| Bruegel, Pieter the Elder | 1525-1569 | was the first in a family of Flemish painters. He was part of the Northern Renaissance. Bruegel's greatest inspiration was landscapes although his works vary greatly from Biblical scenes to social satire. |
| Caravaggio [Michelangelo Merisi] | 1571-1610 | most revolutionary artist of his time. His paintings were realistic and dramatic. Caravaggio lived just after the Renaissance. His style helped begin a new period of art called the Baroque. |
| Cellini, Benvenuto | 1500-1571 | leading Renaissance goldsmith and an important sculptor. He became famous through his autobiography and the opera based on his life. |
| Correggio [Antonio Allegri] | 1489-1534 | one of the great painters of the 16th century Italian High Renaissance style. |
| El Greco | 1541-1614 | Greek-born artist who worked in Spain. He painted religious works, a number of portraits, and some dramatic views of the Toledo landscape. His paintings contained vibrant colors, unusual perspectives, and strangely contorted figures. |
| Leonardo da Vinci | 1452-1519 | man of many accomplishments. Painter of the 'Mona Lisa' and 'The Last Supper.' He was also a sculptor, an architect, and a man of science who did serious investigations into the natural and physical sciences, mathematics, mechanics, and engineering. |
| Michelangelo | 1475-1564 | sculptor, painter, architect. Michelangelo was the greatest artist of his time. Between 1508 and 1512 Michelangelo painted the vaulted ceiling of the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican. |
| Raphael [Raffaello Sanzio] | 1483-1520 | master painter and architect of the Italian High Renaissance. He is most famous for his many paintings of the Madonna (Mary, the mother of Jesus) and for The School of Athens. Raphael also painted portraits including one of Pope Julius II. |