The main artistic movements in chronological order
Biographies of some of the greatest representatives of Italian art
Some of the most beautiful and representative monuments and works of Italian art
Bernardino di Betto known as Pinturicchio was born in Perugia in about 1454.
He was one of Perugino’s first pupils and went with him to Rome to paint someof the frescos in the Sistine Chapel. Pinturicchio painted the scenes of Moses journeying to Egypt and the Baptism of Jesus. Here he became acquanited with Ghirlandaio and Botticelli’s painting style and this contributed to the creation of his own personal style.
In about 1486 he was very probably asked to paint the Bufalini chapel in S. Maria in Aracoeli in Rome, where he painted Stories of St Bernardino.
Between 1492 and 1495 he painted the apartment of Alexander VI Borgia in the Vatican using the so called ‘grottesca’ technique (paintings with stuccos).
Immediately after the artist finished the work above Francesco Piccolomini commissioned paintings with stories of the life of Pius II, in the library of the duomo of Siena. Sumptuous pictures of the pope’s life are set between false arches. This is one of Pinturicchio’s masterpieces and some of the most famous scenes are: Piccolomini departing for the council of Basilea, Piccolomini crowned poet by Federick III, Piccolomini receives the fleet returning from Turkey, Piccolomini receiving the cardinal’s hat from Callistus III.
Pinturicchio died in Siena in 1513.
