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1 Chapter 1 : Piero della Francesca - Wikipedia The Library of Great Masters is a series of 27 paperback books on the artists of the Italian Renaissance. Each book is 80 pages (8 1/4 x 11 inches) and contains approximately color illustrations of very high quality including both full page and many details. See Article History Alternative Title: The fresco cycle The Legend of the True Cross â 66 and the diptych portrait of Federico da Montefeltro, duke of Urbino, and his consort are among his best-known works. In Piero worked as an associate of Domenico Veneziano, who was then painting frescoes for the hospital of Santa Maria Nuova in Florence, where the early Renaissance style was beginning to flourish. In Florence he probably studied the statuary of Donatello and Luca della Robbia, the buildings of Filippo Brunelleschi, and the paintings of Masaccio and Fra Angelico, and he might have read a theoretical treatise on painting by the humanist and architect Leon Battista Alberti. Undoubtedly, he would have been directed to these luminaries by Domenico Veneziano, whose own works demonstrate a Renaissance emphasis on colour and light as elements of pictorial construction. Back in Sansepolcro by, Piero was elected to the town council. Three years later the Confraternita della Misericordia commissioned a polyptych from him. For the rest of his life he alternated between the calm of Sansepolcro and contact with the humanistic life of the Renaissance in artistic and intellectual centres such as Ferrara and Rimini. In, at another northern Italian city, Rimini, he executed a splendidly heraldic fresco i. Sigismund in the Tempio Malatestiano, a memorial church built according to the architectural designs of Alberti. Also to this early formative period before belongs The Baptism of Christ. The decorations had been begun in by the elderly Bicci di Lorenzo, who died in ; Piero presumably was retained to complete the work shortly thereafter. The narrative cycle The Legend of the True Cross was completed by Contemporary with the Arezzo cycle are a fresco of the Magdalen in Arezzo cathedral, the Resurrection in the Palazzo Comunale at Sansepolcro, and Madonna del Parto in the chapel of the cemetery at Monterchi. Agostino that Piero, characteristically, did not complete until Maria Maggiore, executed at the same time, was probably done by assistants in the studio he had established in Rome. Its lucid perspectival construction contrasts with treatment of the subject wherein Christ is relegated to the background while three unidentified figures dominate the foreground. The content of the picture has indeed become the focus of modern academic controversy. A famous diptych portrait of Duke Federico and his consort, Battista Sforza, was probably begun to commemorate their marriage in The reverse depicts the couple in a triumphal procession accompanied by the Virtues. The Duke reappears as a kneeling donor in an altarpiece from S. He, the Madonna and her child, and accompanying saints are placed before the apse semicircular choir of a magnificent Albertian church. The altarpiece is one of the most accomplished Renaissance presentations of forms in space and exerted a decided influence on the development of monumental devotional paintings in northern Italian and Venetian art. In Piero became prior of the Confraternita di San Bartolomeo. Among the few extant paintings from this period are the harmonious Nativity, the Madonna from the church at Sta. Maria delle Grazie near Senigallia, and an awkwardly constructed altarpiece in Perugia, Madonna with Child and Saints. In its range of topics and method of organization, the book follows Alberti and the ancient Greek geometer Euclid. The principal manuscript, in Parma Biblioteca Palatina, was handwritten by the artist himself and illuminated by him with diagrams on geometric, proportional, and perspectival problems. A reliable 16th-century tradition claimed that Piero was blind in his last years. If true, this must have occurred after because several autographs from that year survive. Moreover, his will of refers to the painter as aged but sound of mind and body. Piero did not establish a lasting tradition in central Italy. Luca Signorelli and Perugino, who are presumed to be his most important pupils, followed the examples of other masters. Page 1

2 Chapter 2 : Piero Della Francesca by Alessandro Angelini Piero della Francesca examines the life and works of Piero, from his formative years in Florence, to the Fresco Cycle in the Church of San Francesco in Arezzo, to his later works and the development of Linear Perspective in Italian Painting. The Baptism of Christ, c. Three years later, he received a commission to paint the Madonna della Misericordia altarpiece for the church of the Misericordia in Sansepolcro, which was completed in the early s. His influence was particularly strong in the later Ferrarese allegorical works of Cosimo Tura. Two years later he was in Rimini, working for the condottiero Sigismondo Pandolfo Malatesta. In, during that sojourn, he executed the famous fresco of St. In Rimini, Piero may have met the famous Renaissance mathematician and architect Leon Battista Alberti, who had redesigned the Tempio Malatestiano, although it is known that Alberti directed the execution of his designs for the church by correspondence with his building