Who were two major influences during the Renaissance and what did they do?

Answer 1

There could be many answers to this, depending on whether you want to focus on painters, sculptors, humanists, etc. My first vote would be for Johannes Gutenberg and his development of the printing press. My second choice is Lorenzo de Medici. He was wealthy enough to either be a patron of artists who became famous, or to find wealthy others to act as their patrons. And a third choice would be Erasmus for his part in the Humanist movement.