Fra
Angelico
1400-1445
Fra Angelico was a Florentine
painter and a Dominican friar or monk. Most likely he began painting as a
manuscript illuminator. He used the new Renaissance discovery of linear perspective
in the architectural details in his paintings. He worked most of his life
as a friar in S. Domenico in Fiesole, where he became Prior in 1450, but his
most famous works were painted at S. Marco in Florence, a monastery which
was taken over by his Order in 1436, and is now a museum in his honor. He
and his assistants painted about fifty frescos in the friary (c.1438-45) that
illustrate the spiritual life of his order. Many of the frescos are in the
friars' cells and were intended as aids to their devotions. Known for their
coloring, their economy in drawing and composition, his paintings (such as
The
Annunciation) evoke a feeling of blissful serenity.
Click here
and here
for his biography.
Works:
Sandro Botticelli
1445 - 1510
Sandro Botticelli was a early Renaissance painter from Florence. His Birth
of Venus (c. 1485) and Primavera (1477-78) are often said to epitomize the
spirit of the Renaissance. His commissions included work for all the major
churches of Florence and for the Sistine Chapel in Rome. The self-portrait
above is from his Adoration of the Magi. His name is derived from his elder
brother Giovanni, a pawnbroker, who was called Il Botticello ("The Little
Barrel"). He was part of the inner circle of artists, musicians, writers,
and scientists supported and encouraged by Lorenzo de Medici (Lorenzo the
Magnificent). Although he was one of the most individual painters of the Italian
Renaissance, Sandro Botticelli remained little known for centuries after his
death. Then his work was rediscovered late in the 19th century by a group
of artists in England known as the Pre-Raphaelites.
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for more of his biography.
Explanation of the people
in Adoration of the Magi by Botticelli is found at Paradoxplace.
Keep scrolling down for the whole Medici family.
Works:
Michelangelo Buonarotti
1475-1564
Michelangelo Buonarotti, Architect, sculptor, painter, and
poet, was born in Tuscany, Italy, where his father was the local magistrate.
Michelangelo apprenticed in painting with Domenico
Ghirlandaio, who was impressed with Michelangelo's artistry and recommended
him to Lorenzo de Medici. Lorenzo advised and educated Michelangelo in the
Medici household. The over 30 sculptures, paintings, and frescos (including
the Sistine Chapel Ceiling) of Michelangelo are among the most famous in the
world.
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for more of his biography.
Some of Michelangelo's works include:
Donatello
1386-1466
Donatello was born in Florence in 1386. He was educated in
the house of the Martelli family. He worked for a short time in Lorenzo Ghiberti's
studio. Donatello would join those excavating Roman archaeological sites to
study the classic sculptures they would unearth. The studies and excavations
in Rome were pivotal for the entire development of Italian art in the 15th
century. It was during this period that Brunelleschi undertook his measurements
of the Pantheon dome and of other Roman buildings. Brunelleschi's buildings
and Donatello's monuments are the supreme expression of the spirit of this
era in architecture and sculpture and exercised a potent influence upon the
painters of that age.
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and here
for more of his biography.
Some of Donatello's works include:
Domenico Ghirlandaio
1449-1494
Domenico di Tommaso Bigordi called Domenico Ghirlandaio was
one of the most popular Florentine artists of his time. He first worked in
his father's jewelry business, where he gained his name, Ghirdlandaio, or
"garland maker," for making the golden tiaras the young Florentine
women loved. Michelangelo trained in his studio, and many of the great names
in art and literature who frequented the Medici household were featured in
his paintings and frescoes. Ghirlandaio's self-portrait (above) is in his
painting Adoration of the Shepherds. Angelo
Poliziano was in Zacharia In The Temple, and Amerigo
Vespucci was featured in his Madonna of Mercy.
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for more of his biography.
Some of Ghirlandaio's works include:
Leonardo da Vinci
1452-1519
Leonardo da Vinci was the very definition of a Renaissance
Man, or one who excelled in every discipline, as painter, sculptor, architect,
engineer, and scientist. His profound love of knowledge and research was the
keynote of both his artistic and scientific endeavors. His experiments and
innovations in the field of painting and perspective influenced Italian art
down to modern times. The two most famous paintings in the world are his Mona
Lisa and The Last Supper. His inventions and scientific studies - especially
in anatomy, optics, and hydraulics - were as if he could see the future.
Involved in the conspiracy to overthrow Girolamo Savonarola,
Leonardo, Michelangelo, and Niccolo Machiavelli
were saved at the last minute by Vatican Soldiers
sent by Pope Alexander VI. Savonarola himself
was burned in the bonfire he used to burn the works of art, music, and literature
he had banned, and in which he had hoped to execute the conspirators. * Click
here for subtitles or no subtitles.
Some of Leonardo's works include:
Raphael Sanzio
1483-1520
Raphael Sanzio was an architect and painter of the High Renaissance.
He studied and learned from the works of Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo,
especially his Sistine Chapel ceiling. As early as 17 years old he showed
an astounding talent and attracted the notice of the great patrons and artists
of the day. Raphael had great personal charm and a handsome appearance which,
together with his amazing talent, brought him great popularity. He became
known as the "Prince of Painters."
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for more of his biography.
Some of Raphael's works include:
Take the Art Quiz!
* Not historically correct. Use this information only for the
fictional story line of the introductory video.