supervisor. Thereafter Piero was active in Ancona, Pesaro and Bologna. The central panel of this polyptych is lost, and the four panels of the wings, with representations of saints, are now scattered around the world. A few years later, summoned by Pope Nicholas V, he moved to Rome, where he executed frescoes in the Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore, of which only fragments remain. Two years later he was again in the Papal capital, painting frescoes in the Vatican Palace, which have since been destroyed. The Baptism of Christ, now in the National Gallery in London, was executed in about for the high altar of the church of the Priory of S. Giovanni Battista at Sansepolcro. Other notable mature works of Piero della Francesca are the frescoes of the Resurrection of Christ in Sansepolcro, and the Madonna del parto in Monterchi, near Sansepolcro. In, Piero della Francesca was called to Arezzo to replace Bicci di Lorenzo in painting the frescoes of the basilica of San Francesco. The work was finished before, probably between and The cycle of frescoes, depicting the Legend of the True Cross, is generally considered among his masterworks and those of Renaissance painting in general. The story in these frescoes derives from legendary medieval sources as to how timber relics of the True Cross came to be found. However, this is unlikely because this statement is not confirmed by documents or paintings. Vasari may have confused Guidantonio with Federico. It is one of the most famous and controversial pictures of the early Renaissance. As discussed in its own entry, it is marked by an air of geometric sobriety, in addition to presenting a perplexing enigma as to the nature of the three men standing at the foreground. The Flagellation of Christ. The portraits in profile take their inspiration from large bronze medals and stucco roundels with the official portraits of Fedederico and his wife. His later years[ edit ] In his later years, painters such as Perugino and Luca Signorelli frequently visited his workshop. It is documented that Piero rented a house in Rimini in Piero made his will in and he died five years later, on 12 October, in his own house in San Sepolcro. He left his possessions to his family and the church. He died the same day that Christopher Columbus arrived in the Americas. Criticism and interpretation[ edit ] Recently, the Frick Collection in New York until 19 May, collected seven of the eight extant paintings of Piero known to exist in the United States for exhibition. Saltz states that, "The Virgin and child are elevated two steps. They are in a world itself apart from this world apart. You begin to glean the revelation she is having. The flower represents love, devotion, and beauty. It also symbolizes blood and the crown of thorns Christ will wear. This child who will suffer a horrendous death reaches for his acceptance of fate. Mary does not pull the flower back. You sense an inner agony, noticing her deep-blue robe open to reveal scarlet beneath, symbol of outward passion and pain to come. The subjects covered in these writings include arithmetic, algebra, geometry and innovative work in both solid geometry and perspective. Biographers of his patron, Federico da Montefeltro of Urbino, record that he was encouraged to pursue the interest in perspective which was shared by the Duke. In the late s, Piero copied and illustrated the following works of Archimedes: The manuscript consists of 82 folio leaves. Page 2

3 Chapter 3 : - Piero Della Francesca by Alessandro Angelini Piero Della Francesca (The Library of Great Masters) by Alessandro Angelini. Riverside Book Company. Paperback. GOOD. Spine creases, wear to binding and pages from reading. Piero was an influential artist and mathematician particularly interested in perspective and in Greco-Roman antiquity. In this enigmatic painting, the figures seem three-dimensional, like marble statues, and occupy a space inspired by classical architecture. Piero della Francesca is one of the most important artists of fifteenth-century Italy. The artwork he producedâ frescoes and panelsâ as well as his exploration of perspective and geometry in painting secures his place as one of the leading figures of the Renaissance. Many of the ideas that recur throughout his work seem to have been inspired by a brief stay in Florence when he was only about twenty years old. In the s Florence was one of the great powers in Europe, a wealthy cosmopolitan city that supported artists with commissions for great civic monuments. Piero worked with Domenico Veneziano died and had the opportunity to study masterpieces by sculptors such as Lorenzo Ghiberti â and Donatello â From these works he learned, for example, about the rendering of complex relationships among figures in groups. The frescoes of Giotto â, the great late medieval master whose career began in Florence in the late thirteenth century, taught Piero how to achieve richness and subtlety in color and clarity in the arrangement of space. The paintings of Masaccio â held lessons about the artistic potential of the human body and the power of gesture. Everything that he encountered in Florence profoundly affected his thinking and, as a result, his painting. This panel, one of the very few in North America by Piero, shows that as a mature painter he had fully synthesized all the ideas of his youth. The clarity, calm, and color of the