Quattrocento is the shortened form of "mille quattrocento" (1400, XV century), a term used in history of arts describing early Italian renaissance. The most famous Quattrocento artists are Donatello and Botticelli. Italians during this period were bankers, and therefore had lots of money to spend on art. Art became a form of commpetition. The more art you had, the higher your social class. Renaissance art had seven main characteristics. 1. Realism and Expression, which was shown in the nakedness of the people. 2. Perspective. Art started to show vanishing points and looked more realistic. 3. Classicism, which meant that the paintings were focusing on ancient times (Greeks and Romans). 4. Emphasis on Individualism, which was demonstrated in the increase in portraits. 5. Geometrical Arangement of Figures. Some of the advanced painters (like Leonardo) had their paintings geometrically balanced with symmetry and with shapes. 6. The Use of Light and Shadows and Softened Edges. 7. Artists became celebrities, and if they were good then they became rich. (14th century - 15th century - 16th century - other centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 15th century was that century which lasted from 1401 to 1500. ... History of art usually refers to the history of the visual arts. ... By Region: Italian Renaissance Northern Renaissance *French Renaissance *German Renaissance *English Renaissance The Renaissance, also known as Rinascimento (in Italian), was an influential cultural movement which brought about a period of scientific revolution and artistic transformation, at the dawn of modern European history. ... Statue of Donatello at the Uffizi Donatello (Donato di Niccolò di Betto Bardi) (1386 - December 13, 1466) was a famous Florentine artist and sculptor of the Early Renaissance. ... Alessandro di Mariano Filipepi, better known as Sandro Botticelli (Florence March 1, 1445 - May 17, 1510) was an Italian painter of the Florentine school during the Early Renaissance (Quattrocento). ...

I got this information from my AP European teacher and from "The Western Heritage" by Kagan, Ozment, and Turner.