"The medieval belief that man was too limited to understand or deserve the fruits of God's creation, was an added deterrent to facing the world as it really was. The Renaissance artist, on the other hand, was the interpreter of a changed attitude of mind. To him man was not so much the humble observer of God's greatness as the proud expression of God himself, his natural heir on earth. Nature was not to be gazed at and copied, but to be examined and understood, not to be feared, but to be mastered.
Brief and easy intro to the main artistic developments underway during the 15th and 16th centuries. Not exactly a text I might turn to for real depth of understanding or for breadth of coverage.