Leonardo da Vinci. Renaissance Titan. Painter, sculptor, architect. And also a naturalist, mechanic, engineer, mathematician. He made many discoveries, foresaw the paths of intellectual search for future generations. His name is shrouded in an aura of mystery. An innovative artist, Leonardo set and solved tasks that were considered impossible. There was not a single scientific problem that he would not pay attention to. Da Vinci left over 7,000 manuscripts. These records still excite the imagination of inquisitive researchers. For "the one who does not aspire to the stars does not turn around."
A series: History per hour
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The following excerpt from the book Leonardo da Vinci (Vera Kalmykova, 2015) provided by our book partner - the company LitRes.
In the workshop of Verrocchio. Florence
In Florence, through the efforts of his father, Leonardo got into the studio of Verrocchio: the artist and sculptor Andrea Verrocchio enjoyed the exceptional location of Lorenzo de Medici, or Lorenzo il Magnifico (the Magnificent), as he was called in the city. According to Vasari, Piero selected some of his son's best drawings and took them to Verrocchio's court, and he was amazed at the exceptional success of a teenager whom no one had ever taught anything. Verrocchio agreed to cut the talent of the young man from Vinci. Leonardo spent twelve years in his workshop. The young man not only learned the intricacies of his future main craft, but also gained the broadest outlook, because the teacher was, without a doubt, one of the most interesting people and outstanding artists of his time.
Andrea del Choni, who later took the nickname Verrocchio, was then a little over thirty years old. The unchanging stern expression of his puffy face with thin lips and square lower jaw testified to a sense of responsibility, severity and restraint in the manifestation of emotions. As a child, he, along with fellow peers, took part in cruel fun: they stoned a forty-year-old wool spinner, who died as a result. Juvenile delinquents were convicted and sent to prison. But not so much the conclusion as the tragic death of an innocent man left its mark on the rest of Verrocchio's life. He devoted all subsequent years to the atonement of a terrible sin, considered himself obliged to constantly work and take care of the poor. He worked, as they said, with the strength and stubbornness of a bull. Leonardo from the first days submitted to the discipline that reigned in the workshop, and learned the traditional ways of mixing paints, casting metal, as well as drawing, coloring and engraving. And even though the young man appeared at Verrocchio's with little intellectual and artistic baggage, he, along with the future famous masters Lorenzo di Credi and Pietro Perugino, soon became the master's favorite student.
In the 1460s-1470s. Verrocchio's workshop was a kind of club: all the promising young people of Florence gathered here. First of all, they discussed, analyzed in detail and criticized, of course, artistic works, but in parallel, philosophical and practical issues, in particular medical works. For example, the work of Marsili Ficin, head of the Platonic Academy in Florence, became the subject of discussion. Fichina translated and commented on Plato's writings. In parallel, there were talks about the assessment of the ancient heritage; here Leonardo was distinguished by uncompromising judgments. It is necessary to appreciate the predecessors and learn from them, he believed, but to accept the art of the past as a model means dooming yourself to the endless reproduction of ready-made forms and not looking for a new one yourself.
It must be said that Leonardo's peers and fellow students were little interested in the theoretical issues of painting, excluding, of course, the doctrine of perspective. The principles of linear perspective were finally developed by Filippo Brunelleschi. But Brunelleschi did not leave a scientific treatise on perspective, as was customary at the time. The scientist and architect Leon Battista Alberti systematized and summarized the knowledge about the volumetric construction of the image, and his work turned out to be one of the greatest achievements of the Renaissance.
Alberti raised the ideas of Brunelleschi to the level of scientific theory and created treatises on painting, sculpture and architecture, which Leonardo was familiar with for sure. Alberti significantly expanded the artist's area of competence, which was already wide during the Renaissance. But if before the artists had a lot be able to, now it turned out that they owed even more know And understand. Alberti believed that in addition to the necessary technical skill, the artist must also have knowledge of geometry and optics - without them it is impossible to build a perspective. He must understand the secrets of the human body, because the movements of the body reflect the movements of the soul. Only by understanding them, one can paint a successful portrait, not just similar, but reflecting the inner life, spiritual structure of the personality. Most of all, Alberti was interested in the relationship between mathematics and art. And here Leonardo's childhood passion for mathematics came in very handy: later he always used it in his paintings, considering it the key to all knowledge.
