Paolo Uccello

Paolo Uccello

Paolo Uccello was born in 1397 , the son of a barber-surgeon from Pratovecchio in Casentino, Italy . His mother , Antonia di Giovanni del Beccuto , was from a wealthy Florentine family. There is no documentation extant dealing with the artist's youth , and his name first appears in records of 1407 as a helper for the artist Lorenzo Ghiberti. He was employed at a Florentine studio where he knew, among others,the artist Donatello. He served as Ghiberti's apprentice from 1412 to 1416

While working in Ghiberti's studio, became a member of the powerful Arte dei Medeci e Speziali (the Guild of Doctors and Apothecaries) , an organization that all the important Florentine painters form Giotto on, belonged to. Uccello left Ghiberti's studio in 1416, going to live in Florence in the parish of Santa Maria Nepticosia. During this time, Uccello made several trips for his artistic education , perhaps at the suggestion of Ghiberti. Little is known about this period of the artist's life, but he most likely studied the works of Ambrogio Lorenzetti at this time, whom Uccello greatly admired.

It is thought that in 1424, Uccello worked on the decoration of the first bay of the Chiostro Verde at Santa Maria Novella with "Stories from Genesis" . During this time, the Venetian state chose Uccello to complete the mosaics on the facade of San Marco. In 1425, he went to Venice , where he stayed until 1430.

Uccello returned to Florencein 1431, and sought an important commission from the Office Works of the Duomo,and also during this period, he completed the three Franciscan Stories on the interior of the facade at Santa Trinita.

Uccello's famous monument to soldier of fortune Sir John Hawkwood in the cathedral of Santa Maria in Florence was done in 1436, and in 1437 , the fresco of the Adoration in San Martino Maggiore at Bologna. During this period, he also completed his second painting of Saint George and the Dragon , the works being known for their inventive use of perspective.

In 1443, he completed the clock face for the cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore, whose numbers are are positioned in an anti-clockwise direction derived from the design of a sundial.

Uccello's most famous works, the series of panels depicting the Battle of San Romano, were ordered by Cosimo de Medici for the Palazzo Medici became famous for it's use of perspective and foreshortening.

Uccello had a daughter ,Antonia, born in 1456, who would later become a Carmelite nun, and by some accounts , an artist herself. His son , Donato , assisted the painter on some works.

Uccello continued to paint commissions of religious work and earned a comfortable living at it. These well known works include "The Life of the Holy Fathers" or "The Thebaid" (1460-65) , the Karlshruhe "Adoration" and many works depicting the Madonna and child.

Ucello painted his famous "Hunt" in 1470 , and in 1475, made his will.He died on November 11, 1475.Antonia died in 1491,and Donato in 1497.

There are many web sites featuring Uccello's work , mostly featuring "The Battle of San Romano" , perhaps the best example of Uccello's linear perspective and colorful style. There is the Paolo Uccello Website at http://www.uq.net.au/iacobus/uccello/ A good page is also found at the Web Gallery of Art located at http://www.kfki.hu/~arthp/html/u/uccello... which includes a short bio .

Bibliography: Paolo Uccello, Franco and Stefano Borsi, 1994, Harry N. Abrams , Incorporated, New York

- Nick Burton