The Renaissance period took place in the 14th and 16th centuries and began in Europe. The Renaissance was a time of art, open ideas and new beginnings. Before this time, there was the Middle Ages. It was not a good time at all, it was full of disease, death and plague which killed almost half of the European population. After the plague slowly subsided, the European population began to grow. Lots of new things started happening. Just like bankers, merchants and traders had a new market for their services. People became richer and had more money to spend. People began to build much larger houses and buy more expensive clothing and became more interested in art and literature. People began to learn foreign languages, read more, play instruments, and find more things that interested them. They were strong in the Italian cities, they did more trade, the people were richer and the people were more educated. around this time, people started to really open their minds and see what other people had in mind. To see the true beauty of art, look into other cultures and religions. Exploring the seas and sailing to other continents became very popular during this time. Sailors had more instruments, maps, and ships were built so that their ships could last longer on their long voyages. Portuguese navigators began exploring and brought home gold and ivory. Later, they discovered that sailing around the southern tip of Africa would take them to India and Asia. These places offered spices, beautiful clothes and silk. Explores had taken these items home and sold them to wealthier European families. In 1445, the German Gutengurg invented something called printing......... middle of paper ...... The Adoration of the Kings is an unfinished painting. You can see the figures as the outlines of light and dark areas. In this painting it shows the three kings who worship the Child Jesus. The Mona Lisa is probably the most famous painting he ever painted. It is the portrait of a young wife of a Florentine silk merchant. It shows a young woman with her famous smile sitting on a balcony above a landscape. These are the things that led to the Renaissance. It was a beautiful time of beauty and art. Many artists during this time went out and discovered many different techniques of sculpting or painting. During this time, many artists became very well known and famous for their time. They will mean a lot in the art world and will be remembered for the beauty they created. Thus their art spreads throughout the world, to be discovered and recognized by other artists..