The Renaissance⑫ (15th to 16th century)

　　During the Renaissance, new ideas and values gradually replaced those held in the Middle Ages. People began to concentrate less on religious themes and adopt⑬ a more humanistic⑭ attitude to life. At the same time painters returned to classical Roman and Greek ideas about art. They tried to paint people and nature as they really were. Rich people wanted to possess⑮ their own paintings, so they could decorate their superb⑯ palaces and great houses. They paid famous artists to paint pictures of themselves, their houses and possessions⑰ as well as⑱ their activities and achievements.

　　One of the most important discoveries during this period was how to draw things in perspective⑲. This technique⑳ was first used by Masaccio\s\up1(21(21) in 1428. When people first saw his paintings, they were convinced that they were looking through a hole in a wall at a real scene. If the rules of perspective had not been discovered, no one would have been able to paint such realistic pictures\s\up1(22(22). By coincidence\s\up1(23(23)， oil paints were also developed at this time, which made the colours used in paintings look richer and deeper. Without the new paints and the new technique, we would not be able to see the many great masterpieces\s\up1(24(24) for which this period is famous\s\up1(25(25). ⑫renaissance/rI'neIsns; US'renəsɑːns/n.新生；复兴；复活

the Renaissance文艺复兴(时期)

⑬adopt/ə'dɒpt/vt.采用；采纳；收养

⑭humanistic/ˌhjuːmə'nIstIk/adj.人道主义的

⑮possess/pə'zes/vt.拥有；具有；支配

⑯superb/suː'pɜːb；sjuː'pɜːb/adj.卓越的；杰出的；极好的　

⑰possession/pə'zeʃn/n.(尤作复数)所有；财产

⑱as well as 既......又......；也，连接两个并列成分。

⑲perspective/pə'spektIv/n.透视画法；透视图；观点

⑳technique/tek'niːk/n.技术；方法；技能

\s\up1(21(21)Masaccio/mə'sɑːtʃIəʊ/马萨乔(意大利画家)

\s\up1(22(22)If the rules of perspective had not been discovered, no one would have been ...是含有虚拟语气的复合句，表示与过去事实相反的情况。

\s\up1(23(23)coincidence/kəʊ'InsIdəns/n.巧合(的事)；(事情、口味、故事等)相合

by coincidence 巧合地

\s\up1(24(24)masterpiece/'mɑːstəpiːs/n.杰作；名著

\s\up1(25(25)这里without引导的介词短语表述非真实条件，整个句子叫含蓄虚拟条件句。

for which ...是"介词＋关系代词"引导的定语从句。 　　

　　文艺复兴时期(15世纪到16世纪)

　　在文艺复兴时期，新的思想和价值观逐渐取代了中世纪提出的那些。人们开始较少关注宗教主题而且采取一种更人性化的生活态度。同时画家们回到了罗马、希腊的古典艺术理念上。他们力争如实地画出人物和自然。富人们想拥有自己的艺术品以便用来装饰他们的高级宫殿和豪宅。他们出价聘请著名艺术家来为自己画像，画自己的房屋和财物，以及他们的活动和成就。

　　在此期间，最重要的发现之一就是如何用透视法来画出事物。这一手法是1428年由马萨乔第一次使用的。当人们第一次看到他的画时，他们还以为是透过墙上的小洞来观看真实的场景，并对此深信不疑。如果没有发现透视法，就没有人能画出如此逼真的画。巧合的是，这一时期油画颜料也得到了发展，使得绘画中使用的色彩看上去更丰富、更深沉。没有新的颜料和新的(绘画)手法，我们就不能够看到很多使这一时期著名的杰作。