Renaissance art called for a return to Classical beauty and simplicity.  Columns and simple shapes and forms were preferred, composition harmonious.  Another revolutionary discovery was the invention of perspective by Brunelleschi.

Human anatomy was reanalyzed and beautifully portrayed.  At the same time, the Catholic church and other wealthy families were commissioning the art, so despite Classical influences, most of the subject matter is still Christian.
 

Renaissance means “rebirth” and that was what the Italian Renaissance was, a rebirth of Classical ideas and philosophies that catapulted man into an era of artistic and scientific discovery.  The Italian Renaissance is perhaps the most famous time period in all of art history.