Early Renaissance painting

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Portrait of Giovanni Arnolfini and Wife by Jan van Eyck (1434).

Early Renaissance painting bridges the period of European art history between the art of the Middle Ages and the art of the Renaissance.

Two regions of Europe were particularly artistically active during this period were Italy, initially, and later northern Europe (essentially Flanders). The Renaissance is considered to have reached northern Europe in the late 15th and early 16th century. Thus, most of the Early Renaissance works in northern Europe were produced between 1420 and 1550.

1 Themes and symbolism
2 Techniques
3 Artists of the the Low Countries
4 German artists
5 French artists
6 Italian artists
7 Spanish Artists
8 Works
9 Main viewing locations
10 See also

The works of art of this period feature mainly religious themes (the Church was the main client of these artists), but also some purely figurative themes. The religious symbolism is largely drawn from the work of Jacobus de Voragine, The Golden Legend (1260). Some more mundane themes were treated, but they were often treated via a religious or mythological representations.

Renaissance

Topics

Architecture
Dance
Literature
Music
Painting
Philosophy
Science
Technology
Warfare

Regions

England
France
Germany
Italy
Netherlands
Northern Europe
Poland
Spain

The use of perspective. The first major treatment of the painting as a window into space appeared in the work of Giotto di Bondone, at the beginning of the 14th century. True linear perspective was formalized later, by Filippo Brunelleschi and Leon Battista Alberti. In addition to giving a more realistic presentation of art, it moved Renaissance painters into using more paintings.

Main articles: Early Netherlandish painting for 15th century artists, Dutch and Flemish Renaissance painting for 16th century artists