35 Renaissance Paintings: Learning Their Style, Stories & Artists

From La Primavera’s exhibition of celestial movements and spiritual energies to The Creation of Adam to depict the consciousness of human anatomy to The Virgin of Rocks or Mona Lisa showing atmospheric perspective, there is absolutely no canvas in the Renaissance to leave the chance of learning. For this reason, I have compiled a list of Renaissance paintings that express the era at its best. So without further ado, let’s start our artistic exploration of one of the most crucial phases of history.

Briefing Famous Renaissance Paintings and Their Story.

1. Expulsion From the Garden of Eden by Masaccio.

Masaccio was the pupil of Masolino and one of the individuals who made art more measured, accomplished, and with grains of beauty. Compared to his master, his art was too developed and rendered human emotion to portray true feelings. The painting Expulsion from the Garden of Eden exhibits Adam and Eve cast out of the Garden of Eden to shameful exile. Masaccio added realistic emotions on the faces of Adam and Eve while also portraying them gracefully. On the other hand, the angel is pointing towards the exile while sitting astride on a red cloud; a figure that adds gravity to the artwork.

There is a despair in the painting, which Masaccio shows through a variety of things. For instance, Adam particularly does not show his face as if every part of him betrays this grief. The short arm that is brought up to cover his eyes, the bent shoulders, and the large head to form a compact mass over the long line of his body further articulate this emotion. However, Eve doesn’t anguish so clearly in her distorted features; instead, she shows shame as she covers her nakedness through her arms.

2. The Resurrection of the Boy by Domenico Ghirlandaio.

Domenico Ghirlandaio (Ghirlandajo, as written in Vasari’s biography) was apprenticed as a Goldsmith by his father and excelled in the art more than the passing good. However, Domenico never showed interest in the goldsmith’s art and was known to be occupied with drawing. He became the greatest master of his age who wrought his art effortlessly and naturally and showed the most lifelike resemblance. Ghirlandaio told his stories in a lively manner that is easily grasped through the imagination. Further points that make his paintings exceptional are his figure arrangement with Dutch influence and his use of architectural setting in the scene.

The Resurrection of the Boy is one of the many paintings he painted in S. Trinita for Francesco Sasseti. It portrays the story of S. Francis, who appears in the air and restores the child to life. To add naturalism, he painted the expressions on the faces of the figures that show gladness for the marvel and some who show no interest in the ongoing instance. There is a connectivity of humanity with the divine power through this composition. Further, what makes it a marvel is the local architecture of the city in the 15th century, which marks the early Renaissance, alongside the exceptional portraiture in the composition.

3. Coronation of the Virgin by Fra Angelico.

Fra Giovanni Da Fiesole, commonly remembered as Fra Angelico, was a devoted churchman and an excellent illuminator and painter known for his delicate drawings to portray only the Holy subjects. While his art, according to Vasari, was too refined since childhood, he preferred to not indulge in the act of money and only paint the spiritual significance. Fra Angelico painted several masterpieces for his convent as well as other churches and religious houses. However, the time he truly surpassed himself was when he created the Coronation of the Virgin on commission for Santa Domenico da Fiesole.

The composition depicts Christ crowning Our Lady amid a choir of angels and among the many saints. The Christ clothed in the dazzling orange-red sits on cloudy blue as he places a crown upon the head of the blue-robed Virgin. The composition executes miniature-like detail with the faces of several figures, who are celebrating the event with joy. There is a purity in the scene with a refined idea alongside its execution that makes this composition more exquisite. It further exhibits excellent use of light, expressions, and delicate coloring of the figures to show Paradise and the Saints.

4. Angels Worshipping by Benozzo Gozzoli.

Benozzo Gozzoli was the pupil of Father Fra Giovanni Da Fiesole and acquired the mastery of painting animals, perspective, landscapes, and ornaments. He painted numerous works in his time, showing no pleasure in other activities. Though he was not the greatest of his time, he excelled in many of his works, including Virgin and Child with Angels and Angels Worshipping.

The composition, Angels Worshipping shows several figures, handled delicately by Benozzo with different expressions and portraying multiplicity in body language, as well as the division of these figures into a set of different groups. It further shows the artist’s excellence in handling landscapes. The painting narrates the story of the Magi (the wise man who visited Jesus). Depicting angels worshipping, the artist’s composition is one of the finest examples of the Early Renaissance.

5. The Battle of San Romano by Paolo Uccello.

Paolo Uccello was one of the greatest geniuses of the Renaissance period who created graceful yet unadmirable art because of his difficult nature to solve problems of perspective. For this reason, the artist remained poor (according to the critics of the time) for most of his life. However, among many artworks he created that were regarded as failed attempts by many critics, including his biographer, Giorgio Vasari, few of them showed his capabilities of bringing elegance to the figures and handling perspective during the early periods.

The Battle of San Romano is undoubtedly the artist’s most crucial art today. It is a decorative art with three distinct scenes depicting the story of the Rout of San Romano or The Battle of San Romano, contested between the Florentine and Sienese territories on June 1st, 1432. The scenes, though discontinuous, have few similarities, like the use of colors or hues to demarcate crucial figures and a landscape background to keep the viewer engaged. Further, Paolo’s exhibition of details through the failed troops on the ground, horsemen’ covered faces, and his attempt to show Niccolo’s horse as the subject by coloring his body differently from others is noteworthy.

