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The Dawn of Humanism: How Early-Renaissance Thought Revolutionized European Culture

The Early Renaissance period in art is one of the most important eras in art history. Spanning from the mid-1400s to the early 1600s, this period marked a major shift in the way art was created and appreciated. It is often credited with being the foundation for the later art movements of the High Renaissance, Baroque and Rococo.

The Early Renaissance was a period of great creativity and innovation. Artists such as Masaccio, Donatello and Fra Angelico were among the first to create work that showed a new understanding of perspective, light and shadow, and the use of symbolism. This style of art was the result of a new appreciation for classical antiquity and a desire to create something that was more lifelike and realistic.

The most notable aspect of Early Renaissance art was the use of linear perspective. Linear perspective was a technique that allowed artists to create the illusion of depth on a two-dimensional surface. This technique was used to create a sense of space and atmosphere in a painting or sculpture. Artists such as Masaccio and Donatello used linear perspective to create the illusion of three-dimensional space, which had not been seen before.

The Early Renaissance period also saw the rise of the individual artist. Until this time, art had been largely produced by anonymous craftsmen. However, the Early Renaissance saw the emergence of individual artists such as Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci and Raphael, who were able to express their own creative vision and style.

The Early Renaissance art period was an incredibly influential time in art history. It was the foundation for the later art movements that followed and has had a lasting impact on the way art is created and appreciated today.