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Using light and shadow, Fra Angelico (Fra Giovanni da Fiesole, c. 1395-1455) mastered the depiction of three-dimensional space and figures, becoming one of the pioneers of the Early Renaissance alongside Masaccio.  Fra Angelico probably began his career in the workshop of Lorenzo Monaco (c.1370 - 1423), a Camaldolese monk and [...]

Construction of the record-breaking dome of Florence Cathedral, Santa Maria del Fiore, began in August 1420 after years of irresolution. At the time of its construction, the Cathedral of Florence was the largest church in Christendom. It was built at a time of great prosperity and represented the city’s economic [...]

  Michelangelo left Florence for good in 1534, never to come back alive. Before he departed for Rome, Michelangelo had been working on elaborate sculptural and architectural projects for Medici popes Leo X and Clement VII at the Basilica complex of San Lorenzo in Florence. His first project was the [...]

The three great Italian masters, Leonardo, Michelangelo, and Raphael practically gave us the High Renaissance. A period of remarkable artistic achievement and production, the High Renaissance also marked the rebirth of Rome as an arts center where decadent popes spent a fortune on the restoration of their capital with the [...]

Many are familiar with the Biblical account of David, the young shepherd boy who took down the giant Goliath simply with his sling. It is a classic story of good versus evil ‒ a tale of how the underdog saves the day in the end. From medieval times and throughout [...]

The Etruscans, the ancient inhabitants of the Italian peninsula, created a sophisticated culture long before the Romans. They passed down to the Romans many elements of their art, architecture, engineering, and religious ritual. However, their story has mystified scholars for centuries since no Etruscan literature survives. Our sources of information [...]

The Face Provides a Glimpse of Painting in the Classical World An in-depth study of Renaissance art requires a study of the art of the ancient world. The term “Renaissance” itself, coined by 19th-century art historians, literally means the “rebirth” of Ancient Greek and Roman culture. This rebirth in art [...]