The remains of Greco-Roman antiquity—coins, gems, sculpture, buildings, and the classics of Greek and Latin literature—fascinated the thinking men and women of the Italian Renaissance. The arts and the humanities, they reasoned, had declined during the “middle ages” that stretched between the end of antiquity and their own time, but by emulating the exemplary works of the ancients, even striving to surpass them, contemporary artists and writers might restore the arts and letters to their former grandeur.

From its immediate appropriation by the Romans up to the numerous returns to Classicism throughout the history of art, without forgetting the Italian Renaissance, the range of forms from Greek Antiquity has become a universal reference point for Western art.

The influence of Classical Art and architecture cannot be overestimated, as it extends to all art movements and periods of Western art. While Roman architecture and Greek art influenced the Romanesque and Byzantine periods, the influence of Classical Art became dominant in the Italian Renaissance, founded upon a revival of interest in Classical principles, philosophy, and aesthetic ideals. Greek sculpture influenced Renaissance artists Michelangelo, Albrecht Dürer, Leonardo da Vinci, Raphael, and the later Baroque artists, including Bernini.

The spread of the new style of art was due in part to the rediscovery of classical texts, and the study of classical antiquity by scholars of the time. Artists such as Brunelleschi and Donatello studied ancient Roman ruins and sculptures to create works with more realistic proportions and classical elements.

The Renaissance was a time in European history in which the culture and vision of Classical Greek and Roman Antiquity was reassessed and — in varying degrees — integrated into the life of Europe.

Renaissance artists consciously sought to revive the classical ideals of proportion, balance, and idealized beauty associated with ancient Greek and Roman art. This admiration is visible in their embrace of realism, anatomical precision, perspective, and idealized human figures.

The Renaissance was characterized by the European **rediscovery and revival of the literary, philosophical, and artistic achievements of classical antiquity**. Renaissance humanists such as Poggio Bracciolini sought out in Europe's monastic libraries the Latin literary, historical, and oratorical texts of antiquity, while the fall of Constantinople (1453) generated a wave of émigré Greek scholars bringing precious manuscripts in ancient Greek. As a cultural movement, the Renaissance encompassed the development of linear perspective and other techniques of rendering a more natural reality in painting, grounded in classical sources and ideals.

The word “renaissance” (rebirth) refers not only to the sudden and widespread flourishing of literature and the arts in fifteenth-century Italy but also to the revival of antique culture as a vital force at that time. Long the subject of antiquarian curiosity, ancient artifacts now became sources of potent creativity, firing artists with inspiration and a desire to emulate the achievements of the past. In the remains of ancient Rome, Renaissance artists found stimulating images and ideas that spurred fresh invention.

The Renaissance period, spanning from the 14th to the 17th centuries, signifies a monumental era in European culture, marked by a profound revival of the arts, literature, and philosophies rooted in ancient Greece and Rome. At the core of the Renaissance was a resurgence of interest in humanist philosophy, which esteemed the classical past as the zenith of human achievement. This rekindled fascination was fuelled by the scholarly rediscovery of ancient texts and artefacts, inspiring a renaissance in art, science, and education. Artists and architects drew inspiration from Roman ruins, incorporating Greco-Roman principles such as symmetry, proportion, and perspective.

Renaissance painters and sculptors tried to match the realistic depiction of the human form that the Greeks and Romans valued.

In narrowing this topic down, I am taking a close look at two specific sculptures in art history: Michelangelo’s As for my on-site research, I have decided to continue to look at sculpture, but, instead, how it evolved in ancient Greece into the art that inspired the Renaissance artists. When the Roman Empire conquered Greece, they took back some aspects of their culture with them. Artists like Michelangelo studied Greek art, many of the characteristics seen in his work, and that of many other creators, were interpreted from the ancient Greeks.

This volume shows how **the cultural concept of “Humanism” emerges in the Renaissance as a movement which embraces all the spheres of culture that were determined by the reception of Antiquity**. It presents Renaissance humanism as distinct from medieval Latin humanism, emphasizing that the former is grounded in engagement with Latin and Greek languages, literatures and cultures. The essays collectively underline that Renaissance humanism’s evolving place in European culture is inseparable from its **reception of antiquity**.

**The Renaissance, one of the most significant periods in the history of European culture, was marked by a spectacular return to the values and ideals of ancient Greco-Roman art.** After centuries dominated by the religious spirit and austere aesthetics of the Middle Ages, artists and thinkers of the Renaissance **rediscovered the beauty, balance and rationality of the ancient world, transforming them into fundamental sources of inspiration.** Renaissance art borrows extensively from forms and themes of the ancient world: in painting and sculpture the emphasis is again on the human body, represented with anatomical accuracy and idealized beauty inspired by Greek sculpture, and Renaissance architecture is characterized by symmetry, harmonious proportions and use of classical orders such as Doric, Ionic and Corinthian columns.

