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Sandro Botticelli

Alleged self-portrait of Botticelli, in his Adoration of the Magi. Uffizi, Florence.
Birth nameAlessandro di Mariano Filipepi
BornMarch 1 1444(1444--) or 1445
Florence, Italy
DiedMay 17 1510 (aged 66)
NationalityItalian
TrainingFlorentine school
MovementRenaissance
Famous worksPrimavera, 1478
The Birth of Venus, 1486


Alessandro di Mariano di Vanni Filipepi, better known as Sandro Botticelli ("little barrels"; March 1, 1444/45 – May 17, 1510)[1] was an Italian painter of the Florentine school during the Early Renaissance (Quattrocento). Less than a hundred years later, this movement, under the patronage of Lorenzo de' Medici, was characterized by Giorgio Vasari as a "golden age", a thought, suitably enough, he expressed at the head of his Vita of Botticelli. His posthumous reputation suffered until the late 19th century; since then his work has been seen to represent the linear grace of Early Renaissance painting, and The Birth of Venus and Primavera rank now among the most familiar masterpieces of Florentine art.

Biography

Youth

Details of Botticelli's life are sparse, but we know that he did not become an apprentice until he was about fourteen years old, which would indicate that he received a fuller education than did other Renaissance artists. Vasari reported that he was initially trained as a goldsmith by his brother Antonio. He then was apprenticed to Fra Filippo Lippi; many of his early works have been attributed to the elder master, and attributions continue to be uncertain. Influenced also by the monumentality of Masaccio's painting, it was from Lippi that Botticelli learned a more intimate and detailed manner. During this time, Botticelli could have traveled to Hungary, participating in the creation of the recently discovered fresco in Esztergom, ordered in the workshop of Fra Filippo Lippi by János Vitéz, a Hungarian bishop.

By 1470 Botticelli had his own workshop. Even at this early date his work was characterized by a conception of the figure as if seen in low relief, drawn with clear contours, and minimizing strong contrasts of light and shadow which would indicate fully modeled forms.

Masterworks

The masterworks Primavera (c. 1478) and The Birth of Venus (c. 1485) were both seen by Vasari at the villa of Lorenzo di Pierfrancesco de' Medici at Castello in the mid-16th century, and until recently it was assumed that both works were painted specifically for the villa. Recent scholarship suggests otherwise: the Primavera was painted for Lorenzo's townhouse in Florence, and The Birth of Venus was commissioned by someone else for a different site. By 1499 both had been installed at Castello.[2]

In these works the influence of Gothic realism is tempered by Botticelli's study of the antique. But if the painterly means may be understood, the subjects themselves remain fascinating for their ambiguity. The complex meanings of these paintings continue to receive scholarly attention, mainly focusing on the poetry and philosophy of humanists who were the artist's contemporaries. The works do not illustrate particular texts; rather, each relies upon several texts for its significance. Of their beauty, characterized by Vasari as exemplifying "grace", and by John Ruskin as possessing linear rhythm, there can be no doubt.
Enlarge picture
Primavera (1478): icon of the springtime renewal of the Florentine Renaissance, also at the summer palazzo of Pierfrancesco de' Medici, as a companion piece to the Birth of Venus and Pallas and the Centaur. Left to right: Mercury, the Three Graces, Venus, Flora, Chloris, Zephyrus.

Maturity and later life

The Adoration of the Magi for Santa Maria Novella (c. 1475-1476, now at the Uffizi) contains the portraits of Cosimo de' Medici ("the finest of all that are now extant for its life and vigour"[3]), his grandson Giuliano de' Medici, and Cosimo's son Giovanni. The quality of the scene was hailed by Vasari as one of Botticelli's pinnacles.

In 1481, Pope Sixtus IV summoned Botticelli and other prominent Florentine and Umbrian artists to fresco the walls of the Sistine Chapel. The iconological program was the supremacy of the Papacy. Sandro's contribution was moderately successful. He returned to Florence, and "being of a sophistical turn of mind, he there wrote a commentary on a portion of Dante and illustrated the Inferno which he printed, spending much time over it, and this abstension from work led to serious disorders in his living." Thus Vasari characterized the first printed Dante (1481) with Botticelli's decorations; he could not imagine that the new art of printing might occupy an artist.

In the mid-1480s Botticelli worked on a major fresco cycle with Perugino, Ghirlandaio, and Filippino Lippi, for Lorenzo the Magnificent's villa near Volterra; in addition he painted many frescoes in Florentine churches.

