How did pagan and Greco-Roman traditions influence Renaissance artists? At the end of the 14th century a period of intellectual and artistic change began to develop that lasted for one hundred and fifty years and became known as the Renaissance. The Renaissance was essentially an intellectual movement but it was also the artistic expression of a period of cultural upheaval that marked the end of medievalism and the transition to the modern world. It is characterized by a change from superstitious thinking dominated by church institutions and feudalism to a humanist intellectual approach that ultimately led to the development of modern scientific thought and the Enlightenment. The cause of this seismic upheaval is unclear but one can see influences from across Europe that seem to be focused on Italy. Europe was still recovering from the effects of the Black Death and perpetual wars. Greater wealth in Northern Europe and the development of the printing press meant that new ideas could be promulgated. The increase in the wealth of individuals and cities coincided with turmoil in the church which had hitherto strictly controlled the expression and commission of artistic activity. The Italian cities of Venice and Genoa had grown rich through trade, much of it with Byzantium and the East. Florence had become wealthy thanks to the trade in wool, silk and jewels and was home to the enormous wealth of the rich, powerful and sophisticated Medici family. The expansion of maritime transportation (the so-called "Age of Discovery" led to other influences and stimulation of new ideas and desire to explore the world. The weakened influence of the Church also allowed the Renaissance to flourish. Its weakened state allowed.. .... middle of paper ...ans of preparation for eternity, while Beauty glimpsed a transcendental existence. As artists sought to express these depths, they looked back to an era of classical form drawing on the principles of Greek and Roman art, which in turn was inspired by the primordial images of paganism that we now recognize as archetypes that shape our own humanity Renaissance re-established Western art in a way that remained unchallenged until Picasso and the Cubism sought a new set of artistic values, the artists and thinkers of that time drew inspiration from the ideas and ideals of ancient Greece and Rome, which in turn were inspired by pagan archetypes that could express the new world in which they found themselves . It is perhaps ironic that the iconoclasts of that time looked back to antiquity to transport us into a new age of thought, understanding and beauty.