Four Titans of Italian Art: Leonardo, Michelangelo, Raphael, Titian

Italy’s Renaissance produced countless masters, but four names define the apex:

1. Leonardo da Vinci (1452–1519): Mona Lisa, Last Supper, Vitruvian Man—painter, engineer, scientist.
2. Michelangelo (1475–1564): Pietà, David, Sistine Chapel ceiling—sculptor, painter, architect, poet.
3. Raphael (1483–1520): School of Athens, Sistine Madonna, Transfiguration—harmony, grace, ideal beauty.
4. Titian (c.1488–1576): Assumption of the Virgin, Venus of Urbino, Rape of Europa—Venetian color master.

Together they span High Renaissance to Mannerism, shaping Western art’s trajectory.