Pisanello, also known as Antonio di Puccio Pisano or Antonio di Puccio da Cereto, was a prominent painter of the early Italian Renaissance. Born in Italy around 1395, he is considered one of the most distinguished painters of his time. His work is characterized by its refined and delicate style, which was influenced by the tradition of Veronese painting.
Early Life and Training
Pisanello's early style is in the tradition of Veronese painting. Between 1415 and 1420, he was an assistant to the renowned painter and illuminator Gentile da Fabriano, from whom he acquired his refined and detailed style. He also acquired a taste for precious materials and beautiful fabrics, which can be found in his later paintings.
Pisanello traveled to several Italian cities and was introduced to various courts. He stayed in Florence for a while, where he painted two important portraits:
Emperor Sigismund (now in the Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna) and
Portrait of a Man (now in the Palazzo Rosso, Genoa).
Notable Works
Some of Pisanello's notable works include
Saint George and the Princess of Trebizond, which is considered his masterpiece. This fresco is located at the Pellegrini Chapel, church of Sant'Anastasia, Verona, and had to be restored after water seepage damaged it in the 19th century.
Pisanello's
Madonna of the Quail, now in the Museo di Castelvecchio in Verona, is signed by "Antonius Pisanus" and is tentatively dated to around 1420. The style is a blend of the styles of Gentile da Fabriano and Stefano da Verona.
- Pisanello stayed in Mantua with the Gonzagas between 1424 and 1426, where he painted one of his important surviving works: the fresco Annunciation in San Fermo, Verona.
- He completed the frescoes of his former master Gentile da Fabriano in Rome between 1431 and 1432, which were destroyed when the basilica was rebuilt in the 17th century by Francesco Borromini.
- Pisanello's drawings are generally prized as jewels of the quattrocento and provide evidence of the elegant garb of the time, including spectacular hats.
Artistic Style
Pisanello's artistic style is characterized by its use of
delicate and
refined lines, which were influenced by the tradition of Veronese painting. His work also shows a taste for
precious materials and
beautiful fabrics, which can be found in his later paintings.
Pisanello's drawings are not drafts for future paintings but are
autonomous works of art. He compiled several books of drawings, detailed and accurate studies of fauna and flora drawn with a poetic naturalism, and elegant costumes.
Important links to explore:
https://WahooArt.com/@/Pisanello
https://WahooArt.com/Art.nsf/O/ASBCFE/$FILE/Pisanello.JPG
Note: The biography is based on the provided text and may not be a comprehensive or entirely accurate account of Pisanello's life and work.