The document summarizes key aspects of the Italian Renaissance, including: 1) The Renaissance began in Italy, particularly northern Italian city-states like Florence, due to strong economies based on trade which empowered merchants over feudal lords. 2) Florence became a center of the Renaissance under the patronage of the Medici family, most notably Lorenzo de' Medici, who sponsored many great artists and thinkers. 3) Renaissance art and literature broke from medieval traditions by embracing realism, perspective, and a focus on classical antiquity as well as humanist ideals that emphasized human potential and secular subjects.

1. Italy: Birthplace of the Renaissance

7. Florence is the city-state in which the Renaissance was most prominent.

17. Swoon, ladies. Swoon.

25. You also start to see the use of light and shade (chiaroscuro) and blurring outlines so it seems that tones imperceptibly meld in to each other (thereby creating volume: this is sfumato).

26. Carvaggio’s Crucifixion of St. Peter . An example of Chiaroscuro.

29. Close-up of Mona Lisa’s face. Notice the sfumato blurring, especially around the eyes, and how it creates a 3D illusion.