Piero della Francesca (c. 1420–1492)

The Flagellation of Christ (probably 1455–1460)

Piero della Francesca is one of the significant artists of the Early Renaissance period. He focused on solid figures, and luminous colour in his paintings and frescoes also showed all his passion for mathematics through perspective and carefully calculated composition.

He was born in the shoemaker family in 1412 at Borgo S Sepolcro in Umbria. Here he became an assistant to Domenico Veneziano. The latter greatly influenced his style and formation as an artist, on an equal footing with Masaccio, Alberti, Uccello and mathematicians of his time.

The Montefeltro Altarpiece, 1

He has been acclaimed as a great artist due to the fresco cycle of the Legend of the True Cross in the church of S Francesco at Arezzo (c. 1452–c. 1464). In this series of murals, he showed his ability to depict emotions, drama, and all kinds of scenes, ranging from motionless figures to restless actions.

He was moved aside by his contemporaries but became a vital figure of the Early Renaissance. He later influenced artists such as Perugino, Signorellito, Felice Casorati, Melozzo da Forli, Giovanni Santi and even in the early works of Raphael.

Battista Sforza and Federico da Montefeltro, ca. 1474

REFERENCES:

“Piero della Francesca (c. 1420–1492).” The Hutchinson Unabridged Encyclopedia with Atlas and Weather Guide, edited by Helicon, 2018. Credo Reference, https://search.credoreference.com/content/entry/heliconhe/piero_della_francesca_c_1420_1492/0. Accessed 01 Oct. 2021.

“Piero della Francesca (1410/20 – 1492).” The Encyclopaedia of the Renaissance, edited by Thomas Goddard Bergin, and Jennifer Speake, Market House Books Ltd, 1st edition, 1987. Credo Reference, https://ezproxy.capilanou.ca/login?url=https://search.credoreference.com/content/entry/mheren/piero_della_francesca_1410_20_1492/0?institutionId=6884. Accessed 01 Oct. 2021.

Piero Della Francesca (1410/20 – 1492). (1994). In H. E. Read, & N. Stangos (Eds.), The Thames & Hudson Dictionary of Art and Artists (2nd ed.). Thames & Hudson. Credo Reference: https://ezproxy.capilanou.ca/login?url=https://search.credoreference.com/content/entry/thaa/piero_della_francesca_1410_20_1492/0?institutionId=6884

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