In the 1460s-1470s. other scientists worked in Florence who influenced the intellectual development of Leonardo. Benedetto del Abbaco was engaged in commerce (we would say now - economics), mechanics and engineering. Paolo del Pozzo Toscanelli, an outstanding mathematician, astronomer and physician, also made some discoveries in the field of geography. Toscanelli believed that the eastern countries could be reached by sailing west across the Atlantic all the time; in 1474, 18 years before Columbus traveled, he sent him a map and a letter urging him to make such an attempt. Having become acquainted with their ideas, Leonardo put forward, probably the very first of his many engineering projects - to dig a shipping channel connected to the Arno River from Pisa to Florence. He also made drawings of flour mills, lifting and other mechanisms that were driven by the power of water.
Leonardo was indifferent only to politics. Florence was considered a republic, but in fact it was ruled by the de Medici family. The main instrument of power was the Medici bank, through which all the wealth of the city flowed, based on the production of manufactory, silk and wool trade, jewelry and luxury goods. Naturally, the prosperity of each individual citizen also depended on the location of the Medici or one of their close associates.
In Florence, Leonardo developed the habit of carrying small albums with him everywhere for recording and sketching. As Vasari testifies, he wandered the streets in search of beautiful or ugly faces, and ugliness, in his opinion, should not be avoided - it is just the flip side of beauty. He was so happy when he saw some remarkable face that he began to pursue the person who attracted his attention, and he could do this all day, trying to get a clear idea of \u200b\u200bit, and when he returned home, he would draw the head as well as if a person this one sat in front of him. Leonardo made an endless number of sketches. Comprehensively studying the facial expression and posture of a person, he persistently tried to portray various spiritual impulses, while leaving his own feelings aside, in order to convey the internal state of the model as objectively as possible. “All our knowledge is based on perception,” he argued, wishing that his own perception was as complete and voluminous as possible.
Leonardo was tall, handsome, proportionally built and unusually strong physically (even if modern doctors are right, believing that he suffered from a congenital disease, he managed to get rid of its consequences, gained remarkable physical strength and easily bent iron rings and horseshoes). He invariably attracted attention, although he was not without arrogance. On the other hand, he knew how to convince any interlocutor of his innocence and always dressed elegantly (his cloak was too short in terms of the fashion of that time, but allowed passers-by to see the beauty of the legs and the nobility of the owner’s steps). From an early age, Leonardo acquired the habit of comprehending his every desire, mental movement or deed. So, analyzing why he likes to dress fashionably and look after himself so much, he wrote: “Whoever wants to see how the soul lives in the body, he watches how the body uses its shelter every day. If this haven is dirty and neglected, then the soul that is in the body is also dirty and neglected. Most of all he valued freedom. No wonder he bought their song captives from bird dealers in order to immediately release them. Already in his youth, Leonardo began to think about whether to eat meat. He did not want to make his body, as he himself put it, a “grave” for earthly creatures like himself.
The father, although he was not particularly generous and demanded that his son take orders and earn money himself to satisfy his whims, nevertheless taught the artist both to luxury, and to impunity, and to contempt for everyone who is not smart enough or interesting. Leonardo did not care how it was customary to act in certain cases: he always put his own work at the forefront. One day a priest came to his workshop. It was Holy Saturday, and the holy father sprinkled some of Leonardo's paintings with holy water. In retaliation, the artist poured a whole bucket of water on him.