In 1491 Botticelli served on a committee to decide upon a facade for the Florence Duomo. In 1502 he was accused of sodomy, though charges were later dropped. In 1504 he was a member of the committee appointed to decide where Michelangelo's David would be placed. His later work, especially as seen in a series on the life of St. Zenobius, witnessed a diminution of scale, expressively distorted figures, and a non-naturalistic use of color reminiscent of the work of Fra Angelico nearly a century earlier.

Enlarge picture
Venus and Mars, 1483.

Religion

In later life, Botticelli was one of Savonarola's followers, and burnt his own paintings on pagan themes in the notorious "Bonfire of the Vanities". Botticelli biographer Ernst Steinman searched for the artist's psychological development through his Madonnas. In the deepening of insight and expression in the rendering of Mary's physiognomy, Steinman discerns proof of Savonarola's influence over Botticelli. This means that the biographer needed to alter the dates of a number of Madonnas to substantiate his theory; specifically, they are dated ten years later than before. Steinman disagrees with Vasari's assertion that Botticelli produced nothing after coming under the influence of Girolamo Savonarola. Steinman believes the spiritual and emotional Virgins rendered by Sandro follow directly from the teachings of the Dominican monk.

Earlier, Botticelli had painted an Assumption of the Virgin for Matteo Palmieri in a chapel at San Pietro Maggiore in which, it was rumored, both the patron who dictated the iconic scheme and the painter who painted it, were guilty of unidentified heresy, a delicate requirement in such a subject. The heretical notions seem to be gnostic in character:
By the side door of San Piero Maggiore he did a panel for Matteo Palmieri, with a large number of figures representing the Assumption of Our Lady with zones of patriarchs, prophets, apostles, evangelists, martyrs, confessors, doctors, virgins, and the orders of angels, the whole from a design given to him by Matteo, who was a worthy and educated man. He executed this work with the greatest mastery and diligence, introducing the portraits of Matteo and his wife on their knees. But although the great beauty of this work could find no other fault with it, said that Matteo and Sandro were guilty of grave heresy. Whether this be true or not, I cannot say. (Giorgio Vasari)


This is a common misconception based on a mistake by Vasari. The painting referred to here, now in the National Gallery in London, is by the artist Botticini. Vasari confused their similar sounding names.

Recent discovery

Recently, one of four female figures on a fresco in the ruins of the Archbishop's workshop in the castle of Esztergom, Hungary, was recognized as possibly the first independent creation by Botticelli. The figures representing four cardinal virtues were ordered from the workshop of Fra Filippo Lippi by Johannes Vaillant of Zredna, then Archbishop of Hungary. The figure attributed to Botticelli - the temperance - has many traits of his later works. [4]

Anthology of works

Enlarge picture
Portrait of a Man with a Medal of Cosimo the Elder, 1474.

Notes

1. ^ Sandro Botticelli NNDB.com
2. ^ Smith, Webster: On the Original Location of the Primavera. [1] Retrieved on 2007-4-16.
3. ^ Vasari, Lives
4. ^ Possible Botticelli fresco found in Hungary, MSNBC, June 8, 2007

References

  • Knackfuss H., Monographs On Artists, VI. Botticelli by Ernst Steinman, Translated by Campbell Dodgson, New York, Lemcke & Huachner, 1901, Pg. 112.
  • New York Times, Life of Botticelli, November 19, 1904, Page BR783.
  • Da Vinci Declassified, 2006 TLC documentary
  • Ullman, H., Sandro Botticelli, 1893
  • Yashiro, Y., Sandro Botticelli and the Florentine Renaissance, 1929
  • Lightbown, R., Sandro Botticelli: Life and Work, 1989
  • The New Encyclopaedia Britannica, Macropaedia, Volume 2, 1991, Page 413-14.

See also

External links

Botticelli is a guessing game which requires the players to have a good knowledge of biographical details of famous people. The game has several variants, but the common theme is that one person or team thinks of a famous person, reveals their initial letter, and then answers
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Uffizi Gallery (Italian: Galleria degli Uffizi), one of the oldest and most famous art museums in the world, is housed in the Palazzo degli Uffizi, a palazzo in Florence, Italy. It is located at .
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Anthem
Il Canto degli Italiani
(also known as Fratelli d'Italia)


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    Pascal Baylon
  • Saint Pamphamer
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:
Subjects:     Archaeology - Architecture -
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Anthem
Il Canto degli Italiani
(also known as Fratelli d'Italia)


..... Click the link for more information.
Renaissance (French for "rebirth"; Italian: Rinascimento; Spanish: Renacimiento), was a cultural movement that spanned roughly the 14th through the 17th century, beginning in Italy in the late Middle Ages and later spreading to the rest of Europe.
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The Primavera is a painting by the Italian Renaissance painter Sandro Botticelli, c. 1482. It is housed in Uffizi Gallery of Florence.

