This document summarizes key figures and developments during the Renaissance period in Italy from the early 15th to mid 16th century. It profiles important Renaissance artists like Masaccio, Fra Angelico, Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, Raphael, and Sofonisba Anguissola. It also describes innovations in painting techniques during this time, including the use of linear perspective pioneered by Brunelleschi to create the illusion of depth, and the works produced using these new methods. Finally, it discusses how the Renaissance marked a return to humanism with a focus on humanity and the revival of classical Greek and Roman aesthetics.