The Classical Revival during the Renaissance (c. 1300–1600) was a profound intellectual and cultural movement that **sought to revive and emulate the artistic, philosophical, and scientific achievements of ancient Greece and Rome.** Renaissance artists and architects **turned to the classical ideals of beauty, proportion, and symmetry found in Greek and Roman art**; figures like Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, and Raphael were inspired by the classical world, particularly its emphasis on human form, anatomy, and perspective. Artists during the Renaissance developed techniques inspired by classical ideals, including linear perspective and naturalistic depiction, and this classical revival "influenced virtually every aspect of Renaissance culture, from art and architecture to literature and philosophy."

The Renaissance was a time of incredible cultural revival, and **at its heart was the rediscovery of classical antiquity.** Vitruvius' ideas about proportion, symmetry, and the relationship between architecture and nature **became a cornerstone of Renaissance architecture**, influencing the design of buildings and the way art was perceived. The rediscovery of classical texts "wasn't just a scholarly pursuit; it had a profound impact on the aesthetics of the time," as artists and architects began to see themselves as part of a continuum, drawing from ancient wisdom while innovating, giving Renaissance art its distinctive character rooted in tradition yet boldly innovative.

Sparked by the rediscovery of ancient Greek and Roman texts, sculptures, and architectural ruins, artists and designers of the period were inspired by the culture of Ancient Greece and Rome. Renaissance sculptors looked to antiquity as a guide to anatomical accuracy, beauty, and proportion. Designers of the time favoured symmetry, geometry, and proportion, aligning their work with Classical principles outlined in ancient sources like Vitruvius' De Architectura.

Spanning roughly the 14th to 17th centuries, **the Renaissance is widely regarded as a rebirth of classical ideals**, reflecting a deep admiration for the art and thought of ancient Greece and Rome. The period **revived classical ideals of balance, proportion, and realism**, introducing techniques like linear perspective, chiaroscuro, and anatomical accuracy that transformed the visual language of art. These innovations contrasted sharply with the rigid abstraction of medieval religious art and showed how the Renaissance "revived classical art ideals" through harmony, mathematical clarity, and heroic themes and mythological references.

Humanism, which became a defining feature of the Renaissance, **was deeply rooted in the classical texts that scholars were eagerly studying and translating.** The rediscovery of texts by authors such as Vitruvius had a "profound impact on the aesthetics of the time" as Renaissance thinkers sought to blend classical wisdom with contemporary innovation, using ideals of proportion, symmetry and harmony. By reconnecting with the wisdom of ancient Greece and Rome, artists and scholars like Raphael, Alberti and Palladio created works that were both revolutionary and deeply rooted in classical tradition, defining the aesthetics of the Renaissance and shaping Western art for centuries.

Heard this term called “the Renaissance” – which literally means “rebirth.” A rebirth of the classical Greco-Roman academic traditions of course. Classical revival and the Renaissance are also often associated with the movement Humanism, which in a nutshell was a movement based on human idealism, virtue and individualism separate from Christian religious doctrine. Which is why in Renaissance painting and sculpture we also see this emphasis on human anatomy, ideal proportions, ideal human figures, as well as references to ancient Roman stories, gods, and philosophers.

Renaissance art was a time of rebirth and was strongly influenced by Greek and Roman art. Artists like Michelangelo had access to the Vatican and were able to study these statues firsthand, and Greek and Roman art is one of the arts that really influenced Renaissance artists.

Classical Art, which included advancements in paintings, sculptures, decorative arts, and architecture, followed standards of beauty, symmetry, and harmony, even as those values were altered with time. The peak influence after classical antiquity was during the Renaissance in the 14th and 15th centuries, especially in Europe.

The Renaissance period was highly influenced by Greek mythology. The myths were portrayed in a more dramatic, story-like way, while in ancient Greek and Roman art they were portrayed as deities.

The statue serves as a testament to the enduring legacy of Greek culture and its influence on Roman art. The draped female statue from the 1st century AD, currently at the Palazzo Senatorio in Rome, exemplifies Roman sculpture influenced by Greek traditions.

This revival was fueled by the growing humanist study of classical literature and was also sparked by the prominent discovery of significant Roman sculptures in Italy, many of which drew inspiration from Greek themes.