Early Life
Sandro Botticelli, commonly known as Botticelli, was born in Florence, Italy in a small town named Borgo Ognissanti. Botticelli was born in 1445 and died in 1510, where he was then buried in a church in his childhood town, Ognissanti. He began his painting career during the early Italian Renaissance, which occurred in the quattrocento (meaning 1400). Botticelli was an apprentice to Fra Filipo Lippi, who at the time, was one of the most prominent and remarkable Florentine artists. Botticelli included an abundance of humanism and classical references, differentiating him from biblical artists. This unique media of art focused on human mannerisms, and often included human models to imitate accurate anatomical depictions. Among his most influential works were his La Primavera and The Birth of Venus paintings. Filipo Lippi aided Botticelli to implement various techniques, such as one-point linear perspective, panel painting, and fresco (painting over plaster).
Stylistic Methods
When Botticelli’s teacher, Fra Filipo Lippi, relocated to Spoleto, Botticelli focused on his artist career and studied the styles of Antonio Pollaiuolo and Andrea del Verrocchio. Botticelli also used tempera as a medium, which is pigment incorporated with egg yolk/white, and was often utilized for small scale paintings on wood panel. Tempera is a technique most suitable for agile artists because tempera dries rapidly, making it a difficult art medium. Botticelli’s art was graceful and professional, full of complimenting colors and compositions, as well as rich with expression and body language. Botticelli’s style continued to evolve from the teachings of Filipo Lippi and evolved into an example of mastery in expression and pose. Botticelli’s art often consisted of warm shadows and details and lacked harsh dark lines to create a soft and gentle look. Among his most influential works, tondi (round paintings) were a common theme and were often utilized for larger paintings.
How Botticelli is remembered
Botticelli is described to be among the master painters of the Renaissance, due to his incorporation of the soul of the Renaissance into his paintings. Botticelli was a remarkable artist because of his secular themes, meaning not overtly or specifically religious. Botticelli excelled in portraiture, which perhaps was the reason he was accepted into the Medici (a wealthy family who commissioned lots of art and held power in Florence) patronage which uplifted his career heavily. Botticelli is renowned as one of the most notable early Renaissance painters, and his art is still showcased and purchased in prints to this day. He was a masterful artist who manipulated his techniques in a graceful manner, with his gentle shadows and fluidity of the subjects in his paintings.
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