painting, as well as the architectural setting, all show his debt to older masters. The spatial relationship among the figures, however, is Piero at his best. Following his initiation to theory in the late s, Piero drafted a treatise on mathematical perspective in paintings. This panel shows how Piero applied his writing to his work. His figures are conceived as volumes, constructed three-dimensional forms of spheres, cylinders, cones, and pyramids. This is further emphasized by the architecture. To achieve precision in his composition, Piero relied on some of the tools of a geometrician: The angel on the right looks outward, engaging the viewer directly, and the angel on the left, along with the Virgin, looks at the baby Jesus. The Virgin also holds a rose, a symbol of the Passion. The baby reaches for the flowerâ a sign he embraces his destiny of crucifixion and, ultimately, redemption of the faithful. Hudson Hills Press,, p. The black lines highlght the figure, drapery and architectural outlines, the underdrawing and inscribed preparatory lines are outlined in red, and blue hatching indicates passages of damage and subsequent restoration. Page 3

4 Chapter 4 : Sell, Buy or Rent Luca Signorelli (The Library of Great Masters) online Piero Della Francesca by Angelini, A. Constable, This book has soft covers. Ex-library, With usual stamps and markings, In fair condition, suitable as a study copy. Little is know about his early apprenticeships and art studies, but his early works show the influence of the Sienese artists; which were active during his youth. It is known that he first received payments for his work as early as, when he was roughly around the age of During his stay in Remini it is though that Francesca may have met with the mathematician Leon Battista Alberti, as mathematics was one of his intellectual pursuits. During his long career, it is known that he met with many prominent artists, mathematicians and thinkers of his time, and continued to execute great works into his old age. He published three treatises on mathematics and geometry, which covered the topics of algebra, geometry, and arithmetic and many of his paintings are indicative of his knowledge of sold geometry and perspective. He died in, on the very same day that Christopher Columbus reached the New World. Piero della Francesca Italian pronunciation: As testified by Giorgio Vasari in his Lives of the Most Excellent Painters, Sculptors, and Architects, to contemporaries he was also known as a mathematician and geometer. Nowadays Piero della Francesca is chiefly appreciated for his art. His painting is characterized by its serene humanism, its use of geometric forms and perspective. Besides, he certainly took notice of the work of some of the Sienese artists active in San Sepolcro during his youth; e. In he was listed as eligible for the City Council of San Sepolcro. Three years later, he received the commission for the Madonna della Misericordia altarpiece for the church of the Misericordia in Sansepolcro, completed in the early s. His influence was particularly strong in the later Ferrarese allegorical works of Cosimo Tura. Two years later he was in Rimini, working for the condottiero Sigismondo Pandolfo Malatesta. In this sojourn he executed in the famous fresco of St. In Rimini Piero may have met the famous Renaissance mathematician and architect Leon Battista Alberti, who had redesigned the Tempio Malatestiano; although it is known that Alberti directed the execution of his designs for the church by correspondence with his building supervisor. Thereafter Piero was active in Ancona, Pesaro and Bologna. The central panel of this polyptic is lost and the four panels of the wings, with representations of Saints, are scattered around the world. A few years later, summoned by Pope Nicholas V, he moved to Rome: Two years later he was again in the Papal capital, for frescoes in Vatican Palace which have also been destroyed. Page 4

5 Chapter 5 : Paolo Uccello - Wikipedia Get this from a library! Piero della Francesca. [Alessandro Angelini] -- Examines the work of a Renaissance master who profoundly influenced Italian art. Due to the lack of sources, even his date of birth is questionable. It is believed that Uccello was born in Pratovecchio in, [2] and his tax declarations for some years indicate that he was born in, but in he claimed to be born in His nickname Uccello came from his fondness for painting birds. From until he was apprenticed to the famous sculptor Lorenzo Ghiberti. It was also around this time that Paolo began his lifelong friendship with Donatello. These featured a battle scene "that might well have impressed itself in the mind of the young Uccello," and thus influenced The Battle of San Romano. Next, he painted two figures in the convent of Annalena. Shortly afterwards, he painted three frescoes with scenes from the life of Saint Francis above the left door of the Santa Trinita church. For the Santa Maria Maggiore church, he painted a fresco of the Annunciation. In this fresco, he painted a large building with columns in perspective. According to Vasari, people found this to be a great and beautiful achievement because this was the first example of how lines could be expertly used to demonstrate perspective and size. As a result, this work became a model for artists who wished to craft illusions of space in order to enhance the realness of their