Pietro Perugino
(1450 - 1523) |
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Leading painter of the Umbrian school; one of the first Italian artists to use oils; religious works notable for serene atmosphere; ordered composition Art Work
| Name: |
Pietro Perugino |
| Gender: |
Male |
| Place of Birth: |
Citta della Pieve, Italy |
| Nationality: |
Italian |
| Birth: |
1450 |
| Death: |
1523 |
| Website: |
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| Past Auctions: |
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Quick Facts
| Known For: |
Leading painter of the Umbrian school; one of the first Italian artists to use oils; religious works notable for serene atmosphere; ordered composition |
| Medium: |
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| Method: |
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| Style: |
High Renaissance |
| Fine Art Profession(s): |
Painting
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Biography
| Pietro Perugino was one of the leading early masters of the Renaissance. He enjoyed considerable commercial success. He ran two studios, one in Florence and another in Perugia. His work was in demand for a short period until his reputation dimmed under that of Raphael. His detractors criticized him for alack of originality. This was directly caused by the popularity and high output of his paintings, which led him to repeat figures and other elements in his work. Perugino was born in Umbria and is thought to have trained under Andrea Verrocchio and possibly Piero della Francesca in Florence. His style exhibits the influence of both masters in his spatial organization, use of perspective, and clear, pure palette. His work is notable for its consistently harmonious atmosphere. He combines often symmetrical and always balanced compositions with elegant Florentine figures and Umbrian landscape elements. Few of his earliest works have survived. He is recorded as moving to Rome in 1479 when he was commissioned to undertake decorative schemes for the Sistine Chapel, including The Virgin and Child with Angels {c. 1480), now destroyed. Several of his paintings on the altar wall were painted over by Michelangelo Buonarotti for his The Last Judgment (1535-1541). One of Perugino's most important works is the fresco Christ Delivering the Keys to St. Peter (c. 1480- 1482), which exhibits a maturing style and presents his composed and balanced composition. He returned to Florence and undertook a number of commissions for religious works, including the Vision of St. Bernard (1491 -1494) for the church of Santa Maria Maddalena dei Pazzi in Florence. Its architectural setting, Umbrian landscape, and soft palette typify Perugino's style of this time. He primarily worked from Florence, where he executed his altarpiece The Lamentation Over the Dead Christ (c.1495). Expressive of his somber, restrained, and harmonious approach to his subject, it is also believed to have had a direct influenceon Raphael's Entombment (1507). |
Samples of Work
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