These elements comprised clear organization as well as an avoidance of excessive detail. Raphael distinguished himself by an expansive style in his paintings, which the audience experiences as a homogeneous, easily viewed whole. Subjects for which this artist was commissioned include the theological Disputa, the School of Athens and Aristotle and Plato. An interesting element of Raphael's and other paintings is that he included both himself and his contemporaries to represent the figures in his works. Sandro Boticelli was a Florentine painter who predated the High Renaissance at the peak of his career before the turn of the 16th century. His style was individual and graceful, led by the rhythmic elements of outline. Before Raphael, he was the best loved painter of his time. Some of this artist's most notable paintings include the Adoration of the Magi, the Birth of Venus, and St. Augustine in his Study. Boticelli's talent extended to a close attention to naturalistic detail. During his productive years, he was greatly successful. However, with the arrival of the High Renaissance, his style and subject matter - mostly religious - became outdated, after which the artist died in obscurity.

Another pre-Raphaelite was Fra Angelico, a Dominican friar at the Fiesole monastery. His art was indicative of the great affinity artists still held for sacred subject matter. When entering the convent of San Marco, taken over by Angelico's Order in 1436, the artist was commissioned with the task of decorating the friar's cells. His work was to be painted directly onto plaster walls, and their purpose would be to stimulate prayer and meditation. As such, they were not obliged to precisely depict biblical history. As such, Angelico represented Christ in both his glory and his simplicity, while incorporating a...

As a sculptor, he worked in all styles and materials, including low relief, figures in the round, wood, marble and bronze. He contributed to Renaissance with the expressiveness of his figures, which is ascribed to his knowledge of anatomy. This perfection and elevation of the human form is an element frequently used by Renaissance artists. Donatello also pioneered the art of sculpture during this time by creating the first free-standing statues of the time, meaning that they are artistic pieces in their own right, without added pieces such as architecture or other decorations.
From the above, it can be seen that each artist operates not only from his own perspective upon the world, but also in reaction to the social and artistic changes in the world around him. In this way, the Renaissance was a period of an artistic dynamic that has influenced the world not only during its time, but for centuries after its end.

Sources

Austin, Jamie Sue. "The Premier Artists of the Italian Low Renaissance." 2007. http://www.lifeinitaly.com/art/early-renaissance-2.asp

Chew, Robin. "Michelangelo: Renaissance Artist." 1995-2007. http://www.lucidcafe.com/library/96mar/michelangelo.html

Harden, Mark. "The Renaissance Artchive." 2007

http://www.artchive.com/artchive/renaissance.html

Kausal, Martin. "Leonardo da Vinci, 1452-1519." 1997-2006. http://www.kausal.com/leonardo/

Pioch, Nicolas. "Botticelli, Sandro." WebMuseum. 19 June 2006. http://www.ibiblio.org/wm/paint/auth/botticelli/

The Worldwide Art Gallery. "Raphael (1483-1520)." 2000. http://www.theartgallery.com.au/ArtEducation/greatartists/Raphael/about