A famous Florentine painter, Sandro Botticelli was known for his many
famous paintings. Born in Florence around 1447, Botticelli was raised by his
father Mariano Filipepi, and after the completion of his schooling he was
apprenticed to a goldsmith. This is where the name Botticelli was derived from.
The Goldsmith's name was Botticelli, and as a sign of respect, Sandro took on
Botticelli as his last name.
Later, Sandro's father noticed that his brushwork was much better than his
work with the hammer, so he apprenticed him to Fra Filippo Lippi, one of the
most admired Florentine masters. It was there that Sandro learned to paint like
Fra Angelico, and flourish into a great artist. Through the influence of Verocchio
and the brothers of Pollajuolio these ideas were combined with the naturalness of
Masaccio (On of the most important painters of the 15th century; Known for his
touch with nature in his paintings, and how they seen real).
These qualities help
to explain Botticelli's great influence over later artists, who adapted his style of
painting.
Even though Botticelli's life is as great of a mystery to you as it is to me,
we do know a few things about his life. We do know that he was employed by the
Medici family, and other prominent Florentine families from 1483 to 1500. During
this time he created artwork specifically for these families, some of which is still
around today.
Although Botticelli was a great painter, he never really enjoyed many of
the luxurious amenities as the people that he worked for did. He always had a
tough time handling his expenses, and in the end, he died a man with no money.
He seemed to have certain ignorance towards his work, because he never
dated any of his artwork. This may...
Botticelli
Botticelli was popular during the early renaissance, however his lyrical style of painting went out of favor in his later life. Botticelli which means 'little barrel' was the name given to his older brother which the painter took as his own. A religious reformer named Savonorola had a great influence on Botticelli, who came to regret his earlier pagan works such as 'The Birth of Venus.' So Botticelli quit painting, dying a poor and broken man, a virtually unknown at the time of his death. His works today are appreciated by art aficionados who realized what a master Botticelli really was.
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