VERROCCHIO, ANDREA DEL(Verrocchio, Andrea del), own name Andrea di Michele Cioni (Andrea di Michele Cioni) (1435 or 1436–1488), Italian sculptor and painter of the early Renaissance. Born in Florence. He studied with the jeweler Verrocchio. The fall in demand for jewelry prompted him to turn to decorative carving (one of the artist's first works in this area was the decoration of the chapel of the cathedral in Orvieto in 1461) and tempera painting. Most of Verrocchio's paintings are depictions of the Madonna and Child. The abundance of gold embroideries, brushes and luxurious jewelry in the costumes of the characters in his works is reminiscent of the artist's original craft. In 1463-1470, Verrocchio participated in the creation of church utensils for the Florence Cathedral: he made precious vestments (not preserved), a bronze candelabra and a gilded ball crowning the lantern of the dome. In 1465, Verrocchio created a tombstone for Cosimo de' Medici; the master managed to catch and realize the desire of the duke to perpetuate his name. Upon completion of this work, he found patrons in the person of representatives of the Medici family. In 1463-1487 Verrocchio completed the sculptural group Thomas' assurance(1476-1483, Florence, Orsanmichele church; restored in 1986-1993), one of the customers of which was Piero Medici. In 1469, the master began work on the tomb of Piero and Giovanni Medici. By order of Lorenzo Medici, the sculptor made sketches of standards and knightly armor for the tournaments of 1469, 1471 and 1475, created a bronze statue David(1476, Florence, National Museum) and sculptural composition Boy with a dolphin for the fountain of the Villa Medici in Careggi. He is the author of the marble ablution bowl (the Church of San Lorenzo in Florence) and the tomb of Cardinal Niccolò Forteguerri in Pistoia. In the 1470s and 1480s, Verrocchio's workshop became the largest artistic center in Florence. Not only Verrocchio's assistants worked there - Raffaello Botticini and Lorenzo di Credi, but also more experienced masters, among whom were Pietro Perugino, Luca Signorelli, Francesco di Simone. Around 1482, the artist left for Venice to work on an equestrian statue of the condottiere Bartolomeo Colleoni. Verrocchio died in Venice in 1488, never having had time to cast it in bronze and without completing the fountain project commissioned by the Hungarian king.
Having experience in a jewelry workshop behind him, Verrocchio turned to painting and sculpture, learning from the example of works of ancient art, as well as his immediate predecessors (primarily Donatello) and contemporaries - Desiderio da Settignano, Alesso Baldovinetti, Sandro Botticelli and Antonio Pollaiolo. He always strove to bring his works to perfection, which often caused delays in the completion of works. Common interests in the scientific knowledge of the world formed the basis of Verrocchio's friendship with his great student -
Verrocchio, Andrea del (Andrea di Michele Choni)
Belonging to the first of these paintings ( "Madonna with Angels") (Currently - Lorenzo di Credi “Madonna and Child with Angels”) one of the most powerful geniuses of the Renaissance, Andrea del Verrocchio (1435 - 1488), sculptor and painter, who initiated Leonardo da Vinci into the secrets of art, raises fundamental doubts. But this rather lifeless picture, approaching the work of a student of Verrocchio Lorenzo di Credi, deserves interest in the proportionality of the parts, characteristic of the last third of the 15th century, as well as some elegant details: the gestures of the musical angels, the pose of the Baby and the successful resolution of the entire compositional problem, inscribed in the correct circle.
Andrea del Verrocchio. Madonna and Child. Canvas, tempera, oil, translated from wood. 75x54 (oval). Inv. 5520. From the collection. A. K. Rudanovsky, St. Petersburg, 1919
From the book of Biographies of the most famous painters, sculptors and architects author Vasari Giorgio From the book Guide to the Art Gallery of the Imperial Hermitage author Benois Alexander Nikolaevich From the book Myths and Truths about Women author Pervushina Elena Vladimirovna From the book Petersburg: did you know that? Personalities, events, architecture author Antonov Viktor Vasilievich From the author's book From the author's book From the author's book From the author's book From the author's book From the author's book From the author's book From the author's book From the author's bookSarto, Andrea Del The feminine lyrics of Andrea del Sarto, who brought some painful tenderness and something Germanic in mood to the Tuscan austerity, speaks about the excellent painted picture of the master Madonna and Child, Saints Catherine, Elizabeth and John
From the author's book From the author's bookMichele Chiesa: from Como to St. Petersburg Keza, Cheza, Chiesa, Chiesa - this is how Chiesa, an Italian stone and square master, who worked in St. Petersburg and its environs for more than 40 years as an assistant to the largest architects of the Baroque and early Classicism, was called differently.