6. Last Supper by Andrea del Castagno.

Andrea del Castagno was one of the talented men from Florence, born in the village of Castagno, from which he took his last name. The artist’s early sketches of animals and other figures on the walls dumbfounded several individuals, including Bernardetto de’ Medici, who eventually apprenticed him to one of the masters of the time. Andrea was known for his great knowledge of adding expressions, movements, perspective, and design. The Last Supper by this artist is among the many other versions of this painting that showcase Christ having the last meal with his apostles, where Judas is depicted as the traitor. The artwork exhibits a noticeable use of perspective through columns that bring the subjects to the center of the composition (when viewed). However, the figures, mainly Judas seem flatly drawn. An exceptional feature of this art is Andrea’s use of foreshortened figures, the angels, which he did for the first and last time. Further, the room utilizes elements of Roman architecture, as perceived by the people of the time in Florence.

7. Santa Lucia de’ Magnoli by Domenico Veneziano.

Domenico Veneziano did not belong to northern Italy and as the name suggests, was of Venetian origin who succeeded in Florence during the early Renaissance. He became immensely popular for his pious artworks that showed the influence of International Gothic and the use of graceful figures and uncommon light. Though Vasari stated many of his artworks, only a few exist today, one of which is the altarpiece of Santa Lucia, presenting the theme of the sacra conversazione– the grouping of the Madonna (the Virgin and Child) and the Saints (Francis, John the Baptist, Zenobius, and Lucy). The illustration uses Veneziano’s model of light while he showcases the setting with grace and the central figure facing us. The painting becomes even more important when you realize that it is living proof of how painters should render the changes of colors in spherical and concave surfaces, as explained by Alberti,

“He will first begin to modify the colour of the surface with white or black, as necessary applying it like a gentle dew up to the borderline. Then he will go on adding another sprinkling, as it were, on this side of the line, and after this another on this side of it, and then another on this side of this one, so that not only is the part receiving more light tinged with a clearer color, but color also dissolves progressively like smoke into the areas next to each other.”

8. Battle of the Nude Men by Antonio Pollaiuolo.

Antonio Pollaiuolo, initially trained as a goldsmith under Bartoluccio Giberti, excelled and became the master of this art, soon after which he attracted Lorenzo’s eye and worked on the doors of Santa Giovanni with him. Though he became the master of his age, it was not long before he realized that this art form might not survive the war. Following this, he started working with his brother, Piero Pollaiuolo and trained as a skillful painter in a matter of months. The Battle of Nude Men is one of his masterpieces and his only engraving. It exhibits his quality of being a niello worker and his etiquette of showcasing violence even with nude figures. The ten soldiers combating with battleaxes and swords against the field of vines and Indian corn exhibit the different movements of bodies participating while being more or less violent. Antonio further made this art graceful despite the use of violence by perfectionist figures, including the bodies of the soldiers, weapons, and the background.

9. Portrait of Galeazzo Maria Sforza by Piero del Pollaiuolo.

Piero del Pollaiuolo, the brother of Antonio and a sculptor and painter, was trained under Andrea del Castagno. There is not much known about his life, similar to Antonio and other painters born in the early 15th century. Making this art famous is the artist’s few surviving works with his attributions. As the records suggest, Piero painted the Duke exactly in what he wore while visiting Florence in 1471. Though the art lacks the use of notable perspective or details, it exhibits the Duke of Milan in a dress decorated with golden lilies in extraordinary detail.

10. Nativity by Baldovinetti.

Alesso Baldovinetti was a painter, whom Vasari suggests was “drawn by a natural inclination”. He belonged to a wealthy family occupied in commerce, wanting the same for Alesso but his practice of art and living with no interest in riches allowed him to become one of the masters of history. He was known to work on landscapes rendering them as closely as he could, and gave gracefulness and patience to the figures he drew. The Nativity exhibits Alesso’s similar capabilities through its background, the wall, and several figures he drew.

Analyzing them carefully shows us that the landscape uses no atmospheric perspective yet looks close to reality. Further, the figures show different moods as well as details of patience and grace to the angels, Madonna, God the Father, and Christ (the baby). Historians predict that Alesso was a pupil of Domenico Veneziano, which inspired him to draw several parts of his images similar to his master. The Nativity is said to emit the same where Alesso’s Madonna is wearing the same headdress as the Veneziano’s Madonnas in Uffizi and The National Gallery.

11. The Virgin and Child With Two Angels by Andrea Del Verrocchio.

Andrea del Verrocchio was initially trained as a goldsmith under Giuliano dei Verrocchi, from whom he also received his nickname. There is not much data to dictate on what age he started his apprenticeship under Giuliano, but through the minuteness of work he established in his career his excellence in the art is evident. Further, as the business went inoperative for a period, he attained mastery in sculpting under Donatello and painting under Alessio Baldovinetti. To understand his importance during the time, you should know that this genius had pupils like Leonardo da Vinci and worked on projects like the Superdome of Florence.

Verrocchio painted this picture with utmost emotions, which one can see through the loving gaze between the infant and his mother, Madonna. As the baby Jesus is carried to her by two angels, he reaches urgently towards her tenderly, grabbing her little finger with his delicate little hand. The artist portrayed the baby-like gesture to emphasize humanity, which Christians believed that it enables God to sympathize with humankind. Additionally, according to the Bible, Jesus was born in a stable to a poor household, but here Verrocchio painted the Madonna in the magnificent dress as those of angels. The Virgin’s cloak’s gold thread trim is painted with fine brushstrokes to mimic its sheen; precious gems are further embellished to enhance its beauty. Verrocchio used rich colors in this tempera painting with broad tonal washes to make it perfect and one of the best Renaissance paintings.

