Leonardo Da Vinci
Known for the numerous areas he studied, a few included, weights and friction, movement, allegories, mirrors/reflections, balances, weights, movement, water, and mechanics. Leonardo had a notebook where he went into detail about each, and from one page to the next, the subjects changed. He was a man of many abilities and is considered to be one of the most talented people to have lived. He lived from 1452-1519 giving him plenty of time to explore Europe and decide what he wanted to do, which was everything.
Sandro Botticelli
Born with the name Alessandro Filipepi, his brother gave him the nickname Botticelli which meant little barrel and that is what we know him as today. He was an Italian Painter that attended the Florentine School under the patronage of Lorenzo de' Medici. Lorenzo found a gift within Botticelli and brought him into his arms. Eventually Botticelli was out on his own, creating work that we know very well today. His creation was primavera which were paintings based off of fantasies, poetry, and his imagination. He lived from 1445-1510 and during his lifetime made a name for himself that we all know today.
Filippo Brunelleschi
Living from 1377-1446 Brunelleschi was who Italy turned to with their problems with when there was a hole in their cathedral. Though many other architects proposed to have a large pillar support the dome, Brunelleschi proposed to build two domes on nested inside the other. This idea was proven revolutionary because they didn't need scaffolding from the outside for support. When building the dome he encountered many problems included not having lifting mechanisms that were able to lift and maneuver the heavy materials he was working with. To fix this problem he invented a three-speed hoist with gears, pulleys, and drive shafts all powered by oxen. Throughout the renaissance he was one of the foremost architects and engineers, but his accomplishments also included sculpture, mathematics, engineering, and even ship design.
Michelangelo Buonarotti
Interested in Art starting at a young age, Michelangelo wasn't interested in school that wasn't art based. Throughout his early life he would copy paintings from churches and enjoy his painting apprentice with Domenico Ghirlandaio and in sculpture with Bertoldo di Geovanni. When Lorenzo de Medici asked Domenico for his best workers Michelangelo and Bertoldo were who he sent. He attended Lorenzo's school for many years and met many other artists which influenced him along the way. He believed that the job of the sculpture was to free the forms that were already inside the stone and throughout his life of art that's what he did. Living from 1475-1564 his art left a name for him.
Jan van Eyck
Believed to be the most famous and innovative Flemish painter of the 15th century, is believed to have come from the village of Maaseyck in Limbourg. Known for his paintings, other than painting he was a member of John of Bavaria and was eventually placed on the Duke's Court which led to him undertaking secret missions. Because of this side of him, it was important his records were sealed or nonexistent therefore leaving no record of his birth date. During his painting career, he was believed to have made one of the greatest achievements of all time. He was able to represent his subjects with realism in microscopic detail which included infusing painted jewels with glazes. Having lived from 1390-1441 his technique is still used today.
Pieter Bruegel the Elder
Born in Belgium in 1525 and lived until 1569 he became known for his paintings of landscapes as well as peasant scenes, but also painted religious subjects in an unconventional manner to capture what many people at this time would have ignored. His change in the spelling of his name and focus on things and people that weren't already perfect set him apart and made his work easier to capture as his.