During the High (1495–1520) and Late (1520–1600) Renaissance periods in Italy, artists, often in the employ of the papacy, further developed the interest in classical cultures, perspective, proportion, and human anatomy that had characterized Quattrocento Italian art.
The major regional artistic centers were Florence and Rome in central Italy and Venice in the north. Whereas most Florentine and Roman artists emphasized careful design preparation based on preliminary drawing (disegno), Venetian artists focused on color and the process of paint application (colorito).
Leonardo da Vinci, the quintessential “Renaissance man,” won renown as a painter for his sfumato (misty haziness) and for his psychological insight in depicting biblical narrative (Last Supper) and contemporary personalities (Mona Lisa).
Raphael favored lighter tonalities than Leonardo and clarity over obscurity. His sculpturesque figures appear in landscapes under blue skies (Madonna of the Meadows) or in grandiose architectural settings rendered in perfect perspective (School of Athens).

Michelangelo, David, 1501–1504

Michelangelo was a pioneer in several media, including architecture, but his first love was sculpture. He carved (David, Moses) and painted (Sistine Chapel ceiling) emotionally charged figures with heroic physiques, preferring pent-up energy to Raphael’s calm, ideal beauty.

Bramante, Tempietto, Rome, begun 1502

The leading architect of the early 16th century was Bramante, who championed the classical style of the ancients. He based his design for the Tempietto—the first High Renaissance building—on antique models, but the combination of parts was new and original.
Andrea Palladio, an important theorist as well as architect, carried on Bramante’s classical style during the Late Renaissance. Renowned for his villa designs, he had a lasting influence upon later European and American architecture.

Titian, Meeting of Bacchus and Ariadne, 1522–1523

The greatest master of the Venetian painting school was Titian, famed for his rich surface textures and dazzling display of color in all its nuances. In paintings such as Meeting of Bacchus and Ariadne, he established oil color on canvas as the standard medium of the Western pictorial tradition.

Mannerism emerged in the 1520s in reaction to the High Renaissance style of Leonardo and Raphael. A prime feature of Mannerist art is artifice. Renaissance painters generally strove to create art that appeared natural, whereas Mannerist artists were less inclined to disguise the contrived nature of art production. Ambiguous space, departures from expected conventions, and unusual presentations of traditional themes are hallmarks of Mannerist painting.

Parmigianino, Madonna with the Long Neck, 1534–1540

Madonna with the Long Neck epitomizes the elegant stylishness of Mannerist painting. The elongated proportions of the figures, the enigmatic line of columns without capitals, and the ambiguous position of the figure with a scroll are the antithesis of High Renaissance classical proportions, clarity of meaning, and rational perspective.

Cellini, Saltcellar of Francis I, 1540–1543

Mannerism was also a sculptural style. Benvenuto Cellini created a costly saltcellar for the table of the French king Francis I. The figures, based on antique statuary, have the slim waists and long limbs that appealed to Mannerist taste.
The leading Mannerist architect was Giulio Romano, who rejected the balance, order, and stability of the High Renaissance style. In the Palazzo del Té in Mantua, which he also decorated with frescoes, the divergences from architectural convention parody Bramante’s classical style and include triglyphs that slip out of the Doric frieze.