12. St. John the Baptist and Saints (Seven Saints) by Fra Filippo Lippi.

A religious man by circumstances, Fra Filippo Lippi was a Florentine master with an inborn persistence in painting, accomplished exceptional talent in religious depictions, and a hand that achieved Masaccio’s perfection. Note Masaccio played a crucial role in enhancing Fra Filippo Lippi, as the latter received instructions from Masolino (Masaccio’s master) and followed Masolino and Masaccio when they decorated the Brancacci Chapel. This Renaissance man was remarkably known for his details and ornamental miniature, two of the practices that made him surpass himself in small pictures, to which even Vasari agrees and mentions. This fact is also evident in St. John the Baptist and The Saints by Fra Filippo Lippi. The composition showcases St. John the Baptist, on his right- St. Francis, St. Lawrence, and St. Cosmo, and on the left- St. Dominic, St. Anthony, and St. Peter Martyr. The picture presents immaculate ornamentation with feathers in the rings, and it is the accuracy of gestures, colors, and drapery that strikes the viewer. It is as if Fra Filippo Lippi took a snapshot of these seven figures having a theological discussion while sitting in a semicircular pattern on a marble seat. A characteristic of his paintings is the Late Gothic forms with Renaissance practices.

13. The Trinity by Francesco Pesellino.

Francesco Pesellino was a Quattrocento artist whose name remained submerged after his century for many reasons. It was only until the loving understanding of Quattrocento inclined among the people that the artist’s work started to bloom again. There are no preserved works of his hand that are valuable Church art; however, he was known for the lesser scope pieces and domestic art, prone to destruction. His pictures were smaller in scale and profane forms that played the character to decorate altarpieces. One of the Renaissance paintings that captures the interest of art historians is The Trinity by Pesellino. This altar is the only work of the artist informed by the documentary testimonies, commissioned to him by the Church of the Priestly Congregation, the Santissima. After the Church was destroyed, the painting traveled to the National Gallery of London. As Vasari mentions in his account of Francesco, The Trinity should be the central piece of a painting that showcased Saint Zeno and Saint Jacob. Upon examining this panel and comparing it with others, it is better seen that the panel has no artistic developments and follows a strict Church scheme of God, the Father sitting on a cloud throne and surrounded by the angel heads as he holds the Crucifix resting on the cloud with both hands. Apart from the rich landscape, and the heavy robe, there are no visual pleasures that a viewer may enjoy. When looked closely, we even note that the expressions on the face of God are purely external dignity and the lack of anatomical knowledge is as close as that of school.

14. La Primavera by Sandro Botticelli.

Alessandro di Mariano di Vanni Filipepi- now famously known as Sandro Botticelli was one of the most important painters of the Renaissance who painted graceful figures, best represented in his nude figures, and conveyed philosophical, political, and religious content. Not only did he pour these ideas into his client’s mind, but his paintings are crucial among many Renaissance paintings for their depiction of the Florentine culture and values of the time. Botticelli received his initial training in Goldsmith, a practice that received fewer commissions, as highlighted before. But later, he received his apprenticeship under the vital painter of the time, Fra Filippo Lippi. During his time in Rome (after 1482) Botticelli painted a series of mythological depictions, resulting in his importance today. Among these are The Birth of Venus and La Primavera. The latter has no exact meaning but represents the arrival and celebration of Spring with Venus, Goddess of Love, in the middle of the orange grove, adorned with flowers with her son atop, shooting an arrow. The composition includes Flora, Goddess of flowers, on the left of Goddess Venus, and Zephyrus, God of wind, on the extreme right of the composition, forcing his way violently while pursuing a nymph clad in transparent clothing, who appears fearful. The composition is based on the poem of Medici’s court poet, Angelo Poliziano. On the right, the figures depict the arrival of Spring, while on the left, there are three Graces, companions of Venus, who are followed by Mercury, Messenger of the Gods in the extreme left. The role of Mercury is to bring peace, drive away the clouds over Venus’s garden, and let it savor eternal peace. This masterpiece is a pictorial representation of harmony between men and nature, echoed by the movement of figures and the form of trees.

15. The Vision of St. Bernard by Filippino Lippi.

Filippino Lippi, the man who was robbed of his reputed parents and teachers, was one of the significant painters and the illegitimate son of Fra Filippo Lippi and the nun Lucretia Buti. As a kid, he remained with his father and might have been tutored to paint at an early age; however, after his death (when Filippino was just 12), he was entrusted to receive this command under Filippo’s pupil and the great master Sandro Botticelli. Though there is no evidence to prove that this man received art training so early in his career, the only bits that tell us and the art historians is the theory of him reaching excellence by 1480, at an early age, and receiving an important commission of an altar for a chapel at ” la Campora,” ordered by Francesco del Pugliese. One of the masterpieces of his century and one that received wide appreciation is Filippino’s hand, The Vision of St. Bernard. This painting exhibits the Holy Madonna with the celestial choir of angels floating toward Saint Bernard’s desk. Filippino painted angels with extraordinary human expressions of love and godly nature and Madonna’s gentle presence as she placed her finger on the scribe’s parchment. Further, he paid absolute attention and took care of a similar theme in the background as well as the rocky landscape. The efficiency of Filippino’s brush may be seen in many commissions; however, this masterpiece is recalled for the intense communication it has with any viewer.

