Introducing: The Renaissance

The Renaissance was a European intellectual movement that began around 1400 in Italy. The term ‘renaissance’ means ‘rebirth,’ in reference to the movement’s revival of classical Greco-Roman values of order and idealized realism. The patronage of the Catholic Church and wealthy Italian families drew a high concentration of artistic talent to Florence and Rome. This period saw artistic geniuses like Michelangelo, Donatello, and Titian take on monumental commissions that yielded many of the masterpieces of the Western Canon.