This period mainly refers to the end of15th century to the middle of16th century, which is the heyday of the Italian Renaissance. From the middle of15th century, Florence began to lose its position as the economic, political and cultural center of Italy, and was replaced by another important city, Rome, which is the capital of Christianity ruled by the Pope. In order to re-establish Rome's dominant position in the Christian world, the Pope invested heavily in rebuilding Rome, and attracted a large number of artists and thinkers to work in Rome, forming a Roman painting school centered on Rome in art.

Da Vinci (1452- 15 19) was one of the most outstanding representatives in the whole Renaissance. His genius is not limited to art, but embodied in mathematics, mechanical engineering, medicine and geology. He was born in a small town called Finch near Florence, and went to Florence in his early years to study in a workshop in Rocchio. Leonardo da vinci not only learned painting and carving skills here, but also was keen on scientific research. His early works include The Baptism of Christ, which he cooperated with his teacher, and Angel's Messenger, which he finished by himself. 1482, Leonardo da Vinci came to Milan to serve the Grand Duke of Milan. He not only completed some important works of art here, but also made outstanding contributions in architecture, water conservancy engineering, military technology and machinery manufacturing. During his stay in Milan, his important works include Madonna of the Rock (1483-1493) and The Immortal Last Supper in the canteen of Santa Maria Monastery. In the painting Madonna of the Rock, Leonardo da Vinci arranged the characters with a clear geometric structure, that is, framed the characters into an isosceles triangle, and the apex of this triangle was Maria's head, which laid the foundation for the popular pyramid-shaped composition at that time. At the same time, he used angels and babies in the lower right corner to increase the weight, and balanced the whole picture through the light source in the upper left corner. This method of balancing in complex dynamics was widely used by later artists. In addition, the soft light generated by overlapping rocks not only deepens the shaping of the shape, but also gives the whole image a unique poetic aura. The Last Supper occupies the whole wall of the monastery dining hall, and Leonardo da Vinci chose a critical moment to describe it. With Jesus as the center, there are two groups of characters, all of whom have their personalities vividly displayed in their actions and gestures. Jesus is in the center, so that every character can be fully expressed without making the picture messy. In this painting, Leonardo da Vinci expresses his views on life through the dramatic contrast between Jesus, the symbol of truth, and Judas, the symbol of evil. Da Vinci returned to Florence in 1503, during which he completed the famous Mona Lisa (1503- 1506). The significance of this portrait is to express people's affirmation of themselves and yearning for beautiful things through the image of an ordinary citizen woman. 1506, Leonardo da Vinci returned to Milan again. In his later years, he painted Rita, Santa Ana and other works. 15 16 Leonardo da Vinci came to France as a court painter because of civil strife, and finally died in France. Leonardo da Vinci is a great realistic painter, and his artistic practice and theory are the most precious heritage in the history of human culture.

As a sculptor and painter, Michelangelo Buonarroti (1475- 1564) took a different road from Leonardo da Vinci. He was not as full of scientific spirit and philosophical thinking as Da Vinci, but devoted his tragic passion to his works of art.

Michelangelo entered the famous "Medici Garden" when he was a teenager, where he received art training and was exposed to a large number of ancient art treasures collected there, which showed extraordinary temperament in his early works. 1501-1504, Michelangelo created a famous statue of David for his hometown of Florence, showing David before his achievement, a young man full of anger and strength. This power is also the great potential of free men that humanists yearn for. It is precisely because of this that this work has become a symbol of Renaissance heroes. 1508- 15 12 years, entrusted by Pope Juno II, Michelangelo created Genesis, the ceiling painting of the Sistine Chapel, which showed his originality in painting. In the zenith painting, he also shows the power of human beings through the theme of God. In Genesis, Michelangelo expressed the acquisition of human life as the contact of two powerful hands. In Stealing the Forbidden Fruit, he also emphasized the independent feelings of the characters, which made Eve's expression full of challenges. In The Flood, it is full of drama, and a series of individual tragic plots reveal people's confidence. After the death of Juno II, the new Pope Giovanni di Lorenzo de' Medici ordered Michelangelo to design Juno II's mausoleum, which took more than ten years. The disaster of the motherland, the pain of the nation, and the contradiction of the artist's personal thoughts and feelings have left a deep impression on his works, among which Moses is the most shocking. This image, like David, is a hero in the artist's mind to save the nation and get rid of suffering. The high concentration of the characters' will is not only reflected in the daunting eyes, but also in the extreme exaggeration of Moses' thick physique, in the tension of muscles, and even in the completely wrinkled clothes folds. If David embodies a kind of self-confidence, then Moses embodies the majesty of being a man. In the statues he later designed for the Medici Church, a group of images such as morning, dusk, day and night profoundly revealed the artist's inner pain and hesitation. The altar painting The Last Judgment is an important work of Michelangelo in his later years. From 1534- 154 1 it took him six years to paint it in the Sistine Chapel. This magnificent work is Michelangelo's summary of life, and it is also a judgment on contemporary history. The treatment and conception of mural composition are consistent, and the composition does not highlight the clear order and structure, but emphasizes a natural arrangement. The success and greatness of this work lies in unifying the collective image of people from the relationship between people, and the clever use of colors makes the mural dramatic. The tragedy in Michelangelo's art appears in a magnificent form, and the hero he created is both a symbol of ideal and a reflection of reality. It was in his art that the humanistic ideal of the Renaissance was fully and vividly expressed. Michelangelo's art has almost become an insurmountable peak in the history of western art because he intentionally or unintentionally revealed the core of humanistic thought, that is, human initiative, positive role and ability to make contributions.

Raphael Sanzio (1483-1520) was born in umbria. His paintings were always filled with bright colors, soft light and quiet and elegant rhythm in the early study exhibitions of painter perugino, all of which benefited from his early education.

From 65438 to 0508, Raphael came to Rome at the invitation of his friend, sculptor and architect bramante, and many of his later famous works were completed here. His three murals for the Vatican Palace, Athens College, Mount Bahners and the Bible debate show a humanist's pursuit of truth and happiness. But on the whole, The Academy of Athens is the best of the three works and Raphael's most brilliant work. He arranged the gathering of ancient thinkers and scientists in a hall with arches, with statues of Apollo and Athena on both sides. In the center of the picture are Plato and Aristotle, who point to the sky and the earth respectively, and the gestures represent their respective theories. Scholars and scientists with various postures around them also show their identities and theories with specific postures. Therefore, the characters of Athens College have a stronger memorial tendency than the other two. No matter in content or form, this work marks the final victory of humanism in Renaissance art, and also marks the close connection between humanism and ancient Greek and Roman culture. Obviously, Raphael has begun to enjoy the fruits of Renaissance thought. These works also established Raphael's reputation in Rome. Raphael is a master of portraying female images. Before he came to Rome, the Madonna in his works was a beautiful image of an ordinary woman, who embodied the noble qualities of love, kindness and meekness and aroused people's yearning for life. After arriving in Rome, Raphael's Madonna is still secular, but somewhat aristocratic. The most famous is the Sistine Madonna, which is a beautiful ode that combines the modesty of the Madonna with secular love. The difference between Raphael and Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo is that he embodies the ideal of humanism with beautiful and poetic painting language. His tireless pursuit of beauty had a great influence on later generations, and the style of beauty he established became one of the standards of academic classicism in later generations.