Antonello da Messina
Part of The Encyclopedia of Southern Italy.
Antonello da Messina: (b. c1430, Messina. d. Feb. 1479, Messina). Painter. Considered the greatest southern Italian Renaissance painter. He was the earliest artist in Italy to use oil paints. His early works show a definite southern Italian basis but with influences of Flemish, Catalan, and Provençal styles. While some sources (e.g. Vasari) suggest that he studied under Jan van Eyck in Flanders, others believe that he was educated by Colantonio in Naples. Antonello’s later works show definite influences from Francesco Laurana, Giovanni Bellini, and perhaps Piero della Francesca, indicating that he may have traveled throughout much of the Italian mainland. Documentary evidence, however, is limited to his activities in Sicily, Calabria and an extended visit to Venice (1474 -1476). At Venice he created the altarpiece for the church of San Cassiano, as well as several portraits. This short Venetian period had a profound effect on Antonello’s subsequent style. He was one of the earliest, if not the first, artist in Italy to use the Flemish oil painting techniques. Principal Works: Madonna and Child (oil and tempera on panel): c1475. Portrait of a Man (Il Condottiere) (Oil on wood,): 1475. Crucifixion (on wood): 1475. Crucifixion (Oil on panel): 1475. The Dead Christ Supported by an Angel (oil on panel): 1475-1478. Portrait of a Young Man (oil and tempera on panel): c1475/1480. San Cassiano Altarpiece (Oil on panel): 1475-76. Christ at the Column (Oil on wood): c1475-79.