Sandro Botticelli

The greatest Italian Renaissance artist Sandro (Alessandro) Botticelli was born on March 1, 1445 in Florence. As a young man, he worked as an assistant in the jewelry workshop of one of his brothers, but already in the early 1460s he began to study painting with Fra Filippo Lippi.

In 1467, Botticelli opened his own workshop. By 1475 he had become a well-known and sought-after master.

Botticelli predominantly painted frescoes and paintings for churches. He was invited to create interior paintings for the villa of Lorenzo Medici. At this time, the artist created three of his most famous paintings: "Spring" (1482), "Venus and Mars" (1483) and "The Birth of Venus" (1482-1486).

The next famous work of Botticelli was the painting of the Sistine Chapel in Rome (1481). Returning to his homeland, in the early 80s, the artist painted a number of religious paintings: "Adoration of the Magi" (1478-1482), "Madonna Magnificat" (1481-1485), "Annunciation" (1485) and others.

This period became "golden" in the work of the painter, followed by the difficult years of oblivion. During the reign of the monk Girolamo Savonarola, who despised Botticelli, the artist's number of orders dropped sharply. As a result, Sandro had to abandon his trademark bright style and paint mainly religious subjects in restrained colors.

Only after the death of Savonarola, Botticelli again created a real masterpiece - the canvas "Mystical Nativity" (1500). It became one of the last known works of the artist, who died on May 17, 1510 at the age of 66 in Florence.