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Giorgio Vasari
Lives of the Most Eminent Painters,
Sculptors, and Architects
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Giorgio Vasari |
The Lives of the Artists |
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see collection:
Piero della Francesca
Luca Signorelli
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Piero della Francesca and Luca Signorelli
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Piero della
Francesca
Resurrection
1463-65
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THERE ARE some unhappy men who, having striven by labour and
study to produce work profitable to others which will keep their
names in memory, are prevented by infirmity or death from bringing
their work to perfection. And often it happens that their works left
unfinished are appropriated by others, who seek thus to hide their
ass's hide under the lion's skin. So it befell Piero della Francesca
dal Borgo S. Sepolcro, a great master in perspective,
arithmetic, and geometry, who was prevented by blindness in his old
age from bringing to light the books he had written. And he who,
having learnt all he knew from him, ought to have used all his
powers to win for him glory and a great name, sought instead to
conceal the name of Piero his preceptor, and to usurp his honour, by
publishing the good old man's works under his own name, that of Fra
Luca dal Borgo.
Piero was born in Borgo S. Sepolcro, now a city, but not so at
that time, and he was called della Francesca after his mother,
because his father was dead before he was born, and it was she who
brought him up, and aided him to attain to the rank he reached.
Piero studied mathematics in his youth, and although from the age of
fifteen he became a painter, he never gave up his mathematical
studies, and his productions brought him so much credit that he was
employed by the Duke of Urbino, and left in that place many of his
writings on geometry and perspective, which are inferior to none of
his time.
Afterwards, being fetched to Rome by Nicholas V, he painted in
his palace two pictures, which were afterwards destroyed by Pope
Julius II, that Raffaello might paint there the imprisonment of S.
Peter. Thence ~e went to Loreto, and painted there in company with
Domenico Veneziano; but the plague breaking out, he left his work
unfinished, and it was afterwards completed by Luca of Cortona his
pupil. From Loreto he went to Arezzo, where he painted the whole
history of the Cross, from the time when the sons of Adam, laying
him in the tomb, placed under his tongue the seeds of the tree from
which the cross sprang, to the exaltation of the Cross by the
Emperor Heraclius.
Piero was, as we have said, most studious in his art, and had a
good knowledge of Euclid, so that Maestro Luca dal Borgo, who wrote
on geometry, was his pupil. Lorentino d'Angelo was also his pupil,
and finished the works that he left incomplete at his death. There
is a story told of this Lorentino that once when the carnival was
near his children kept begging him to kill a pig, as the custom was
in those parts. Then, remembering that he had no money, they said,
"What will father do to buy the pig without money?" To which he
replied "Some saint will help us." But when he had said this many
times and no pig appeared, their hopes began to fail. But at last
there came a countryman who, to fulfil a vow, wanted a S. Martin
painted, but had nothing to give for the picture but a pig that was
worth five lire. When Lorentino heard this he said he would paint
the picture, and would take nothing but the pig for it. Lorentino
painted the saint, and the countryman brought the pig, and so the
saint provided the pig for the poor children.
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Piero della
Francesca
Constantine's Dream
c. 1455
San Francesco, Arezzo
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Piero Perugino was also his pupil, but the one who did him most
honour was Luca Signorelli of Cortona. For Luca Signorelli was in
his time as famous a painter in Italy as any one has ever been.
While he worked in Arezzo with Piero, dwelling in the house of
Lazzaro Vasari his uncle, he imitated the manner of Piero his
master, so that one could be hardly known from the other. His first
works were in Arezzo, where he painted in many churches. There is a
S. Michael weighing souls, which is admirable, and in which may be
seen his power in painting the splendour of armour with all the
reflections of light. Having come to Florence to see the works of
the masters there, he painted on a canvas some of the old gods,
which were much admired, and a picture of our Lady, and presented
them both to Lorenzo, who would never be surpassed by any one in
magnificent liberality.
In the principal church of Orvieto he completed the chapel begun
by Fra Giovanni da Fiesole, painting the story of the end of the
world with a strange and fantastical imagination; with angels,
demons, earthquakes, fire, and ruin, together with many beautiful
figures, and essaying to represent the terror of the last tremendous
day. So that I do not marvel that Luca's works were always highly
praised by Michael Angelo, nor that some things in his own divine
Judgment were taken in part from Luca, such as angels, demons, the
order of the heavens, and other things in which he imitated him, as
any one can see.
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Luca Signorelli
The Scourging of Christ
c. 1480
Tempera on roundheaded panel, 84 x 57 cm
Pinacoteca di Brera, Milan
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It is told of him that when one of his sons whom he loved much
was killed at Cortona, being very beautiful in face and form, Luca
in the midst of his grief set himself with great constancy to paint
his portrait, shedding no tears, nor giving way to grief, that he
might always see through the work of his hands him whom nature had
given to him and adverse fortune taken from him.
At last, having produced works for almost all the princes of
Italy, he returned to Cortona, and in his last years worked rather
for pleasure than anything else. Thus in his old age he painted a
picture for the nuns of Santa Margherita in Arezzo, and another for
the company of S. Girolamo, which was borne from Cortona to Arezzo
on the shoulders of men of the company. Luca, old as he was, came to
put it up, desiring again also to see his friends and relations. He
lodged in the house of the Vasari; I was then a little boy of eight
years old, and I remember how the good old man, who was very
courteous and gracious, having heard from the master who gave me my
first instruction that I attended to nothing at school but drawing
figures, I remember, I say, how he turned to Antonio, my father, and
said, "Antonio, let Giorgino learn to draw by all means, for even if
later he takes to literature, drawing will still be of use and
honour and profit to him, as it is to all men." Then turning to me,
as I was standing in front of him, he said, "Study, little kinsman,"
adding many other things of which I will say nothing, because I know
I have not confirmed the opinion which the good old man had of me.
When he heard that I suffered from noscbleeding to such a degree
that I was often left half dead, he with great tenderness hung a
piece of jasper round my neck, and this remembrance of Luca is for
ever fixed in my mind.
So having put the picture in its place, he returned to Cortona,
accompanied for a great distance by many of the citizens and of his
friends and relatives.
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Luca Signorelli
The Damned
1499-1502
Fresco
Chapel of San Brizio, Duomo, Orvieto |
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see collection:
Piero della Francesca
Luca Signorelli
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