Editing Italian art (section)

=== High Renaissance ===
{{Main|High Renaissance}}
[[File:Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519) - The Last Supper (1495-1498).jpg|thumb|300px|[[Leonardo da Vinci]]'s ''[[The Last Supper (Leonardo da Vinci)|The Last Supper]]'', {{circa|1495–1498}}]]

The arts of the late 15th century and early 16th century were dominated by three extraordinary figures: [[Leonardo da Vinci]], [[Michelangelo]], and [[Raphael]].

[[Leonardo da Vinci]] produced two of the most iconic works of Renaissance art: the wall painting ''[[The Last Supper (Leonardo da Vinci)|The Last Supper]]'' and the portrait ''[[Mona Lisa]]''. Leonardo was renowned not only for his art but also for his insatiable curiosity and scientific exploration. He meticulously studied the human body, producing detailed anatomical drawings, and he created thousands of pages of sketches and notes in which he documented his observations of nature, machines, and the human form. Leonardo's deep intellectual engagement with the world made him the quintessential Renaissance man and a symbol of the era's spirit of learning and discovery.<ref>James Hankins, Ph.D., Professor of History, Harvard University.<br> Hankins, James. "Renaissance." ''World Book Advanced.'' World Book, 2011. Web. 1 October 2011.</ref>

[[File:'David' by Michelangelo Fir JBU005 denoised.jpg|thumb|left|170px|''[[David (Michelangelo)|David]]'' by [[Michelangelo]], 1501–1504]]

Michelangelo was a master of many disciplines: painting, sculpture, architecture, and poetry. Widely regarded as one of the greatest sculptors in history,<ref>Pope-Hennessy, John Wyndham. [https://books.google.com/books?id=beFOAAAAYAAJ&q= ''Italian High Renaissance and Baroque sculpture.''] Phaidon Press, 1996. p. 13. Web. 5 October 2011.<br>"''Michelangelo was the first artist in history to be recognized by his contemporaries as a genius in our modern sense. Canonized before his death, he has remained magnificent, formidable, and remote. Some of the impediments to establishing close contact with his mind are inherent in his own uncompromising character; he was the greatest sculptor who ever lived, and the greatest sculptor is not necessarily the most approachable.''"</ref> Michelangelo's skill in portraying the human body is exemplified in his sculptures, such as the iconic statue of ''David'' (1501–1504), which conveys both physical beauty and intense psychological depth. He also painted the Sistine Chapel ceiling between 1508 and 1512, creating one of the most celebrated masterpieces of Western art. These frescoes depict Biblical and classical subjects and are renowned for their powerful representation of the human form and spiritual intensity.

Raphael's paintings are known for their harmonious composition, soft outlines, and graceful use of color. He was a master of perspective and proportion and is particularly famous for his Madonnas and portraits. One of his greatest works is the fresco ''[[The School of Athens]]'', a grand depiction of classical Greek philosophers and scientists. The work reflects Raphael's admiration for classical antiquity, blending elements of ancient Greek and Roman art with the intellectual climate of the Renaissance.

The architect [[Donato Bramante]] is often regarded as the creator of High Renaissance architecture. In 1499, he moved to Rome, where he began his work with the design of the ''[[San Pietro in Montorio#The Tempietto|Tempietto]]'' (1502), a small, centralized dome structure that draws inspiration from Classical temple architecture. Pope Julius II appointed Bramante as the papal architect, and together they devised a plan to replace the 4th-century Old St. Peter's Basilica with a new, grand church. Though Bramante's vision was not completed in his lifetime, his designs had a profound influence on the development of Renaissance architecture.