From the author's bookMichele Chiesa: from Como to St. Petersburg 1 RGIA. F. 468. On. 1. D. 3908. L. 52 vol. 2 RGIA. F. 467. Op. 2 (73/187). D. 100. L. 414v.; F. 470. Op. 4. D. 13. L. 1.3 RGADA. F. 10. On. 1. D. 550. L. 252; RGIA. F. 789. On. 1. D. 442. Kuchariants D.A. Antonio Rinaldi // Architects of St. Petersburg. XVIII century. SPb., 1997. S. 430.4 RGADA. F. 10. On. 1. D. 618. L. 157–158.5 RGADA.
Young David. 1473-75 Andrea del Verrocchio
Gershwin
Andrea del Verrocchio (Andrea del Verrocchio, real name Andrea di Michele Cioni - Andrea di Michele Choni, and he took the surname Verocchio from his teacher, the jeweler Verrocchio) (1435, Florence - 1488, Venice) - Italian sculptor and painter of the Renaissance, one of the teachers of Leonardo yes Vinci. The Florentine Andrea Verrocchio belongs to the galaxy of outstanding masters of the Renaissance. This master is, as it were, one of the links between the two periods of great upsurges in the art of sculpture in the Renaissance. Almost equally justified are the views of those who want to see in him a great pioneer who paved the last paths to the art of the "Golden Age", and those who consider him only a skillful follower of Castagno, Baldovinetti and even an imitator of Sandro Botticelli, who was nine years younger Andrea, but advanced in painting before his friend. Verrocchio is the heir to the creators of Renaissance sculpture, that is, the masters of the first half of the century, and the predecessor of the High Renaissance masters, one of whom (Leonardo da Vinci) was a direct student of Verrocchio. Andrea del Verrocchio is known to us mainly as a sculptor. In the documents of the XV century, he is never mentioned as a painter. Few of his paintings have been preserved, and among them the only one that quite reliably belongs to him can be considered only the "Baptism of Christ" in the Florentine Academy. Initially, Andrea was attached to sophisticated decorativeness, as he studied jewelry, he also turned to sculpture, in part because of the fall in demand for jewelry. But it was the hereditary jewelers of the Renaissance, who took up sculpture, had a considerable influence on the development of bronze cast plasticity. They knew how to use chasing and engraving, they knew how to grind metal and understood its specifics, and Verrocchio was one of the best metal connoisseurs. Bronze, with its strength and durability, which makes it possible to finish details with great precision, becomes his main material. In 1465, Verrocchio created a tombstone for Cosimo de' Medici; the master managed to catch and realize the desire of the duke to perpetuate his name. At the end of this work, he found patrons in the person of representatives of the Medici family - it's like buying a lucky lottery ticket.
1465 Andrea del Verrocchio
Tombstone over the grave of Cosimo de' Medici. 1465 Andrea del Verrocchio The "jewellery" of the artist's sculptural style first appeared in his bronze casting that adorns the tomb of Giovanni and Pietro Medici in the church of San Lorenzo in Florence. This early work is an example of exquisite decorativeism.
Tomb of Pietro and Giovanni Medici. 1469-72 Andrea del Verrocchio . Marble, porphyry, bronze. San Lorenzo, Florence. In 1476 Andrea del Verrocchio created statue of David- an elegant bronze statue. It was intended for the Medici villa, but in 1576 Lorenzo and Giuliano transferred it to the Signoria Palace in Florence. The brave young biblical shepherd who defeated the giant and cut off his head is depicted as seeing an elegant, slender young man. With his pose, costume, he resembles a virtuoso dancer from a court ballet rather than a poor shepherd and hero fighter. Verrocchio's skill in arranging the figure and choosing proportions, in finishing surfaces and details is almost of a jeweler's character.
