The Northern European Renaissance and the Italian Renaissance were significant periods of time and also paved the way for several civilizations. However, these time periods have many similarities and differences. The social and cultural similarities between the Northern European Renaissance and the Italian Renaissance are that they both chose the religious figures and stories of Christianity as their basic artistic premise. Religion mattered in work in both time periods. Both eras pointed to religious events as a means of demonstrating one's love and affection for religion. Michelangelo's The Creation of Adam and Leonardo da Vinci's The Last Super are the clear examples of this fact in the Italian Renaissance, and Hubert Van Eyck's Mystic Lamb and Albrecht Dürer's Jan and Adam and Eve are the dominant examples of the Renaissance Northern European (Snyder ). Another major similarity between the Italian Renaissance and the Northern European Renaissance is that during the 15th century both had a specific artistic center. In Italy, the Republic of Florence was popular among artists for inspiration and innovation, while in the North Flanders was prized as an artistic center. Additionally, another similarity between the two was the Guild system. At that time, Guilds were considered the best actions taken by a man to create, paint and make saddles. However, training for any specialty was long and involved sequential processes and steps. The social and cultural differences between the Northern European Renaissance and the Italian Renaissance are that the Northern European Renaissance was based on the architecture and art of the Gothic or Middle Ages. . He also…half the paper…to focus on how the art looked. Italian art showed religion, spiritual figures like Jesus, their celestial beliefs, and depicted ancient legendary beings. All in all, there are many differences between the two periods, but they introduced many innovative techniques and ideas, and they also introduced new religions that are still in use and studied today. Works Cited Albury, WR and GM Weisz. "Depiction of the bread of the Last Supper: religious representation in Italian Renaissance society". Journal of religion and society. 11. (2009): 1-17. Print.Benton, Janetta Rebold, and Robert DiYanni. Arts and Culture: An Introduction to the Humanities. 4th. New Jersey: Pearson Education, 2002. Print.Snyder, James. Northern Renaissance Art: Painting, Sculpture, Graphic Arts 1350 to 1575. New Jersey: Prentice Hall Art, 1985. Print.