16. The Visitation With Saint Nicholas and Saint Anthony Abbot by Piero di Cosimo.

Born in 1462, Piero di Lorenzo Ubaldini was a mighty painter with an idiosyncratic personality who received his apprenticeship under Cosimo Rosselli at and before 18. This master who didn’t align with the ideas of the century, was paid great importance by the art historians and readers of the 1900s, so much so that he was allied with the likes of Salvador Dalí and Picasso. As Dennis Geronimus says, “Piero was raised on the shoulders of the surrealist movement as a rediscovered master endowed with prescience of the modern – a complex Renaissance hero for their own time, one who never renounced his desire to tease, trouble and surprise.” 

The now-called Piero de Cosimo took his name from his master, Cosimo Rosselli, and had a more localized approach to painting and avoided the fresco style. The Visitation With Saint Nicholas and Saint Anthony Abbot presents Our Lady visiting with St. Nicholas and St. Anthony sitting as he writes on a parchment with a spectacle on his nose and holds some balls that have for Saint Nicholas, the same balls that the people of even that time used to understand the strangeness of the human brain. Opposite the figure of St. Anthony is a saint sitting absorbed in the Latin text, which reveals a passage of the Song of Solomon 1:1-6. One of the most fascinating aspects and probably the characteristic that also makes Piero a mastermind is his determination to showcase the men with utmost precision and detail, so much so that it can explain their spirit and how the panel was painted and by which expression.

17. The Last Supper by Leonardo da Vinci.

Though the Renaissance enjoyed the masterminds of two centuries, a topic that interested many historians is its Bastardy. The bastards of the Renaissance, as unrespectful as it might sound, seemed to be a gift that gave artists like Leonardo da Vinci, Alberti, and more. One of the reasons why these masterminds enjoyed name and liberty is their independence from the family lineage. Da Vinci, a polymath, who described his art,

“Likewise in painting, I can do everything possible,”

The quote is not wrong, however, Leonardo was a procrastinator, probably the biggest, and delayed most of his artworks and even left some unfinished. The Last Supper, not incomplete, is a commission he received from Ludovico Sforza to decorate the Church of Santa Maria Delle Grazie. This painting is one of the most celebrated Last Supper depictions, evidently for Leonardo’s precision with faces, manners, clothes, and bodily movements and his handling of the concise perspective in the scene. The artist fragmented the picture into four groups of three figures (apostles) discussing with each other and Christ sitting hassle-free. To learn the precision of this Renaissance painting, one must also pay attention to his drawings that depict how a group of people, essentially three or five carry a discussion. However great this masterpiece remains, the last few centuries toughened its existence, and the picture that we claim to be a wonder is not even half of what Leonardo must have painted.

18. Mona Lisa by Leonardo da Vinci.

Leonardo da Vinci is one of the greatest for many reasons but one that makes his paintings unbeatable is his conscious mind, which absorbed the theories and experimental knowledge of anatomy, optics, and nature. The culmination of Leonardo’s mastery in these fields is the Mona Lisa, the last picture he painted and a miracle that a human hand had ever drawn. The picture that the artist received as a commission to paint the wife of a silk merchant was never paid back with a completion. Instead, Leonardo carried it with him till his last leg in France in 1517 and worked through all that time since 1503. This poplar panel, termed one of the most accurate and beautiful human portraits, enlarges the artistry to search the complexities of the human brain and environment. Additionally, it fills the gap between the viewer and itself with an illusion that commands your brain to alter the smile, the soft cheeks, and the eyes of the lady. The 3/4th portrait of this elegant lady against a landscape is not just an art panel, but an episode suggesting the perfection Renaissance paintings and artists achieved that no other period ever did.

19. Marriage of Saint Catherine by Fra Bartolomeo.

Fra Bartolomeo was one of the most celebrated Florentine painters of his time and a devout who received his art teaching too early in his career under Cosimo Rosselli, with Piero di Cosimo his senior, and later learned the harmony of Masaccio and Lippi and closely followed Leonardo da Vinci to master chiaroscuro. Baccio (his nickname) had the spirituality of Fra Angelico and admired the proficiency of Raphael, making his artwork heavenly. His paintings depict the imprints he had in his mind for the religious philosophies Savonarola scattered at the time, and due to his efficiency, he cherished several crucial commissions and was termed the best in the absence of Leonardo and Michelangelo.

Marriage of Saint Catherine, now in the Pitti Palace, is a masterpiece the artist painted in 1512. This painting is a replica of what he made in 1511, now in the Louvre, but showcases the absolute culmination of his techniques. It showcases a canopy carried by a group of angels, while the Madonna sits on a pedestal, holding baby Christ by one arm, and espouses Saint Catherine, kneeling on the left of her. Around them are the priests in a semi-circle and two angels in the foreground playing musical instruments. Fra Bartolomeo so carefully painted this artwork that Mother Mary resembles more grace than Raphael’s Madonnas and even painted the figures with different expressions, as suggested by Leonardo.

20. Madonna of the Harpies by Andrea del Sarto.

As Leader Scott mentions in his book,

“It might be said with truth that Fra Bartolommeo painted for the soul, and Andrea del Sarto for the eye.”