Young David. Detail. 1473-75 Andrea del Verrocchio . Bronze. Bargello Museum, Florence.
Young David. Detail. 1473-75 Andrea del Verrocchio . Bronze. Bargello Museum, Florence.
Young David. Detail. 1473-75 Andrea del Verrocchio . Bronze. Bargello Museum, Florence. Tradition says that "David" was one of the most striking results of the spiritual union of Leonardo da Vinci's student and teacher Andrea del Verrocchio - they say, Leonardo himself posed for her. A kind of half-smile plays on the face of the bronze David, according to the same legend - which later became a distinctive feature of the style of Leonardo da Vinci. In addition to the statue of David, commissioned by Lorenzo Medici, the sculptor made sketches of standards and knightly armor for the tournaments of 1469, 1471 and 1475 and a sculptural composition "Boy with Dolphin" for the fountain of the Villa Medici in Careggi.
Boy with a dolphin. around 1470 Andrea del Verrocchio . Bronze. Palazzo Vecchio, Florence. Verrocchio is also the author of accurate sculptural portraits of Lorenzo and Giuliano Medici, made of terracotta and painted
Lorenzo Medici. 1480 Andrea del Verrocchio . Painted terracotta. National Gallery of Art, Washington.
Giuliano di Piero Medici. 1475-78 Andrea del Verrocchio Terracotta (originally painted) and extremely poetic, gentle, subtle "Portrait of a Woman" 1475 from the National Museum of the Bargello in Florence. This is an extremely simple, without any pretensions and exaggerations - and a very human portrait. With delicate, fragile fingers, a young woman presses a bunch of flowers to her chest. This gives a special femininity and warmth to the image.
Woman with a bouquet. 1475-80s Andrea del Verrocchio . Marble. National Museum of the Bargello, Florence.
Woman with a bouquet. Detail. 1475-80s Andrea del Verrocchio . Marble. National Museum of the Bargello, Florence. and another portrait, in a similar style - very lively, gentle, with its own character:
Young woman. 1465-66 Andrea del Verrocchio . Marble. Frick Collection, New York In the years 1463-1487, Verrocchio completed the sculptural group "Thomas' Persuasion"(1476-1483, Florence, Orsanmichele church; restored in 1986-1993), one of the customers of which was Piero Medici. According to the Gospel of John, Thomas was absent at the first appearance of Jesus Christ to the other apostles and, having learned from them that Jesus had risen from the dead and came to them, he said: "If I do not see in His hands the wounds from the nails, and I will not put my finger into the wounds nails, and I will not put my hand into his side, I will not believe." Appearing Jesus allowed Thomas to put his finger into the wounds (according to some theologians, Thomas refused to do this, while others believe that Thomas touched the wounds of Christ, Thomas believed and said "My Lord and my God!"
Thomas' assurance. 1476-83 Andrea del Verrocchio Bronze. Orsanmichele, Florence.
