Italian 1494-1557 Jacopo Pontormo Galleries
Italian painter and draughtsman. He was the leading painter in mid-16th-century Florence and one of the most original and extraordinary of Mannerist artists. His eccentric personality, solitary and slow working habits and capricious attitude towards his patrons are described by Vasari; his own diary, which covers the years 1554-6, further reveals a character with neurotic and secretive aspects. Pontormo enjoyed the protection of the Medici family throughout his career but, unlike Agnolo Bronzino and Giorgio Vasari, did not become court painter. His subjective portrait style did not lend itself to the state portrait. He produced few mythological works and after 1540 devoted himself almost exclusively to religious subjects. His drawings, mainly figure studies in red and black chalk, are among the highest expressions of the great Florentine tradition of draughtsmanship; close to 400 survive, forming arguably the most important body of drawings by a Mannerist painter. His highly personal style was much influenced by Michelangelo, though he also drew on northern art, primarily the prints of Albrecht Derer. Related Paintings of Jacopo Pontormo :. | Visitation | Geburt Johannes des Taufers, Tondo | Punishment of the Baker | Anbetung der Heiligen Drei Konige | Deposition | Related Artists:
Antoine WiertzBelgian Painter, 1806-1865
Belgian painter and sculptor. He was from very humble origins, but his talent for drawing was detected at an early age. He was sent to the Antwerp Academie, where he attended classes given by W. J. Herreyns (1743-1827) and Mathieu Ignace Van Br?e. During a stay in Paris from 1829 to 1832 he came into contact with the Romantic painters, in particular Th?odore G?ricault, who fostered his admiration for Rubens. In 1832 he won the Belgian Prix de Rome and in 1834 left for Italy where the works of Raphael and, above all, Michelangelo made an overwhelming impression on him. In Rome he abandoned the landscapes and scenes from Roman life, for which he showed a certain talent, and embarked on a much more ambitious work, the Greeks and the Trojans Contesting the Body of Patroclus (1835; Brussels, Mus. Wiertz.). The painting proved the turning-point in Wiertz's career. Its frenzied composition and violently contorted figures excited considerable interest in Rome.
CRESPI, Giovanni BattistaItalian Baroque Era/Mannerist Painter, ca.1575-1633
George Hayter1792 - 1871
English painter and printmaker. He was the son of Charles Hayter (1761-1835), miniature painter, author of manuals for art instruction and Professor of Perspective and Drawing to Princess Charlotte. In 1808 George entered the Royal Academy Schools, and in 1815 was appointed Painter of Miniatures and Portraits by Princess Charlotte. Hayter was awarded the British Institution's premium for history painting for the Prophet Ezra (1815; Downton Castle, Heref. & Worcs), purchased by Richard Payne Knight. Encouraged by his patron, John Russell, 6th Duke of Bedford, he travelled to Italy to study in 1816, gaining election as an honorary member of the Accademia di S Luca in Florence. Returning to London in 1818, Hayter practised as a portrait painter in oils and history painter and occasionally acted as an art dealer. Dubbed 'The Phoenix' by William Beckford, Hayter showed a pomposity that irritated his fellow artists, but he mixed freely with many aristocratic families.