Andrea del Sarto was the closest friend and partner of Fra Bartolomeo and enjoyed popularity for his geniuses unlike anyone, and learned from everyone, even Leonardo, Massacio, and Raphael. Trained as a Goldsmith at an early age, Andrea entered Piero di Cosimo’s Bottega after Giovanni Barile noted his capability to design. In the art of painting, however, Andrea left Piero behind when he started following Leonardo’s ‘A New Art of Invention’ and practicing Massacio’s Brancacci Chapel by copying them and depicting them too clearly. Andrea’s style also had geniuses of Baccio and Albertinelli more than Piero and varied almost too much after Lorenzo’s death, when art makes were left with few to no commissions. Madonna of the Harpies is one of his most famous Renaissance paintings that surpasses several works of the time to exhibit soft coloring and depict the figures with utmost innocence, especially the child. As the name suggests, Madonna stands on a decorated with sculptured harpies and a pose that seems like a snapshot from real life. Lastly, the figures of St Francis and St John give stability to the painting while the central figures- Christ, Madonna, and the two angels almost form a triangle.

21. The Last Judgement by Michelangelo.

“I was never a painter or a sculptor who keeps a shop,”

Michelangelo, the High Renaissance man, is the modernist of the 15th century who never painted for a few ducats, instead channeled the aspirations of the human spirit. It is well known that he was the man who competed with Raphael, Leonardo, and Titian; however, unlike his contemporaries, we know him as unrehearsed- a temperamental artist written by God to write spells that can compel anyone. The Last Judgement is one of his many depictions that accidentally revolted against the indignant Christians, so much so that the Pope ordered to cover the most offensive parts, a practice that most of his works, including The Creation of Adam, were followed. Though the masterpiece is no longer the true copy of Michelangelo’s hand, it is an unparalleled fresco executed on the altar wall of the Sistine Chapel. The scene represents the Second Coming of Christ and God’s final judgment of humanity. Showcasing the humans rising to their fate, as judged by Christ, Michelangelo distinguished his artwork from previously painted Last Judgement depictions by depicting all the figures of equal positions through their nudity. Compared to the frescoes of the Sistine Chapel, which the artist painted about 25 years before, The Last Judgement is monochromatic and a display of tones and flesh.

22. Visitation by Mariotto Albertinelli.

The circle of Fra Bartolomeo, Andrea del Sarto, and Mariotto Albertinelli is entertained widely in the writings of art historians. All three attained their apprenticeship in the same period under Cosimo Roselli (Fra Bartolomeo and Mariotto Albertinelli) and Piero di Cosimo (Andrea del Sarto) and extended their childhood friendship to working in the same studio and leaving as path guides. Albertinelli, among the three, was more inclined to the Dominican rule and came from a family where his father was a goldbeater and his grandfather was a laborer. After attaining expertise in art, he worked on various commissions and enjoyed a successful career under the Medicis. However, as the family was expelled in 1494, he returned to work alongside Baccio again. With the ingredients of Raphael and the spirituality of Fra Bartolomeo, he painted some of the most famous Renaissance paintings that not only suggest his mastery but exhibit the starting of a new century in Florence in the absence of Leonardo. The Visitation, painted in 1503, is an experimental combination of Perugino’s style of space and the figural composition of Leonardo da Vinci and is thus crucial. The encounter of two holy women is shown gracefully with keen attention on the drapery to show the movement of the figures. Further, unlike the studies of Fra Bartolomeo, Albertinelli’s depiction sparks warmth and peace with an architectonic background, probably a product of Albertinelli’s imagination.

23. Holy Family in a Landscape by Franciabigio.

Franciabigio of Florence was a 16th-century artist with elements of Early Renaissance, High Renaissance, and Proto-Mannerism best known for his portraiture and religious paintings. Trained under his father (by 1504, he must be 21), who was a weaver, and then Albertinelli, this man adored the art of Andrea del Sarto to the extent some of his paintings are confused to be of Andrea, only until later when researchers specified his works. The Holy Family is one of the mature works he painted to represent Christ, Madonna, and Saint Joseph with an Italian landscape. While the latter looks at the viewer, the innocence and a subtle touch of Raphael’s art can be found in this frame alongside the smooth coloring that Franciabigio picked under the shadow of Andrea. The figures further showcase mannerist expressions with a scene that replicates peace.

24. Sistine Madonna by Raphael.

Raphael, an artist and architect whose drop fulfill the sea of artistry, was one of the principal participators of the High Renaissance, famous for his Madonnas and large figural compositions in the Vatican in Rome. Initially trained under his father, Giovanni Santi, whom Vasari termed “a painter of no great merit.” He became one of the highest-grade painters at a young age with the hand of Perugino’s perspective, the harmony of Masaccio, and the individuality of the figures of Leonardo da Vinci. If Leonardo’s art explores the complexities of the human brain, Raphael competes with him to exhibit human serenity. The Sistine Madonna, one of the most remarkable Madonna artworks to exist, is a depiction of Saint Sixtus (on the left), the Madonna and the Christ (in the middle), Saint Barbara (on the right), and the two angels in the bottom. Representing the divine energy of Raphael, the figures in this composition are round-faced with flakes of innocence. When looked closer, the eyes of Christ have a never-ending deepness, making the viewer dissolve in the serenity of the composition. The artist extended his matchless artistry by subtly playing with tones and creating warmth beside Mary as if the heavenly light shadows her. Note Raphael taught several artists at a time in Rome but none of these, including Giulio Romano, Pierin del Vaga, Giovanni da Udine, Francesco Penni, and Francesco Primaticcio, approached his genius.