Thomas' assurance. 1476-83 Andrea del Verrocchio Bronze. Orsanmichele, Florence. In 1482, Verrocchio left for Venice to work on an equestrian statue of the condottiere Bartolomeo Colleoni. In this four - meter equestrian statue of the condottiere Bartolomeo Colleoni in Venice , Verrocchio appears to be in competition with Donatello . In contrast to the stern grandeur of Gattamelatta, Verrocchio embodies in his Colleoni the image of a frantic, battle-ridden military leader. Standing up in his stirrups, the condottiere, as it were, examines the battlefield, ready to rush forward, dragging the troops behind him. His body is tense, his face is distorted by an expression of cruelty and blind rage, everything in his appearance speaks of an indomitable will to win. This interpretation reflected not only the desire for greater showiness of the monument, but also an interest in psychological characteristics, in conveying the state of a warrior at the time of the battle. In essence, what we have before us is not a specific living person, but a conditional image of a "mighty warrior." Renaissance artists diligently studied the real human body, the laws of its structure, proportions and movements. By the end of the 15th century, artists were increasingly engaged in anatomical studies. Knowledge of the structure of the human body from the inside - its bones, tendons, muscles - made it possible to achieve special persuasiveness in the depiction of both naked and dressed figures, their movements. However, such a deepening of artists in the study of the human body had such a side effect as an increase in dryness in the interpretation of plastic masses. Andrea Verrocchio was just one of those who was especially prone to dryish, detailed and precise finishing of the details of the figure, face and costume. As if sensing some danger from this side, he tried to use an emphatically heroic and monumental principle as a counterweight. Bartolomeo Colleone himself embodied in bronze is an Italian condottiere. Quite unprincipled - he served in Milan against Venice, then in Venice against Milan - but all this was quite consistent with the spirit of that time. After the successful conquests made under his leadership, the condottiere bequeathed his fortune to Venice on the condition that after his death a monument would be erected to him in Piazza San Marco (the Venetians had a ban on erecting monuments in the main square of the city). In order to receive a considerable inheritance from Colleoni, who died in 1475, the Venetian authorities cheated by erecting a monument to the commander - exactly the one that Verrocchio created - on the square in front of the Scuola San Marco, next to the church of Santi Giovanni e Paolo .
1481-1495 Andrea del Verrocchio . Bronze. Venice.
Equestrian statue of Bartolomeo Colleoni. 1481-1495 Andrea del Verrocchio . Bronze. Venice. The artist died in Venice in 1488, without completing the statue he had begun. A few paintings by Verrocchio are distinguished by the sharpness and accuracy of the drawing, sculptural modeling of forms (Madonna, circa 1470, Art Gallery, Berlin-Dahlem) and the famous Baptism of Christ from the Uffizi Gallery.
Madonna and Child. 1470s Andrea del Verrocchio . State Museums, Berlin. "Baptism of Christ"- the most famous painting by Verrocchio. It was written in the early 70s. quattrocento, that is, at the end of the Early Renaissance in Italy, and in general is very typical of this era. In the depiction of figures, participants in the baptism scene, one can still feel the influence of the traditions of medieval painting. They appear incorporeal and flat, as if carved from dry hard material. Their movements and gestures are angular and stiff, as if they only move in two dimensions. Facial expressions are abstract and devoid of individuality. These are not living people, but symbolic images, majestic and spiritualized. The landscape in the background lacks perspective and looks like a picturesque scenery. And the landscape, and the figures, and the whole composition seem to be conditional. On the left side of the picture, the figure of an angel involuntarily stands out for its naturalness and ease, written not by Verrocchio, but by his young student Leonardo da Vinci. This angel, so graceful in his kneeling and turning his head, with a deep and radiant look, is a creation of another era - the High Renaissance, a truly golden age of Italian art.
Baptism of Christ. 1472-75 Andrea del Verrocchio . Oil on wood. Uffizi Gallery, Florence.
Baptism of Christ. Detail 1472-75 Andrea del Verrocchio . Oil on wood. Uffizi Gallery, Florence. Quite famous is his painting "Tovy and the Angel" on a very popular plot at the time.
Tobius and the angel. 1470-80s Andrea del Verrocchio . Tempera. National Gallery, London. ...One righteous man named was suffering from an eye disease and was preparing to die. He asked his son Tobius to go to Media and collect some money for him, and the dream with his faithful dog sets off. Tobius did not know the road well and found himself a fellow traveler who agreed to accompany him. Tobius was unaware that the fellow traveler he was fortunate enough to meet was the archangel Raphael. When they approached the Tigris River, Tobius decided to swim, but unexpectedly "the fish began to jump out of the water, as if it wanted to devour him. Then the angel said to him: Take the fish. And the young man lay down, holding the fish with his body and pulled it ashore." Following the instructions of the angel, Tobias fried the fish so that it could be eaten, separating the heart, liver and bile from it, for, as the angel said: "... touching the heart and liver, if the devil or an evil spirit overcomes someone, burn incense before that man or that woman, and then everyone will be at peace. As for bile, then anoint a person with an eyesore with it, and he will be healed. Since Tobias was constantly accompanied by an angel, his journey ended happily. He collected money for his father, and when he returned home, he restored his father's sight. Very convincing, unlike others, Saint Jerome - without the obligatory lion, with a strange smile, surprisingly lively and surprisingly unearthly.
