High Renaissance Painting

Raphael's Small Cowper Madonna, High Renaissance Painting
Small Cowper Madonna High Renaissance Painting c. 1505 by Raphael Sanzio Oil on wood, 59.5 x 44 cm National Gallery of Art, Washington

High Renaissance painting and sculpture in Italian Renaissance art refers to the artistic style of the early 16th century in Florence and Rome. Characteristic of High Renaissance painting and sculpture is humanistic content, heroic composition, and technical mastery. High Renaissance painting is embodied in the fine art works of Italian Renaissance artists like Leonardo, Michelangelo, and Raphael.

Brenda Harness, Art Historian

  • The Life of Leonardo da Vinci
    Information about the life of Leonardo da Vinci, Italian Renaissance Artist, known as the quintessential “Renaissance Man.”
  • The Life of Raphael Sanzio
    Information about the life of Italian Renaissance artist, Raphael Sanzio, known as “The Prince of Painters” due to his meteoric rise to fame.
  • The Life of Michelangelo Buonarroti
    Information about the life of Michelangelo Buonarroti, irrascible Italian Renaissance artist, painter, sculptor, and architect, known for his “terribilita.”.
  • Correggio, Renaissance Master of Illusionism
    Though little is known of him today, High Renaissance painter Correggio’s sensual, illusionistic works display his superb mastery of foreshortening and remarkable atmospheric effects.
  • Andrea del Sarto, Eclipsed by Italian Renaissance Giants
    Although a master painter in his own right, Andrea del Sarto was eclipsed by Renaissance giants like Raphael, Leonardo and Michelangelo.