He, too, was breaking away from tradition because he viewed art differently than others sis. In his book, Michelangelo, William Lace states that Michelangelo was responsible for bringing realism to art and "freeing it from the stiff formality of the preceding centuries" (Lace 7). Michelangelo wanted his art to appear as realistic as possible. His goal was to create something that suggested authentic emotion. In addition to this, Michelangelo also saw the artist differently than others did as well. He wanted to bring forth from the stone what was already inside it. Here we see an artist that sees himself as a part of the artistic process. This sort of though was new and it inspired many artists of the day. What we find so important about this new line of thinking is the freedom that the artists felt when approaching it. They felt no restraint and their freedom is demonstrated in their work. It is also worth noting that this type of thinking also paved the way the public viewed artists, according to Lace. Prior to Michelangelo, artists were not held in any special regard. Michelangelo's popularity and his influence in the arts changed this. The public became aware that artists were capable of doing something that not all men could do. Even Michelangelo knew this and stated that artists were extraordinary and should never be "judged by ordinary standards" (8). One look at Michelangelo's David reveals just how the artist wanted to sculpt something that was real and could also compel the viewer to feel something real as well. Pieta is another sculpture that reveals Michelangelo's expertise. Leonardo di Vinci is another premier artist of the Italian Renaissance. His work is like other artists of his time in that he was introducing new ways of thinking...

This did not include just art. Di Vinci also delved into the sciences. He is the person most historian point to as the forerunner of the "new, experimental style known as mannerism" (Craig 440). Mannerism can be seen as an extension of the Italian Renaissance; it became popular in the Late Renaissance and it opened doors for the "strange and even the abnormal and gave freer reign to the subjectivity of the artist" (440). Again, we see the notion of freedom as a motivating factor to explore art, science, and existence.
The Italian Renaissance is an example of what happens when men step outside the realm of the ordinary and see what is on the other side. Humanism was the vehicle that encouraged artists to think outside the box. Suddenly, men were thinking about their minds and this forced them to look at many things differently. Art happened to be one of the humanities that was radically changed by this because many artists represent what is happening in their minds. Art becomes something more than paint on a canvas or a carved piece of stone. By looking at art and eventually, artists, differently, the Italian Renaissance birthed some of the most magnificent art ever. Had these men not been prodded to think of things differently, we might have something different when we look at the work of Michelangelo or Di Vinci.

Works Cited

Cameron, Euan. Early Modern Europe. New York: Oxford University Press, 1999.

Craig, Albert M., et al. The Heritage of World Civilizations. Fifth Edition. New Jersey: Prentice

Hall. 2000.

Lace, William. Michelangelo. San Diego: Lucent Books. 1993.

Tansey, Richard. Gardner's Art Through the Ages. New York: Harcourt…