Saint Jerome. 1465 Andrea del Verrocchio Gallery Palatina (Palazzo Pitti), Florence. And an absolutely magnificent drawing, a sketch of a girl's head. Indeed, Leonardo da Vinci learned a lot from his teacher.
Girl's head (sketch) Andrea del Verrocchio Drawing. I would also like to point out the so-called The perfect portrait of Alexander the Great- magnificent, original and extremely finely executed - one of the best examples of the artist's skill - a fantasy helmet, a screaming breastplate, wonderfully finished armor.
Perfect portrait of Alexander the Great. 1480s. Andrea del Verrocchio . Marble. Private collection. As already mentioned, Verrocchio died in Venice in 1488, without having had time to cast it in bronze and without completing the fountain project commissioned by the Hungarian king. I like Verrocchio. That's his dryness and abstractness, almost blamed on him, and he likes it. Jewelry precision. grace. Some kind of ease. Maybe introversion. With all the signs of the early Renaissance, he still stands somehow on his own - he does not climb out of his skin, does not climb into the eyes, but cannot go unnoticed. Almost all of his works can be called the best and highlight something - just randomly snatch one of the best from the other best. Look at the Portrait of a girl, in her opinion - he is! - and it would seem with empty eyes! On St. Jerome glowing with a strange light, on a proud and implacable condottiere - is it easy to choose one thing?
Andrea del Verrocchio (Italian: Andrea del Verrocchio), present. name Andrea di Michele Choni (Italian Andrea di Michele Cioni; 1435, Florence, Republic of Florence - October 10, 1488, Venice, Republic of Venice) - sculptor and painter of the Renaissance, representative of the Florentine school. Among his students are Sandro Botticelli, Pietro Perugino, Leonardo da Vinci and Lorenzo di Credi.
Andrea del Verrocchio was born and worked in Florence. He received his name (“from Verrocchio”) from his teacher, the jeweler Verrocchio. He specialized in sculpture, but also turned to painting.
In the era of the Early Renaissance, artists worked almost exclusively on orders, so at that time the role of patrons was great. This practice was especially widespread in 15th-century Florence, where art workshops carried out any orders of patrons - from painting dishes to architectural projects. Verrocchio was known as an unsurpassed decorator and director of court festivities.
In 1465 he created the tomb of Cosimo de' Medici (1389-1464). In 1467-1483 he worked on the sculptural composition "Assurance of Thomas" for the church of Orsanmichele.
A student who wanted to become an artist first became an apprentice to a master, and only after six years of study could he establish his own workshop. Among the students of Verrocchio in his studio were such masters of the Renaissance as Sandro Botticelli, Pietro Perugino and Leonardo da Vinci - according to legend, it was he who posed for the teacher for the statue of David (1476), on whose face a kind of half-smile plays, which later became a distinctive feature of the artist's style. The graceful statue, made of bronze, has become a symbol of the humanistic Renaissance culture. It was intended for the Medici villa, which Bartolomeo Ammanati began to build in Rome, commissioned by Ferdinando Medici, but Lorenzo and Giuliano transferred it to the Signoria Palace in Florence.
In 1479, Verrocchio participated in a competition announced by the Venetian Republic for the execution of an equestrian statue of the condottiere Bartolomeo Colleoni (1400-1475), intended for the Piazza San Zanipolo. Verrocchio made a sketch sculpture in wood and won a competition in 1483. Having received the commission, he began work in his workshop on a wax model, and in 1486 he came to Venice to oversee the casting of a bronze statue. Without completing what he started, the artist died there on October 10, 1488. According to his will, the statue was to be cast by his student, the Florentine Lorenzo di Credi - however, the city council handed over the work to the Venetian Alessandro Leopardi, who also participated in the competition - who completed the work in 1496.
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