High RenaissanceVisual AnalysisIntroductionGenerally believed to have begun in Florence, the Renaissance, also known as the "Renaissance", was a period of resurgence of interest in classical art and beginning of the scientific revolution. The Renaissance period did not begin suddenly; instead it was an idea that had taken shape since the time of the painter Giotto (Gombrich 2007). In the early Renaissance, Giotto experimented with and laid the foundation for painting with perspective, a method that was refined and perfected by later painters and sculptors. The period towards the end of the 15th century was known as the High Renaissance. It was the pinnacle of artistic innovations, techniques and productions. The height of the Renaissance period came in the form of Raphael, Leonardo Da Vinci, and Michelangelo, who were the best-known artists of the time. The artworks produced during this period contain characteristics of geometric simplicity, harmony and balance for compositional designs that are not only represented in paintings, but also in sculpture and architecture. I will present my observation of the above-mentioned characteristics in this essay through the analysis of selected artworks of the three great masters of the High Renaissance. Historically, almost all paintings and artworks of the Renaissance period are influenced by religion and humanism. Two famous works of art that reflect this are Leonardo Da Vinci's The Last Supper and Raphael's The School of Athens. Leonardo Da Vinci, The Last Supper Among Da Vinci's numerous works of art, The Last Supper is considered one of his greatest masterpieces to this day. The Last Supper is a fresco painting that painted the wall of the dining room of a monastery in Milan (Fichn...... middle of paper....... London and New York: Phaidon.Encyclopædia Britannica Online, sv "Leonardo da Vinci", accessed May 26, 2014, http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/336408/Leonardo-da-VinciEncyclopædia Britannica Online, sv "Mona Lisa", accessed May 27, 2014, http : //www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/388735/Mona-Lisa.Encyclopædia Britannica Online, sv "Western Painting", accessed 27 May 2014, http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/438648/ Western painting.Paolucci, Antonio. Italian Renaissance, sv ““Michelangelo's David,” accessed May 25, 2014, http://www.italianrenaissance.org/michelangelos-david.Treasures of the World, sv “Leonardo's Masterful Technique” , accessed May 26, 2014, http://www.pbs.org/treasuresoftheworld/mona_lisa/mlevel_1/m3technique.htmlTotally History, sv “Mona Lisa,” accessed May 26, 2014, http://totallyhistory.com/mona- Lisa.