Throughout Renaissance the art was largely dominated by Christian Church which in early period was tender and humane. The spirit of Humanism prevailed in painting but the subject matter was distinctly Christian. Paintings known as frescoes were painted on plaster walls.Oil painting were also invented. Renaissance painting bloomed in Italy. A number of painters hold a prominent place in the pre-Renaissance period but they were overshadowed by the brilliance of Michael Angelo, Raphaell and Leonardo Da Vinci who are considered as the most dominant figures among the painters. Besides them, Albrecht Durer and Holbein of Germany, Velasquez, Murillo and El Graeco of Spain and Rubbens and Van of Holland were other renowned painters of the Renaissance Era. The Renaissance sculptors studied the human body thoroughly and knew how the muscles and joints worked so that they could make their figures more life-like. A famous sculptor Ghiberti made the doors for the Baptistery at Florence. The huge statues of David, Moses and the Pieta chiseled out by Michael Angelo are superb masterpieces.
In renaissance architecture there was a trend towards classicism. The Gothic style was discarded for the arch, the dome and the columns characterizing the Greek and Roman models. Secondly while the classical element was basic in renaissance architecture, there was in the latter an emphasis on design and ornamentation. In the later period it became more prominent into what is called baroque.Alberti, Manetti, Michael Angelo were some of the famous renaissance architects. Great churches like St.Peter’s at Rome,St. Paul’s at London,St.Mark’s at Venice are examples of the new type. The Pitti Palace in Florence and the Farness Palace in Rome are examples of secular architecture. They emphasis the tendency of shifting from the medieval absorbing interest in future life to a universal emphasis on individual and his earthly existence.