What influenced renaissance art?

Answer 1

The discovery of the new world by Christopher Columbus in the late 15th Centaury. It spawned the age of Scientific and exploratory study, reflected in the renaissance art movement. Much in the same way, but to a lesser extent, the science around space exploration in the 60's influenced the arts and media the 70's and 80's.

Answer 2

The Italian Renaissance began the opening phase of the Renaissance, a period of great cultural change and achievement in Europe that spanned the period from the end of the 14th century to about 1600, marking the transition between Medieval and Early Modern Europe. The term renaissance is in essence a modern one that came into currency in the nineteenth century, in the work of historians such as Jacob Burckhardt. Although the origins of a movement that was confined largely to the literate culture of intellectual endeavor and patronage can be traced to the earlier part of the 14th century, many aspects of Italian culture and society remained largely Medieval; the Renaissance did not come into full swing until the end of the century. The word renaissance (Rinascimento in Italian) means "rebirth", and the era is best known for the renewed interest in the culture of classical antiquity after the period that Renaissance humanists labelled the Dark Ages. These changes, while significant, were concentrated in the elite, and for the vast majority of the population life was little changed from the Middle Ages. Much more from this site: The main contenders were Pisa, Genoa, and Venice, but after a long .... the role of the Papacy as the largest patron of Renaissance art and architecture. ...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Italian_Renaissance