25. The Legend of the True Cross by Piero della Francesca.

Piero della Francesca was among the most significant painters of the 15th century who was only recently discovered and as the documents uncovered, we see the details about his life and training. Trained under the influence of Sienese art, he became an associate of Domenico Veneziano when he was painting the hospital of Saint Maria Nuova of Florence. While there are no specific details on whom he later took his influence from or practiced, the autobiographers believe that he refined his art by studying the statuary of Donatello and Luca della Robbia, buildings of Brunelleschi, and paintings of Masaccio and Fra Angelico, and the treatise of Alberti. These circumstances and studies brought a great change in the artworks of Piero, considerably noticeable; however, his ideals remain unaltered. The Legend of the True Cross is undoubtedly the most remarkable image of 15th-century Italian art, showing Piero’s exceptional way of arranging figures in a composition so well that many historians refer to him as a “painter’s painter”. This extensive composition is meant to read together from the top of both walls showing Adam dying beneath the great tree and the return of the cross to Jerusalem. Reading this together, we have the tree of the fall which grew from Adam’s grave and became Christ’s cross. There are only two or three similar works like this, two that belong to Piero. Though the artist utilized the space too well and implemented perspective too clearly, his confidence that the knowledge of the scenes of new and old testaments among people makes it difficult for us to read them together and so it becomes rather edificative than informative.

26. The Deposition by Luca Signorelli.

Luca Signorelli is a name that can never be avoided when discussing Renaissance paintings or the period. Though there are no certificates of his life during youth and early manhood, Vasari’s description states that the artist started his training at an early age, probably before 11, under Piero della Francesca, an artist of notable importance during his time. Under the same master, Luca developed skills that adore his grandeur and artworks. Moving on, he studied either as a pupil or associate with Antonio Pollaiuolo to master the anatomy and apply it in his works. Differentiating from this, Luca had also absorbed Donatello’s bodily elegance and incorporated it in his artworks with hopeful and vigorous manifestation to depict the true Renaissance expression. While he mastered his figures, he also attained accuracy by practicing Pergino’s gift of handling landscapes, and the maturity of this artist’s talent can be seen in The Deposition. Painted in 1516, the painting exhibits figures that appear lifelike, so much so that it feels like Luca studied them individually, especially Madonna on the left in the foreground. Further, the body of Christ replicates the helplessness, stillness, and sincere emotion of the corpse. Lastly, you can note the precision of the landscape that represents the influence of Perugino.

27. Portrait of Eleonora di Toledo With Her Son Giovanni by Bronzino.

The blossomed state of Renaissance in Florence, Bronzino is remarkably known for his portraitures that became an inspiration for the genre for the next century. Trained under Rafaellino del Garbo and Jacopo da Pontormo, the latter from whom he learned the mannerist style and through the influences of Michelangelo and Raphael formed a style of his own. While the artist painted numerous works including religious themes, one of his most famous Renaissance paintings is Portrait of Eleonora di Toledo With Her Son Giovanni. Painted during his time in Cosimo I’s court, this captive portrait subjects the Duchess of Florence, Eleonora di Toledo, and her son Giovanni expressionless. Though this was not a characteristic of most Renaissance paintings we had seen so far, Bronzino’s art was popular for its elegance and the way he brought his Raphaelite trait with sophisticated anatomy in his rounding of sinuous body forms. Through this, the artist not only expressed his understanding of the human body but also depicted the figures with utmost royalty and innocence. When looked closer, Bronzino leaps his artistry to achieve the utmost perfection in the clothing, easily notable in the velvet Eleonora wears.

28. Martyrdom of St Sebastian by Giovanni Antonio Bazzi (Sodoma).

Giovanni Antonio Bazzi, or Sodoma, is one of the greatest names who remains unpopular but helped immensely to contribute to the Renaissance and make it as vibrant as it is remembered today. Born to a shoemaker in 1477 in Vercelli, Italy, Sodoma apprenticed under a minor Piedmontese painter, G.M. Spanzotti, but was highly influenced by the mastery of Leonardo da Vinci and Raphael. This man as capable as he was in the art of painting, was exceptional in determining human psychology and posing his figures as they read their situation. His paintings are also crucial to know the transition from the High Renaissance to Mannerism. Not the favorite of Vasari, Sodoma had been criticized by him and others but appreciated by artists of high ranks, including Raphael and Annibale Carracci. Among his best pictures is the Martyrdom of St Sebastian, portraying the saint bound to a tree with arrows piercing his body as he looks upwards at the angel bringing him a crown. This marvelous depiction offers serenity and divine beauty to the viewer with the figures molded through the anatomical knowledge of the artist and the harmonious coloring. Further, Sodoma had to alter this work, adding the draperies as the monks of the time didn’t prefer the smooth flow of the human limbs and the muscles. Lastly, we can note Sodoma’s characteristic for most artworks- the beautiful landscape with flowing stream and classical arch.

29. Venus of Urbino by Titian.

The greatest of the Venetian painters who evolved to such an extent that the art theorist Giovanni Lomazzo declared him,

“the sun amidst small stars not only among the Italians but all the painters of the world.”

