Yes, I quite agree. I think Renaissance thinkers tried to reconcile or define the relationship between God and man as a function of man. By using man as the starting point to try to develop an all-encompassing "theory of everything" they were utterly doomed. I read in a book by Francis Schaeffer that Leonardo died a heart broken man because he was never able to come up with a unifying theory of God and man. His presuppositions put man at the center. We Reformers completely reject this approach since we emphasize God's sovereignty so much. Our starting point is always God.
That would be late Renaissance; certaily Michelangelo had that streak.
On the other hand, Catholic art indeed must be understood as a consequence of the Incarnation: God condescends to our flesh and sanctifies it. It is therefore a proper object of art. The iconclasts disagreed.