Renaissance

Discover the beauty of Renaissance oil paintings and famous Renaissance religious art.

Literally meaning rebirth, the word “Renaissance” refers to the renewed interest in art from the Greek and Roman periods.

The Renaissance Art Movement started in Florence, Italy and then spread throughout Europe. It is considered to be the bridge, both in terms of art and literature, between the Middle Ages and the period from the 14th – 17th centuries and most Renaissance oil paintings were created during this time.

There is an assumed close relationship between religious development and the Renaissance period and therefore religious Renaissance art was more prevalent during this time.

During the 16th century there were many famous Renaissance artists producing Renaissance portrait paintings, these included Michelangelo Buonarroti, Titian, Botticelli, Leonardo da Vinci, Raphael and Caravaggio.

Two of the most famous paintings of the Italian Renaissance are Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa oil painting and Sandro Botticelli’s Birth of Venus, a Renaissance oil painting on canvas, which was completed at a time when painting on wood panels was more popular.

Mona Lisa oil paintings reproductions are created by our professional resident artists and you can see a sample of Da Vinci’s Mona Lisa on our Finished Paintings page. We recently completed a large oil painting of the Mona Lisa for a customer in New York who was happy to provide a review

Da Vinci was undoubtedly the original “Renaissance Man” evidenced by his desire to achieve maximum personal potential through intellectual pursuits and spiritual and emotional awareness.

Popular famous Renaissance art includes oil painting reproductions of The Triumph of Galatea by Raphael which was painted in 1514 and which was inspired by classical Greek mythology. Perseus and Andromeda by Titian, Michaelangelo’s The Creation of Adam, and Caravaggio’s David with the Head of Goliath are all available from our Italian Renaissance art gallery.

At its height, the period was known as the High Renaissance and it was during this time that artists such as Michaelanglo, Leonardo da Vinci and Raphael were creating the most famous paintings in the world. The all three high Renaissance artists were the celebrities of the day.

During the Renaissance art movement period Italy enjoyed great prosperity. The Medici’s were generous patrons of the arts during this time and it is recognized that the Renaissance flourished in Florence mainly due to Medici patronage.

The impact of the Renaissance period cannot be underestimated and it has been the primary source of inspiration for artists in all successive art movements.

Please enjoy browsing our extensive catalogue of art reproductions on canvas.