Andrea del verrocchio portrait
Antonio Pollaiuolo ()
Bronze Statuettes
Antonio Pollaiuolo's background and skill as a goldsmith enabled him to respond to the taste for small bronze sculpture, which became more popular in the last third of the 15th century. The statuettes, frequently patinated to resemble antique bronzes, were meant for connoisseurs.
Antonio del pollaiuolo biography of christopher cross Hercules and Anteus c. The painter brings out the essential features of the young woman's face in profile. His main contribution to Florentine painting lay in his analysis of the human body in movement or under conditions of strain, but he is also important for his pioneering interest in landscape. Italian sculptor, painter, goldsmith and engraver, Antonio Pollaiuolo was a master of anatomy, rendering his figurative subjects with unsurpassed skill.Two surviving works include Hercules and Anteus (, Uffizi) and Hercules (c, Frick Collection, New York).
Painting: Study of Human Anatomy
Working closely throughout their lives, the two brothers famously preceded Leonardo da Vinci in dissecting human corpses to better understand anatomy, which became a defining skill in their work.
Antonio was particularly skilled in depicting the human figure in action and this can be seen in his painting Hercules Clubs the Hydra (, Uffizi, Florence) and his only surviving engraving Battle of the 10 Nude Men (c, Uffizi). Hercules Clubs the Hydra is a small panel, part of a set (other panels now missing) painted for Lorenzo de' Medici.
Hercules is depicted fighting heroically, his body gripped in an agile mass of tense muscle. The muscles and tendons are painted down to the last detail. In Antonio's Battle of the 10 Nude Men, the figures are seen from different angles.
It was possibly used by other Renaissance sculptors in the workshop as a means of figure study. Fore-shortening techniques are employed and the muscles are clearly emphasised (Leonardo famously wrote that such muscle-rendering made figures appear like a 'sack of walnuts'). (See also Male Nudes in Art History.)
Note About Art Appreciation
To learn how to judge plastic artists like the Renaissance sculptor Antonio Pollaiuolo, see: How to Appreciate Sculpture.For later works, please see: How to Appreciate Modern Sculpture.
Painting: Surviving Works
The brothers also worked together on the painting Martyrdom of St Sebastian (, National Gallery, London).
Similar to Andrea del Verrocchio's Baptism of Christ, this is considered one of the best paintings of the entire quattrocento. The figures and landscape are rendered in a detailed and realistic manner. The muscles under the skin are visible and the figures look frozen in action, typical of Antonio Pollaiuolo's style who often borrowed poses from classical sculpture.
Although the painting is often attributed solely to Antonio, it is now believed that his brother also helped execute parts.
Other paintings include:
Portrait of a Young Woman (c, Staatliche Museen, Berlin).
Originally attributed to Piero della Francesca and then Domenico Veneziano, it is now considered the work of Antonio.
The painter brings out the essential features of the young woman's face in profile.
Antonio del pollaiuolo biography of christopher A pale, clean-shaven young man, naked but for a loincloth, is bound to a tree. That year he began to buy land in the country. He achieved his greatest successes as a sculptor and metal-worker. Other work [ edit ].The features are delineated with the minimum of detail. The use of heavy delineated line and contrasting colour-surface has been regarded as typical of Florentine painting.
David Victorious (c, Staatliche Museen)
Small panel showing David victoriously standing over the slain head of Goliath.
Portrait of a Young Woman (c, Uffizi, Florence).
Tempera on wood.
As there is no signature on the work, it was originally attributed to Piero della Francesca, then Domenico Veneziano and Andrea del Verrocchio. The profile is of a lady, not a classical beauty. She is surrounded by a delicate lapis-lazuli blue background. Her dress is perfectly rendered, details of the materials, textiles and jewels.
Study for an Equestrian Monument (c&#;83, Robert Lehman Collection, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York) Ink and wash drawing.
This is a study for an equestrian monument. According to the biographer Giorgio Vasari who owned the sheet in the 16th century (and who may have added a dark wash around the figures), the sculpture was commissioned by Ludovico Sforza, Duke of Milan, in honour of his father, Francesco Sforza.
Antonio del pollaiuolo biography of christopher columbus There are a number of rather similar head and shoulders portraits in profile of youngish women attributed to one of the brothers, or their workshop. In these works he was as was typical at the period keen to include his "nationality" as a citizen of the Republic of Florence , and sometimes to stress his other skills beyond sculpture. Painting: Study of Human Anatomy Working closely throughout their lives, the two brothers famously preceded Leonardo da Vinci in dissecting human corpses to better understand anatomy, which became a defining skill in their work. This may be responsible for the paint losses some panels have suffered.The subject of a victorious ruler on horseback is drawn from classical antiquity. The monument was never built.
Legacy
In Antonio Pollaiuolo bought a property near Pistoia and bought another near Florence in In his name first appeared in the register of Guild of Florentine painters. His success as an artist, both financially and critically was clear.
Antonio died in His contribution to Renaissance art in Florence art lay in his searching analysis of the anatomy of the body, both in motion and under conditions of strain. He anticipated Leonardo da Vinci in this area.