paintings. According to Vasari, Paolo protested against the monotonous meals of cheese pies and cheese soup served by the abbot by running away, and returned to finish the job only after the abbot promised him a more varied diet. The scene most appreciated by Vasari was his depiction of a fierce lion fighting with a venom-spouting snake. Uccello loved to paint animals and he kept a wide variety of pictures of animals, especially birds, at home. This love for birds is what led to his nickname, Paolo Uccelli Paul of the birds. By, Paolo was earning his own living as a painter. In that year, he proved his artistic maturity by painting episodes of the Creation and Expulsion, which are now badly damaged, for the Green Cloister Chiostro Verde of Santa Maria Novella in Florence. Again, this assignment allowed him to paint a large number of animals in a lively manner. He also succeeded in painting trees in their natural colours. This was a skill that was difficult for many of his predecessors, so Uccello also began to acquire a reputation for painting landscapes. These scenes brought him great fame in Florence. During this time, he also painted some frescoes in the Prato Cathedral and Bologna. Some suggest he visited Rome with his friend Donatello before returning to Florence in After he returned, Uccello remained in Florence for most of the rest of his life, executing works for various churches and patrons, most notably the Duomo. Despite his leave from Florence, interest in Uccello did not diminish. In, he was given the commission for the monochromatic fresco of Sir John Hawkwood. This equestrian monument exemplified his keen interest in perspective. The condottiere and his horse are presented as if the fresco was a sculpture seen from below. Later, in, he painted the figures on the clock of the Duomo. In that same year and continuing into, he designed a few stained glass windows for the same church. Saint George and the Dragon c. Around the mids, [4] he painted his three most famous paintings, the panels depicting The Battle of San Romano for the Palazzo Medici in Florence, commemorating the victory of the Florentine army over the Sienese in The Battle of San Romano, c. Egg tempera with walnut oil and linseed oil on poplar. By, Uccello was married to Tommasa Malifici. This is known because, in that year Donato named after Donatello, was born. Three years later, in, his wife gave birth to their daughter, Antonia. Her style and her skill remains a mystery as none of her work is extant. From to, Uccello was in Urbino with his son Donato working for the Confraternity of Corpus Domini, a brotherhood of laymen. During this time, he painted the predella for their new altarpiece with the Miracle of the Profaned Host. The main panel representing the "Communion of the Apostles" was commissioned to Justus van Ghent and finished in It has been suggested that the subject of the main panel, on which Duke Frederick of Montefeltro of Urbino appears in the background conversing with an Asian, is related to the antisemitic intention of the predella. However, Federico did allow a small Jewish community to live in Urbino and not all of these scenes are unanimously attributed to Paolo Uccello. Blood in the Page 5

6 background emanates from the Host, which the moneylender has attempted to cook, and seeps under the door. This story first entered the Italian literary tradition via Giovanni Villani c. His last known work is The Hunt, c. He made his testament on 11 November and died shortly afterwards on 10 December at the hospital of Florence, at the age of With his precise and analytical mind, Paolo Uccello tried to apply a scientific method to depict objects in three-dimensional space. In particular, some of his studies of the perspective foreshortening of the torus are preserved, and one standard display of drawing skill was his depiction of the mazzocchio. Paolo constructs space through perspective, and historic event through the structure of space; if the resulting image is unnatural and unrealistic, so much the worse for nature and history. Works[ edit ] Pope-Hennessy is far more conservative than the Italian authors: Most of the dates in the list taken from Borsi and Borsi are derived from stylistic comparison rather than from documentation. Chapter 6 : Library of Great Masters Awards LibraryThing Piero Della Francesca has 6 ratings and 1 review. David said: Good overview of Piero's work. Used this as a companion while traveling in Italy where I sa. Chapter 7 : Library of Great Masters Piero Della Francesca: San Francesco, Arezzo (The Great Fresco Cycles of the Renaissance) by Marilyn Aronberg Lavin, Piero. George Braziller, George Braziller, Piero Della Francesca (Library of the Great Masters) by Alessandro Angelini, Lisa C. Pelletti (Translator). Chapter 8 : - Piero Della Francesca (Library of the Great Masters) by Alessandro. Angelini Buy Piero Della Francesca (Library of Great Masters S.) Reprint by Alessandro Angelini (ISBN: ) from Amazon's Book Store. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. Chapter 9 : Piero della Francesca - 87 artworks - blog.quintoapp.com Note: Citations are based on reference standards. However, formatting rules can vary widely between applications and fields of interest or study. The specific requirements or preferences of your reviewing publisher, classroom teacher, institution or organization should be applied. Page 6