<human>:  With regards to the history of painting, where did the Renaissance begin?
<bot>: The Renaissance began in Italy, but it spread to other parts of Europe and beyond. In the early 15th century, artists started to focus more on realism and less on the idealized beauty of the classical world. For example, in the early 15th century, artists started to paint more realistic portraits of people, and less idealized paintings of saints and religious figures.