Renaissance moralism, symbolism, and detail, and represents a new interest in the body and nature.
Hieronymus Bosch. The Garden of Earthly Delights (inner panels). 1490–1500. Oil on oak panels (triptych). Museo del Prado, Madrid, https://smarthistory.org/bosch-the-garden-of-earthly-delights/