Chains of Influence II - Middle Renaissance

Sandro Botticelli is one of the most famous artists of the Renaissance, alongside Michelangelo, Raphael, and Leonardo da Vinci. In fact, Botticelli was friends with the young Leonardo, who was eight years younger. He was born into a fairly well-to-do family in Florence around 1445, and was a very intelligent young man with a good sense of humor. But some experts suggest that since his youth, he suffered with some kind of health issue, although it didn't seem to slow him down in his artistic pursuits. At the age of 15, Botticelli joined Fra Filippo Lippi's workshop, and after years of training, he quickly gained a reputation for his skill and sensitivity in portraying figures in scenes. Later in his career, he was known for his particular talent in painting works in the round tondo format, which can be tricky compositionally. The two artists lived at a time when painters were slowly transitioning to the use of oil paint. Botticelli would have been exposed to that painting medium in training, and would later create paintings done in tempera grassa, a combination of egg tempera and oil paint. One of his earliest masterpieces was Adoration of the Magi, painted for the altar in Santa Maria Novella. In the religious scene, Botticelli paints the images of several members of the Medici family, as well as his own likeness in the far right edge. The patron who commissioned the painting wanted to communicate his devotion to the Medici, and so requested their inclusion, showing Botticelli's connections, as well as the influence of politics and painting at that time. He was so connected, in fact, that after the assassination of Giuliano de' Medici during a political uprising, the family chose Botticelli to paint a commemorative portrait of their deceased loved one, seen in the image here. As his fame and experience increased, the commissions increased as well. Botticelli ended up painting some of his greatest works between 1478 and 1490, including two of his most famous paintings, Primavera and The Birth of Venus, both likely commissioned by the Medici family and hung in one of their country homes. These paintings were revolutionary in how natural they appeared. They were idealized and free of any medieval influence, featuring abundant, sheer flowing fabrics, something he initially learned from Fra Lippi and Flemish works. We also see the influence of classical art in these pieces. For example, if you look at Botticelli's painting of Venus, you can easily see the influence, even the direct correlation, to Greek and Roman statues. Botticelli's portrait work was significant as well. In the 1400s, paintings of individuals went from hiding among featured saints, to groups of individuals, to being featured as a single person with the goal of achieving the person's likeness. While we're at it, take a look at his wonderful brushwork. Look at the artistic movement of his brush along the seam. And when we scroll up to the face, notice his invisible sfumata-like brushwork in the skin tones. Smooth and seamless, like da Vinci's. Notice the expression and precision in the features. Amazing work. Although he wasn't prolific in his portrait work, he was significant. Even creating one of the earliest paintings featuring a female sitter in three-quarters pose, and looking directly at the viewer. The common practice at the time was to divert the woman's eyes. His later portraits show an influence of Flemish paintings when his backgrounds change around the mid-1480s. He sets aside any kind of architectural or landscape setting for a dark or simple background. It's suggested that his exposure may have been through the art collection of the Medici's. Botticelli's development of the sitter's form, his use of light effects, the tightly cropped composition, and the unique backgrounds set him apart from other Florentine artists of his time. Perhaps the high point of his career was in 1481, when the Pope requested that he and several other prominent artists of the time would paint frescoes to decorate the four walls of the newly completed Sistine Chapel at the Vatican. This work would be completed in a single year, with Botticelli painting three vast biblical scenes, as well as several portraits of popes. 27 years later, Michelangelo would famously be hired to paint over the entire ceiling. Botticelli lived to be about 65, a good long time for someone who may have suffered with a lifelong health issue. It's suggested that health could be why he stopped taking commissions by 1505, although it seems he was also a bit depressed about the current situation in society. Some suggest he quietly followed the religious zealot Savonarola, who gained popularity at that time. Botticelli was himself somewhat religious. Savonarola became powerful in Florence and began something of an uprising, which ended in his being burned at the stake in 1498. If it's true about Botticelli sympathizing, when you add regional wars and plagues, it would most certainly be traumatizing, and could help explain why he stopped painting in his final years. Eventually, he died in 1510. He never married, but Botticelli had requested