The Renaissance is one of the dramatic changes in the history of art and human thinking. The late Middle Ages saw the dawn of the new period in Europe when the strict rules of medieval artistic traditions gradually yielded to the interest in observation, realism, classical studies, and human experience. Renaissance refers to rebirth and this term describes the resurgence of the interest in the artistic and philosophical as well as scientific accomplishments of ancient Greece and Rome. The Renaissance was not however just about moving back. It was an artistic reinterpretation of ancient concepts in the context of new cultural, social, and intellectual realities.

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Prior to the Renaissance, a major portion of European art was religious and symbolic. The figures were commonly stylized, flattened, and ordered in strict sequence of significance instead of the spatial relationship. The aim of the medieval art was not to mirror the visible world but to express the spiritual truths. The symbolic meaning was regarded more important than perspective, anatomical accuracy and natural light. Although medieval art had its expressive capacity, it did not provide much of inquiry into individuality and physical reality of man.

With renaissance, artists started to be more focusing on direct observation of nature and human body. They learned anatomy, geometry and optics to comprehend the way forms could be conceived in the three dimensional space. This was a scientific attitude to art that was a more general intellectual shift that occurred in the society. Philosophers, scientists and scholars were challenging the traditional authorities and found out knowledge by observing and experimenting. Art was taken as a companion in this quest to know.

Linear perspective was discovered and systematically applied, and this was one of the most significant changes during the Renaissance. Perspective also enabled painters to bring out the illusion of space into a two-dimensional surface using mathematical concepts to arrange space. The buildings, scenery and figures could now be positioned in such a manner that mirrored the human eye perception of the world. The innovation changed the way painting and drawing was done and it made the scenes look more lifelike and immersive.

In addition to perspective, the artists invented the methods of modeling the form with light and shadow. Through close attention to the direction of light on the objects, they would be able to make a light transition between the highlights and shadows and provide figures with some volume and weight. This practice was commonly referred to as chiaroscuro where a painter could no longer be confined to squares and could paint what was realistically formed and appeared to take the space in real world.

The ancient Greek and Roman sculptures also inspired Renaissance artists a lot and they studied and currently imitated them. Classical statues showed a sense of balance, realistic postures and the ideal beauty. These attributes had an impact on composition and form of Renaissance artists. Nevertheless, the Renaissance artists did not just copy the classical models. 

Portraiture gained more significance during the Renaissance. The rich people funded portraits of their images to maintain their identities and social connections. The portraits were frequently focused on personality and psychological presence. The emergence of portraiture is associated with the increase of interest in individual experience and identity.

It introduced the symbolic representation to the experiential representation.It changed the connection between art and knowledge and society.The Renaissance has remained influential to this day in the way we perceive art.