In 1551, Vasari wrote that picture which according to him announced the arrival of spring (Primavera
..... Click the link for more information.
The Birth of Venus is a painting by Sandro Botticelli. It depicts the goddess Venus, having emerged from the sea as a full grown woman, arriving at the sea-shore (Venus Anadyomene motif). The painting is currently in the Uffizi Gallery in Florence.
..... Click the link for more information.
March 1 is the 1st day of the year (2nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. There are 0 days remaining.

Events


..... Click the link for more information.
14th century - 15th century - 16th century
1410s  1420s  1430s  - 1440s -  1450s  1460s  1470s
1441 1442 1443 - 1444 - 1445 1446 1447

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14th century - 15th century - 16th century
1410s  1420s  1430s  - 1440s -  1450s  1460s  1470s
1442 1443 1444 - 1445 - 1446 1447 1448

:
Subjects:     Archaeology - Architecture -
..... Click the link for more information.
    Pascal Baylon
  • Saint Pamphamer
  • Saint Pamphalon
  • Saint Solochon
  • Saint Victor

External links

  • BBC: On This Day
  • The New York Times: On This Day
  • On This Day in Canada

Months and days of the year
January 0
..... Click the link for more information.
15th century - 16th century - 17th century
1480s  1490s  1500s  - 1510s -  1520s  1530s  1540s
1507 1508 1509 - 1510 - 1511 1512 1513

:
Subjects:     Archaeology - Architecture -
..... Click the link for more information.
Anthem
Il Canto degli Italiani
(also known as Fratelli d'Italia)


..... Click the link for more information.
Painting, meant literally, is the practice of applying color to a surface (support) such as paper, canvas, wood, glass, lacquer or concrete. However, when used in an artistic sense, the term "painting" means the use of this activity in combination with drawing, composition and
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Renaissance (French for "rebirth"; Italian: Rinascimento; Spanish: Renacimiento), was a cultural movement that spanned roughly the 14th through the 17th century, beginning in Italy in the late Middle Ages and later spreading to the rest of Europe.
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The cultural and artistic events of 15th century Italy are collectively referred to as the Quattrocento (from the Italian for '400, or from "millequattrocento," 1400). Quattrocento encompasses the artistic styles of the late Middle Ages (most notably International Gothic) and the
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Lorenzo de' Medici (January 1, 1449 – 9 April, 1492) was an Italian statesman and ruler of the Florentine Republic during the Italian Renaissance. Known as Lorenzo the Magnificent (Lorenzo il Magnifico
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Giorgio Vasari

Vasari's self-portrait
July 30, 1511
Arezzo, Tuscany
June 27, 1574
Florence, Italy
Italian
Painting, architect
Andrea del Sarto
Renaissance
Biographies of Italian artists


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Golden age stems from Greek mythology. It refers to the highest age in the Greek spectrum of Iron, Bronze, Silver and Golden ages, or to a time in the beginnings of Humanity which was perceived as an ideal state, or utopia, when mankind was pure and immortal.
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The Birth of Venus is a painting by Sandro Botticelli. It depicts the goddess Venus, having emerged from the sea as a full grown woman, arriving at the sea-shore (Venus Anadyomene motif). The painting is currently in the Uffizi Gallery in Florence.
..... Click the link for more information.
The Primavera is a painting by the Italian Renaissance painter Sandro Botticelli, c. 1482. It is housed in Uffizi Gallery of Florence.

In 1551, Vasari wrote that picture which according to him announced the arrival of spring (Primavera
..... Click the link for more information.
Fra' Filippo Lippi (1406 – October 8 1469), also called Lippo Lippi, was an Italian painter of the Italian Quattrocento (15th century) school.

Biography and works

Lippi was born in Florence to Tommaso, a butcher. Both his parents died when he was still a child.
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Masaccio

Birth name Tommaso Cassai
December 21, 1401
Castel San Giovanni di Altura, Italy
1428

Italian
Field Painting, fresco

Italian Renaissance
Holy Trinity

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