that after his death, his body be laid next to Simonetta Vespucci in the church of San Salvador, the young woman he used as a model for many of his more famous figures. Believe it or not, Botticelli was mostly forgotten as he was quickly overshadowed by the talents to That is, until rediscovered in the late 1800s by the Pre-Raphaelites. He did leave an impact on the next generation of painters, however, having established his own workshop around 1470. Unlike most other mentors, he liked to expose his students to artistry beyond drawing and painting. Apprentices and assistants also learned to produce tapestries, embroideries, prints, engravings, and even book illustrations. At the center of all these pursuits was the ability to draw, which was extremely important to Botticelli. In fact, he was one of the early artists to draw combining his interest in the antiquities with what he observed in real life, in particular for his portraits. As a result, he is considered a key artist in the development of modern portraiture. Shortly after establishing his workshop, that same year Botticelli worked on an important commission with one of his new apprentices, Filippino Lippi, the 13-year-old son of his own mentor, Fra Lippi, and eventually Botticelli's most renowned student. Filippino Lippi was born in Prado, outside of Florence, to Fra Lippi and the nun Lucrezia. He would become one of the most respected artists of his time, and in direct contrast to what was often seen in his father's lifestyle, he was apparently a man of high moral conviction. Filippino was only 12 years old when his father died, making him about 10 when Botticelli left Fra Lippi's workshop at the age of 22. This means Botticelli would have known Filippino as a boy, and since he and Filippino both had very amiable personalities, they likely got on well. So it's no surprise that Botticelli would take Filippino in when he set up his own workshop a year later, to help the boy continue his training and, perhaps, to look after him almost as a little brother. This is my thought, not a proven fact, of course. What we do know is that within a year of Fra Lippi's death, Filippino, age 13, and Botticelli, age 25, worked together to complete the painting Adoration of the Kings, and by 1472, he was known to be part of Botticelli's workshop. The two artists continued to work closely together, all the way through the early 1480s. You can definitely see the influence of Botticelli's style in Filippino's early work. Around the early 1480s, Filippino's individual style was beginning to appear, and his talent was getting noticed. In fact, it was around this time that he began working on commissions for Lorenzo de' Medici, much like his father had done with Cosimo, Lorenzo's grandfather. He was hired alongside Botticelli and other top-tier artists of the time to paint frescoes for Lorenzo's villa at Spedaletto. Around 1483, in a poignant turn of events, Filippino was hired to complete the frescoes in the Brancacci Chapel, which had been left unfinished since Masaccio's death in 1428. This, of course, was where his father had first been inspired to paint. Filippino would cleverly adjust his own style to blend more seamlessly with that of Masaccio and Masolino's. Individual portraits of patrons were growing in popularity at this time, and the contemporary way of painting them is something Filippino picked up from his mentor Botticelli. Also around this time, the northern and southern art movements were increasingly influencing each other. If you look at these two paintings, you can see that Flemish artists were beginning to pick up Italian features, such as the classical background seen here, while Florentine artists were picking up Flemish features, such as detail work, which we see in this commissioned piece by Filippino. In 1488, Filippino temporarily moved to Rome in order to begin work on an important commission, frescoes for the Chapel of Cardinal Carafa. The project would take him five years to complete, but would end up being some of the most admired frescoes of the Renaissance. As we saw with so many other artists, he was impacted by Greek and Roman antiquities, and would apply some of what he saw to his work from that point on. But perhaps his best and most important work was another commission he worked on around the same time period, his frescoes for the Strozzi Chapel in Florence, completed in 1502. The church itself is filled with important artwork by major artists of the Medieval and Renaissance eras, to include Masaccio's painting of the Trinity, the related crucifix by Brunelleschi, a creche or nativity, and the 1475 Adoration in a Magi Altarpiece by Botticelli, frescoes by Garlandio and Michelangelo, and a crucifix by Giotto. This would end up being one of Filippino's last projects. Filippino Lippi died in April 1504 while in Florence, six years earlier than Botticelli. He was so highly regarded that on the day of his funeral, the shops in the heart of Florence closed up for the day. The excellence of his character, in a way, made up for the more outlandish behavior of his father. Even upon his death, he shows proof of his goodness by leaving one