Luca Signorelli
Luca Signorelli (about 1450‐1523)
Clues:
1. Orvieto 2. Anatomy 3. Inspired Michelangelo 4. Paid in Wine 5. Foreshortening 6. Limited Use of Color 7. Cathedral of Orvieto
It is said that imitation is the highest form of flattery. Renaissance artist Luca Signorelli, however, received an even higher form of flattery. Two of the most loved artists of the Renaissance, Raphael and Michelangelo, are said to have studied and even copied the artwork of Signorelli. It is no wonder that Raphael’s father referred to him as one of the greatest artists of the whole century. Museum Tour
We will be taking a virtual tour of Luca Signorelli’s most famous works. When you are connected to the Internet, click on the buttons and you will be brought to websites where you can find additional images and information on the artist. To get the greatest benefit of this tour, take a sketchpad in hand and draw from Luca’s paintings, also taking notes of any thoughts or impressions that you may have. If drawing is not something you are comfortable with, just enjoy the pictures, absorbing the colors, forms and design.
Copyright to all intellectual property, articles, images, text, projects, lessons and exercises within 1 this document belong to Diane Cardaci and may not be reproduced or used for any commercial purposes whatsoever without the written permission of Diane Cardaci.
Website: www.dianecardaci.com E‐mail: [email protected] Luca Signorelli
The Scourging of Christ (about 1480)
This painting was created early in Luca Signorelli’s career. He had studied under Piero della Francesca, but by this point had already become a master in his own right. In this painting you can see that his advanced skill of rendering the musculature of the human was already well developed. His understanding of anatomy (clue #2) was a huge step forward for the Renaissance.
Copyright to all intellectual property, articles, images, text, projects, lessons and exercises within 2 this document belong to Diane Cardaci and may not be reproduced or used for any commercial purposes whatsoever without the written permission of Diane Cardaci.
Website: www.dianecardaci.com E‐mail: [email protected] Luca Signorelli
detail of Moses's Testament and Death (about 1482)
The painting below is a detail of a fresco in the Sistine Chapel. Much of the fresco was actually done by another artist, Bartolemo di Gata, but the seated nude is considered to be that of Signorelli. Again you can see his superior ability to draw the human form.
Copyright to all intellectual property, articles, images, text, projects, lessons and exercises within 3 this document belong to Diane Cardaci and may not be reproduced or used for any commercial purposes whatsoever without the written permission of Diane Cardaci.
Website: www.dianecardaci.com E‐mail: [email protected] Luca Signorelli
Madonna and Child (about 1490)
We often like to think that artists are just born. But with just a little study of the Italian Renaissance, we can see that the great artists of this period did not develop in a vacuum. As mentioned above, Raphael had learned a great deal from Signorelli by studying and copying his drawings.
In comparing the two paintings below, you can see how Signorelli must have also inspired Michelangelo (clue #3).
Copyright to all intellectual property, articles, images, text, projects, lessons and exercises within 4 this document belong to Diane Cardaci and may not be reproduced or used for any commercial purposes whatsoever without the written permission of Diane Cardaci.
Website: www.dianecardaci.com E‐mail: [email protected] Luca Signorelli
Michelangelo’s “Holy Family” (1504)
Copyright to all intellectual property, articles, images, text, projects, lessons and exercises within 5 this document belong to Diane Cardaci and may not be reproduced or used for any commercial purposes whatsoever without the written permission of Diane Cardaci.
Website: www.dianecardaci.com E‐mail: [email protected] Luca Signorelli
Frescoes of the Life of St. Benedict (1497‐98)
In the beautiful monastery of Monte Oliveto Maggiore, both Luca Signorelli and Il Sodoma, were commissioned to illustrate the life of St. Benedict. Below you can see one of the paintings done by Signorelli. If you would like to take a virtual tour of the Abbey, click on the link (if you are connected to the Internet). The website is in Italian, but you can still enjoy the images.
Copyright to all intellectual property, articles, images, text, projects, lessons and exercises within 6 this document belong to Diane Cardaci and may not be reproduced or used for any commercial purposes whatsoever without the written permission of Diane Cardaci.
Website: www.dianecardaci.com E‐mail: [email protected] Luca Signorelli
Frescoes in the Chapel of San Brizio, Cathedral of Orvieto (1499‐1502)
In the center of the Umbrian town of Orvieto (clue #1) is the magnificent Cathedral of Orvieto (clue # 7). Here, Signorelli was commissioned to decorate the Chapel of San Brizio. In reference to these paintings, Vasari, the Renaissance historian, wrote, “Luca’s works were always highly praised by Michelangelo, who, in his own Last Judgment for the (Sistine) chapel, kindly borrowed some of Luca’s inventions.” For a more complete tour of these amazing frescoes, click on the link.
DETAIL FROM “SERMON OF THE ANTICHRIST”
In the detail below of the Sermon of the Antichrist fresco, you can see an example of Signorelli’s limited use of color (clue # 6).
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Website: www.dianecardaci.com E‐mail: [email protected] Luca Signorelli
The following two pictures give you an idea of the incredible complexity of the figures and amazing imagination of Signorelli. It may come as no surprise after viewing these that Signorelli’s contract for these frescoes included partial payment in wine! (clue # 4)
THE ELECT
Copyright to all intellectual property, articles, images, text, projects, lessons and exercises within 8 this document belong to Diane Cardaci and may not be reproduced or used for any commercial purposes whatsoever without the written permission of Diane Cardaci.
Website: www.dianecardaci.com E‐mail: [email protected] Luca Signorelli
RESURRECTION OF THE FLESH
Copyright to all intellectual property, articles, images, text, projects, lessons and exercises within 9 this document belong to Diane Cardaci and may not be reproduced or used for any commercial purposes whatsoever without the written permission of Diane Cardaci.
Website: www.dianecardaci.com E‐mail: [email protected] Luca Signorelli
DETAIL FROM THE RESURRECTION OF THE FLESH
In this detail from The Resurrection of the Flesh, you can see how Signorelli was able to successfully use foreshortening (clue #5).
The frescoes in the Cathedral of Orvieto are considered to be Signorelli’s greatest masterpieces, and art historians feel that his later paintings never again reached such a high level of accomplishment.
Copyright to all intellectual property, articles, images, text, projects, lessons and exercises within 10 this document belong to Diane Cardaci and may not be reproduced or used for any commercial purposes whatsoever without the written permission of Diane Cardaci.
Website: www.dianecardaci.com E‐mail: [email protected]