Born as Tiziano Vecellio, between 1488 and the 90s, he received his initial teaching in the art of painting under the Italian mosaic artist Sebastiano Zuccato, when he moved to Venice at the age of nine. This artist further took influences and improved with artists like Giorgione and Giovanni Bellini. While his works prove to be no greater in complexity than Leonardo and heavenly than Raphael, Titian was a painter who represented a poetic mind and his Venuses remain unsurpassed mainly for her delicate beauty and eroticism. Being the first nude of Titian’s career, Venus of Urbino is one of the most popular, written, and controversial paintings of the artist to date. The artwork consists of a pretty naked girl who is reclining over the bed, portraying her innocence through her leisurely face, soft-blushed cheeks, and open hair. Titian painted her with such affection while depicting her softly hiding her pubis with her left hand while holding a bunch of roses. In the background, the maidservants are engaged in either searching or unpacking the light blue wedding dress. With a large window consisting of a pot of myrtle, the composition shows a traditional plant linked with Venus. One of the characteristics that Titian learned from Giorgione can be noted in this frame- the architectonic background.

30. Adam and Eve by Albrecht Dürer.

One of the fabulous German Renaissance artists, Albrecht Dürer, is considered to be the finest painter and printmaker that the Northern Renaissance had seen.

Born on May 21, 1471, in the Imperial Free City of Nurnberg, Germany, Dürer was the second son of the goldsmith, Albrecht Dürer the Elder and Barbara Holper. He began his training as a draughtsman in the goldsmith’s workshop of his father, and sooner, at the age of just 13, he composed a remarkable self-portrait in 1484 and then Madonna with Musical Angels in 1485. As of the earlier art, Dürer majorly composed segments of landscape scenery, which were cleverly chosen for their compositional values, painted with broad strokes in an amazing harmonization of detail. With his predominant unmixed, cool, sombre colors, he though failed to contrast light and darkness but showed some depth and atmosphere. It was only after his trip to Italy, which led to a strong effect on Dürer. Influenced by Florentine Antonio Pollaiuolo, whose sinuous, energetic line studies human bodies in motion, Dürer art then took some inspiration from them. His secular, allegorical, and frequently self-enamoured paintings were either adaptations of Italian models or entirely independent, giving a free spirit to the new age of the Renaissance. Later on, his painterly style remained between the Gothic and Italian Renaissance until about 1500. During this period, he used more and more Italian elements in his art which strengthened with the contact of Jacopo de’ Barbari, a minor Venetian painter and graphic artist. And then through his influence, Dürer, in 1500, grappled with the problem of human proportions in true Renaissance fashion. This, in turn, gave the finest result of his career in the form of a great engraving, Adam and Eve, which provided the mystery of human beauty to an intellectually calculated ideal form.

Here, in this painting, Adam and Eve, Dürer showed nearly symmetrical and idealized poses of both man and woman; keeping the weight on one leg, bent the other leg, and angling the arm slightly away from the body and upward from the elbow. The Adam’s figure is reminiscent to the Hellenistic Apollo Belvedere, excavated in Italy late in the fifteenth century. A branch Adam holds belongs to the mountain ash, the Tree of Life, whereas the fig tree from which Eve broke off a branch belongs to the forbidden Tree of Knowledge. Four animals represent medieval views of temperaments: choleric cats, sanguine rabbits, phlegmatic oxen, and melancholy elks.

31. The Annunciation by Lorenzo di Credi.

Born in Florence in 1457, Lorenzo d’Andrea d’Oderigo Credi came from a family of goldsmiths. After his father’s death, he became an assistant to Verrochio where he met Leonardo da Vinci and Perugino. Being a conscientious, laborious painter, he painted with a highly finished oil easel to form religious subjects on a canvas. Vasari gave a description ofthe artist,

“Lorenzo was not anxious to undertake many large works, but took great pains in the execution of all that he did, and subjected himself to almost inconceivable labors for that purpose; he had his colors more particularly ground to excessive fineness, carefully purifying and distilling the nut-oil with which he mixed them; he would place a vast number of colors on his palette, arranging them from the palest of light tints to the deepest of the dark colors, graduating them with what must needs be called a too minute and superfluous care, until he would sometimes have as much as twenty-five or thirty on his palette at one time, and for every tint he had a separate pencil.”

The painting portrays an angel with a bright rose-red gown who overpowers the vermilion in the covering of the bed.The Madonna here wears a neutral violent gown with an architectural setting of the room. This pale blue and neutral violet both includes in the angel’s wings and the violet further appears in the shadows of the fluttering mantle over his shoulders and clouds (where his feet rest). Further, the painting has a strong emphasis on the architectural setting. The monochromatic tone of the architecture is interrupted by the four round openings of blue sky. One of the significant points to note here is the three scenes at the bottom of the bible: the creation of Eve; Adam and Eve’s original sin, and the banishment of the two sinners from the earthly paradise.

32. Sacrifice of Cain and Abel by Mariotto Albertinelli.

Mariotto di Bigio di Bindo Albertinelli was born in 1474. He began his life as a gold-beater but soon worked for the painter Cosimo Roselli. There, he became friends with Fra Bartolommeo, who also became a partner around 1493. Very little of the artist’s fresco work has been preserved; however, his panel pictures are scattered throughout Europe.

In the painting, the artist paints Abel in a rich blue tunic, who kneels before his burnt offerings. As the flame burns brightly with the smoke ascending straight up, it reaches the clouds of the left, and a bolt of fire descends to help his sacrifice to burn. Cain, a bearded man, wears a violet tunic. As he fiercely blows this fire, the smoke comes back to his face. In contrast to this fire, the artist painted the field and trees in greener brown hues. The painting narrates the story of the Sacrifice of Cain and Abel, which is from the Old Testament series.