of his homes to his mother and arranging for a local hospital to take care of her needs. Although known primarily for his painting, Filippino was a prolific drawer throughout his life. He worked mostly with metal point and gouache, but towards the end of his life seemed to prefer pen and ink, completing this amazing pen and ink sketch not long before his death. Filippino Lippi is said to have established his own workshop around 1480. When working on the chapel of Cardinal Carrarafa in Rome, he was assisted by one of his top apprentices, Raffaellino del Garbo, who would take up Filippino's love of drawing as well as incorporate aspects of his style throughout his career. Although perhaps not as famous today as the other artists in this mentor-student chain, Raffaellino del Garbo was actually quite renowned in Italy during his lifetime. He was considered an eclectic artist, changing aspects of his style frequently as well as using different surnames throughout his life, making it difficult for experts to attribute paintings to him at times. Sometimes they even assumed his works were by two, three, or even four different artists. By the mid-20th century it was finally clarified to all be the work of one artist. He was best known for his religious works as well as embroidery designs and would train some of the most significant artists of the next generation. Raffaellino was born in a market town south of Florence, Italy around 1466. Not much is known about his early life, but somewhere in the mid-1480s he's thought to have started studying under Filippino Lippi, completing his apprenticeship around 1490 and then assisting Filippino for several years thereafter to include Filippino's work on the frescoes in Rome. By 1498 he's listed as an independent artist and one year later was part of the local painter's guild, allowing him to open his own workshop that same year. His name, Delgarbo, is actually more of a nickname referring to the street where his workshop was located in Florence, Via Delgarbo. Around the time that he set up his workshop, Delgarbo completed two important paintings, one for the Basilica of Santo Spirito and one for the Church of San Bartolomeo, both located in Florence. After these masterpieces became public, his reputation was sealed and he became one of the most popular painters in Florence. As a religious painter he was often commissioned to paint altarpieces for religious institutions or small devotional panels for individual clients, something that was growing in popularity during the 14 and 1500s. Initially his style carried over the influence of his mentor, Filippino, but eventually, like so many others, his work took on more individuality. One way in which he clearly differed from his mentor is that he rarely painted portraits. There are only a few commissioned pieces and they tend to continue the style of Filippino and Flemish work. His primary focus was on religious works. Delgarbo would eventually marry and have a large number of children. It's suggested that this became a distraction and resulted in a lessening of the quality of his work. But when you examine his later paintings, produced in the early 1500s, I think it's fair to suggest he continued to show a high level of skill. Raffaellino Delgarbo likely died of the plague which struck Florence severely in 1527 to 31. He would have been about 60 years old. Delgarbo was a masterful draftsman and an excellent embroidery designer, specifically later in his career. Several two-scale drawings of his designs even remain where we can see the puncture holes used to pounce the design onto the fabric. He and one of his students, Andrea del Sarto, gained a reputation for their excellence in embroidery design and even collaborated on commissions such as the vestment article seen here. Delgarbo ran a highly esteemed workshop, being considered an excellent teacher. This attracted several students who would themselves become masters, even exceeding his fame, including the previously mentioned Del Sarto. Andrea del Sarto must have shown some very early talent because at the young age of seven he began an apprenticeship with a goldsmith. Soon his exceptional talent for drawing became apparent and he was moved into a painting apprenticeship, first with a lesser-known artist, then with Piero de Cosimo, and then finally with Raffaeleno Delgarbo. By the time he was 22, he had joined the Painters' Guild of Florence and established his own workshop, which would become one of the most successful training facilities of his time. But his early style was also highly influenced by his intense study of the works of Raffaele da Vinci and Michelangelo, all contemporaries of Sarto's. In fact, Michelangelo was apparently impressed enough with his work that he is said to be the one to recommend Del Sarto's workshop to the artist and early art historian Giorgio Vasari. Another takeaway from his study of those masters was his practice of making numerous preparatory studies, which he did throughout his career. He often used live models, sketching them in black or red chalk as a way to explore expressions and positioning. His first commission was to create five