Characteristics of the Early Renaissance: (an era of individual expression) Following the traditions of Giotto and Roberto D'Arezzo, focusing on natural observation and simulation to explore realistic imagery. Under humanism, they developed physical three-dimensional perspective in painting. Their artistic inspiration came from new studies of ancient Greek and Roman sculpture; within naturalistic realism, they unleashed their abundant imagination, attempting to conquer the world of visual art and thoroughly realizing a dream of humanist aesthetics. This early Renaissance was purely an Italian creation, so throughout the 15th century, it was often referred to as Quattrocento (Italian for the early period of the Renaissance).

The prologue of the Italian Renaissance began in 1400 with the Florentine architect Filippo Brunelleschi building the dome of Florence Cathedral, and the sculptor Lorenzo Ghiberti carving the three sets of bronze relief doors—the Gates of Paradise—on the Baptistery of St. John in front of Florence Cathedral. (Italian Renaissance painting art ended from Masaccio in 1425 to the Venetian painter Tintoretto in 1594.)