Andrea Mantegna was a Renaissance artist who made this print toward the end of the 1400s. 

Unlike Medieval art that preceded it, Renaissance art created a strong illusion of form on a flat surface thr0ugh the careful use of light, gray, and black tones (or values).

If you zoom in on the younger woman's head and neck, you can see how Mantegna added shading to make her head, neck, and even her nose, lips, look solid.  See how shading makes one of her knees seem to push forward under her clothing?

In this print, Mantegna uses contrasting values to carve out a space in which the three figures seem to stand.  The darker areas in the background seem more distant than the figues.  Although, of course, they are all just lines on a flat piece of paper.

Lorenze Costa was an Italian Renaissance painted who made this portrait in the early 1500s.

Costa has created an illusion of great distance out the window.  See how he has made gradual changes in the lightness and darkness (value) of the cardinal's clothing.  This "modelling" not only makes the fabric appear to drape and fold, but also gives the impression of a solid body under the clothing.

Later in the 1500s, El Greco painted this work.  Like the Renaissance painters before him, he created an illusion of space and solid form by carefully manipulating light, dark, and gray tones.

An Anasazi artist working three hundres years before the arrival of Europeans make bold patterns of contrasting black on white o decorate the surface of this container.

Mayans also used images of animals to decorate their containers.

This is an Inca jar from South America made just before the arrival of European. 

This Incan cup created a flat patten of multi-colored, light and dark shapes and lines.