fresco paintings for the entrance of the Cloister of the Basilica of the Santissima Annunziata in Florence. The project was given five years for completion. Del Sarto completed it in one. Later in his career, he would add a few more frescoes, The Journey of the Magi and The Birth of the Virgin. Plus the lunette-shaped fresco Madonna del Sarco in 1525, one of his best-known works. Another early painting, Disputation on the Trinity, was painted as part of a three-painting commission for the friars of the Augustinian Church of San Gallo, just outside of Florence. Although an early piece, to my eye it shows an early level of maturity, a seriousness in painting, and excellent draftsmanship. By the time he paints his panel painting, Madonna of the Harpies, we begin to really see his skill, creativity with color, and individual style. He seems to combine the sfamato effect established by da Vinci with the bright jewel colors and sense of lighting from Raphael, as well as the solidity of his forms from Michelangelo. In addition to these influences on his style, he also adds his own touch, more expression, and more naturalism. His work is sometimes described as moving or quiet. Another important commission, begun around 1509, was a set of 16 monochromatic frescoes for the Cloister of Scalzo, considered one of the best examples of high Renaissance art in Florence. Del Sarto was known for his innovative and strong use of color, yet when you remove the impact of color, such as we see in these single-tone frescoes, it helps you appreciate his incredible skill with composition and draftsmanship. They're so graceful and sensitively painted. His work on the frescoes was interrupted for a short time by the king of France, Francis I, who requested that Del Sarto create some work for his palace at Fontainebleau. Today, Charity and Portrait of a French Lady are the only two surviving works. In his absence from the frescoes, an old colleague continued to paint the cloister walls until Sarto returned about a year later. He would work on this commission for nearly 17 years, completing it around 1526. Andrea Del Sarto also painted individual portraits, although it wasn't his primary subject matter. He manages to paint his sitters with a special sensitivity while still capturing their likeness, such as we see in this pensive portrait of a man from the mid-1520s. It's said to possibly be Ottaviano de' Medici. Florence was in the midst of another political upheaval around this time. Florentine citizens wanted to oust the Medici from power once again. Sarto seemed to be pro-Medici, and Ottaviano was one of his patrons. In fact, in 1528, he completed a commission that was meant to honor the Medici family. Soon after, however, Ottaviano was imprisoned. Del Sarto received many offers to purchase the Medici holy family painting that he did, but he held on to it until Ottaviano was eventually freed and able to obtain it for himself. In gratitude, he paid Del Sarto twice the agreed-upon commission price. Ottaviano would eventually establish a family portrait gallery at the Palazzo Medici, with paintings of family members by many of the famous artists of the Renaissance, including Raphael, Vasari, and Sarto. One of his treasured pieces was a painting of Pope Leo X, a Medici pope painted by Raphael. When Pope Clement VII was enthroned, another Medici pope, he asked for the painting as a diplomatic gift. Upset about losing the piece, Ottaviano asked Del Sarto to paint a replica. Apparently, it was so good that it passed at the Vatican for the real thing, and the original continued to hang at the Medici Palazzo. One of Del Sarto's most memorable paintings, and one near the end of his life, was his fresco of the Last Supper at the convent of San Salvi in Florence. It was finished later in his career and influenced by the famous work by Da Vinci, who died the same year Del Sarto started working on his version. This stunning piece was considered one of the most beautiful works of his time. So beautiful, in fact, that when the region was under siege again in 1529, invading forces destroyed many of the structures surrounding Florence, including part of the Church of San Salvi. But when the troops came to the convent dining hall and saw the incredible fresco, the man in charge stopped the building's destruction and left what remained of the structure undisturbed, saving the masterpiece for history. Del Sarto died in 1530, supposedly another victim of the severe outbreak of the plague that also killed Del Garbo. He was said to have been a very professional yet humble man with a kind heart, even reducing fees or doing work for free on occasion if needed. His artistic skills would gain him international recognition and result in his workshop being in high demand. His work married the classical style with more enhanced expression, both in color and in his depiction of figures, something that experts feel makes his work a precursor to mannerism, where figures are exaggerated yet retain a sense of elegance. This is something his students would pick up on, especially the eclectic Pontormo, who would be considered one of the pioneers of this new art form.