CHAPTER 9: Botticelli's Bottega: The Glory of the Renaissance¹

The faint trace of a major change in artistic aspiration and practice expressed itself in Giotto's restoration of realism in painting. He may have revolutionized visual representation, but something much deeper and universal broke through in the generation of artists who followed him. The growth of humanism, new canons of beauty and choice of subject, experimentation with painting techniques and pigment mixtures, recognition of harmony in nature, new ideas on perspective, and most of all, a rupture with the medieval outlook gave rise to the flowering of art that we call the Renaissance. A visit to virtually any art museum in the world reveals the enduring presence of this seismic movement that shaped the imaginations of millions.