The Italian Renaissance was a remarkable moment in the development of art, when many of the most revered creations of all time were made. Spanning several centuries, spreading throughout the arts and sciences, and eventually making its way across much of Europe, the Italian Renaissance can be incredibly tricky to neatly summarize. With that said, there are certain stylistic and conceptual tendencies that became recurring themes within much of the art made during the Italian Renaissance.

One of the catalysts that paved the way for the Italian Renaissance was the revival of ancient classical learning from Greece and Rome, that had once become lost following the fall of the Roman Empire. The ‘rebirth’ or reawakening of Greco-Roman traditions began within literature, but eventually made their way into art practice.