Andrea del Castagno

Andrea del Castagno (1421?-1457), Florentine painter of the early Renaissance. Originally named Andrea di Bartolo di Bargilla, he was born in Castagno, near Florence, Italy. Except for a brief period in Venice about 1442, Andrea worked in Florence. There he chiefly painted frescoes for the church and for the Medici and other rich families. Particularly outstanding are the Last Supper and a series on the Passion of Christ painted for the convent of Sant'Apollonia (both 1445?-1450, Sant'Apollonia, now the Castagno Museum). The influence of the Florentine painter Masaccio is seen in Andrea's broad, solid figures and the emotional intensity expressed in both posture and face. The architectural backgrounds, including columns, stairs, and windows, display Andrea's skill in the then-new science of perspective.

The graceful sculpture of the Florentine artist Donatello increasingly influenced Andrea's later work. Notable late pieces include Famous Men and Women, a series of nine works for the Villa Carducci at Legnaia (1450?, Castagno Museum) and the equestrian fresco Niccolò da Tolentino, a portrait of the military leader (1456, Florence Cathedral). See Renaissance Art and Architecture.