Introduction

The great works of Renaissance art, like Leonardo's Virgin of the Rocks and his portraits, or the sculptures of Michelangelo, can be readily conjured up. Immediately we have some impression of artistic achievements. The humanists offer the challenge of endeavouring to define the novelty of their work. It is relatively easy to comprehend why they turned to the ancient sources and how they found there something which complemented existing intellectual traditions. The problem with art is less what artists attempted than why they did so.