Historical Artist - Antonello Da Messina (1430 - 1479)
The most famous artist to come from the island of Messina, Antonello became one of the leading
oil painters in Italy. Although Vasari reports that he learned his technique from Jan van Eyck,
it is more likely that he learned his approach in Naples. Although he worked mainly in Messina,
he spent time on the Italian mainland. In 1475, Antonello traveled to Venice where he painted an
altarpiece for the church of San Cassiano. He also painted several bust portraits in a style
similar to that of the Netherlandish painters.
Antonello's style is remarkable for its union, not always successful, of Italian simplicity
with Flemish concern for detail. He exercised an important influence on Italian painting, not
only by the introduction of the Flemish invention, but also by the transmission of Flemish
tendencies. However, no school of painting formed after his death, with the exception of the
Sicilian Marco Costanzo.
Contemporary Italian Artists
Art Galleries in Italy
|