One of the most outstanding and famous works of artwork that was produced during the Renaissance was the Mona Lisa. Leonardo da Vinci was a famous artist and inventor during that period, and he painted the Mona Lisa, which has become a top icon and legacy of the Renaissance. No one knows who the Mona Lisa is, but it is quite likely that a Florentine merchant commissioned Leonardo da Vinci to do a portrait of his wife. In painting the Mona Lisa, Leonardo demonstrated the new styles of painting use during the Renaissance period, including using the new techniques of oil painting and using chiaroscuro, using light and dark shading to create dimension within the painting. Leonardo also demonstrated humanism in his painting, by painting portraits …show more content…
The Medicis and other powerful families like them used some of their enormous wealth to encourage and support scholars, writers, scientists, and artists, and it was thanks to patrons like them that Renaissance learning and art was truly able to flourish in Italy. Florence also had the strongest tradition of rule by democracy. The main industries of Florence was banking and the trade of wooden cloth and other textiles. The population of Florence was divided between the members of the guilds, which were organisations of businessmen and craftsmen. The guild factions struggled constantly to control the government of Florence. However, the city was also ruled by a series of strong families, including the de Medici family. In Florence, the new system of wealthy men being patrons for artists was perfected by the de Medici family. The Medici 's and other powerful families like them used some of their enormous wealth to encourage and support scholars, writers, scientists, and artists. As a result of patrons like them, Renaissance learning and art was truly able to flourish in Italy. One of the most well known art patrons was Cosimo de Medici (1389-1464), who had a humanist education and could understand the Greek language, but he also had a passion for learning and was very wealthy. Cosimo, and later his grandson Lorenzo, set new standards as patrons of the arts, founding libraries and sponsoring artists such as Donatello and Botticelli. They treated their artists with respect for their talent and individuality. The Medicis commissioned many exceptional woks of art during the Renaissance. Many beautiful works of art were commissioned simply to decorate the Palazzo Medici, the family