33. Saint Agnes by Ambrogio Lorenzetti.

One of the most remarkable artists of the Renaissance from Sienna is Ambroigo Lorenzetti. Very little is known about the life of the artist. Of the life, the first activity of Lorenzetti was recorded from the 1324 sale of a piece of land. The scant notices and inscriptions of this date further show his employment in Sienna. The most crucial period of the artist was between 1337-1338, when he began his famous frescoes of Good and Bad Government.

Being a pinnacle torn from a lost altarpiece, the painting still bears marks of the iron by which it was attached to the larger panel. It portrays the saint who is clad in a red mantle edged with gold ornamented with black and red. The diadem is dark, very neutral blue, and her halo is incised in the gold background. She further carries a shield with the Agnus Dei and the banner of Christ Triumphant. If one looks closely at the lamb, it has a golden halo.

34. The Annunciation by Andrea Vanni.

Andrea Vanni was a painter, politician, and diplomat, who received his artistic training from Lippo Memmi, though he was influenced by the Lorenzetti and Simone Martini. Being active in Sienese politics, he took part in the rising of 1368against the Nobili and subsequently helped many significant positions in the state. Paintings by him are rare since he was too involved in other fields as well.

The Annunciation by Vanni shows Gabriel in a cream-white tunic embroidered with gold and ornamented with gold bands and the Virgin wearing a gold embroidered tunic with vestiges of pink and a mantle. These panels were probably originally pinnacles of large altarpieces. Formerly in the Saracini collection, Siena, this painting was acquired by the Fogg Museum in 1914. Having a close style to Vanni’s chief work, the altarpiece of the San Stefano all Lizza in Siena, this artwork is the artist’s mature style, dating about 1400. 

35. The Holy Family by Raphael.

Brought up in Urbino, one of the cultural centers of Renaissance Italy, Raphael was trained by Perugino. By the age of 20, he was the rival of his own master. He then went to Florence where he was influenced by Leonardo and Michelangelo and produced some of the most impressive series of subtly varied Madonna paintings. Patronized by popes, cardinals, and clients, he received every kind of important commission.

First owned by the Dukes of Mantua, The Holy Family was included in several collections of pictures of Charles I, King of England. The painting was inspired by Leonardos’ cartoons for the Virgin and Child with St. Anne, now lost. Also known as The Pearl, this composition depicts the Virgin Mary, Child Jesus, Saint John, and Saint Anne. The Holy Child, Christ sits between his mother’s knees and he looks at her with a half-smile. Saint John offers him some fruits from his fur cloak as the Virgin gazes at the scene with a humble expression. Saint Anne appears contemplative with her eyes closed as her daughter embraces her.

Final Words.

The Traits of Renaissance is an established yet still-to-be-learned book in the history of art. While this was my take on sharing the most wonderous Renaissance paintings that exist to date, I can promise that this doesn’t end here, and as my study of more artists continues, I will make sure to expand this list with more enriched knowledge of artists and their marvelous works.

Resources.

1. Lives of the Most Eminent Painters, Sculptors, and Architects by Giorgio Vasari.
2. Collection Of mediaeval And Renaissance Paintings (1927), Various, Sponsored by Kahle/Austin Foundation.
3. Famous paintings: As Seen and Described by Famous Writers by Esther Singleton.
4. The Library of Great Masters Masaccio by Casazza.
5. Fra Angelico by Williamson, George Charles.
6. Andrea del Castagno And His Patrons by John R. Spencer, Sponsored by Kahle/Austin Foundation.
7. Italian Painting The Creators of the Renaissance by Venturi, Lionello, 1885-1961, Sponsored by Kahle/Austin Foundation.
8. The Paintings of Domenico Veneziano by Wohl, Hellmut.
9. Antonio Pollaiuolo by Maud Cruttwell.
10. Antonio And Piero Pollaiuolo by Leopold D. Ettlinger, Sponsored by Kahle/Austin Foundation.
11. The Study and Criticism of Italian Art (Second Series) by Bernard Berenson.
12. Verrocchio by Maud Cruttwell.
13. Fra Filippo Lippi by Edward C. Strutt.
14. Francesco Pesellino Und Die Romantik Der Renaissance by Werner Weisbach.
15. Botticelli by Barbara Deimling.
16. Sandro Botticelli by E. Schaeffer.
17. Filippino Lippi by Konody, Paul George.
18. Piero di Cosimo: Visions Beautiful and Strange by Dennis Geronimus.
19. Leonardo da Vinci by Walter Isaacson.
20. Michelangelo: A Life in Six Masterpieces by Miles J Unger.
21. The Great Artists: Fra Bartolommeo and Andrea del Sarto by Leader Scott.
22. The Works of Mariotto Albertinelli by Ludovico Borgo.
23. The Painters of Florence: From The Thirteenth to The Sixteenth Century by Julia Cartwright.
24. The 100 Most Influential Painters & Sculptors of the Renaissance Edited by Kathleen Kuiper.
25. Raphael by H. Knackfuss.
26. The Complete Paintings of Piero della Francesca by Peter Murray and Pierluigi de Vecchi.
27. Luca Signorelli by Maud Cruttwell.
28. Great Masters in Painting and Sculpture, Sodoma by Contessa Priuli-Bon.
29. Titian: A Study of His Life and Work by Sir Claude Philips.
30. Featured Image: Martyrdom of St Sebastian by Giovanni Antonio Bazzi & Mona Lisa by Leonardo da Vinci; Il Sodoma, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons; Leonardo da Vinci, Public Domain, via Wikimedia Commons.

Frequently Asked Questions.