While works of art created in the Middle Ages were characterized by death, desperation and religion, the humanist ideas of Renaissance Italy changed the way artists represented and viewed their art. The Renaissance began in Italy and nowhere else due to the increased wealth of Italian city-states through trade along the Mediterranean Sea. All the money these city-states received brought in large numbers of great artists from places like Venice and Florence. Considering all aspects of Renaissance humanism, art is believed to be most changed by humanist ideas. The mindset and beliefs of people during a period of time change the way art was created and viewed, and this can be seen through the works of art created during the Renaissance. A large number of paintings created during the Italian Renaissance were portraits of monarchs, showing the impact humanism had on art. In the Middle Ages, very few portraits were made because they were not focused on human beings and their values, but rather on religion. The idea of ​​humanism inspired Renaissance artists to create more realistic figures and pay greater attention to detail and perspective. Art no longer focused only on religion, but more on the capabilities of human beings and the values ​​they possessed. This style shift in art due to humanism changed the way people viewed their role in society because instead of looking at things blindly, they viewed art with a sense of pride in what humans were about capable.