Giorgio Vasari was a painter, architect, and writer during the Late Renaissance period. He achieved many great things as an artist and his contributions to the art world are undeniable.
When Vasari was 16 years old, Silvio Passerini the Cardinal of Cortona visited his school. Vasari stood out to the Cardinal due to his impressive recitation of Virgil’s Aeneid (c. 19 BCE).
In 1550, Vasari released The Lives of the Most Eminent Sculptors, Painters, and Architects. The book gave detailed biographies of famous Renaissance artists, with an emphasis on Florentine art.
For Vasari, architecture was a passion he began to pursue a bit later in his life. Although he had always been interested in it, he only took up formal studies in architecture in his late 20s.
Vasari was an artist who used Mannerism frequently in his paintings. To see this, one can turn to paintings such as The Holy Family with Saint John (c. 1540).
He was a well-read and highly educated man. Thus, his paintings often portrayed commentary and moral lessons via references to Greek and Roman antiquity.
There are numerous art galleries where one can go view Giorgio Vasari’s paintings, although the best place to view the artist’s work is in his own home. Vasari purchased the home in 1541.
Vasari was an avid believer that the Renaissance began in Tuscany. Thus, he painted Six Tuscan Poets in 1544 in order to distinguish the region as one of high intellect and culture.
The Uffizi Gallery, also known as the Galleria delgi Uffizi, is situated in Florence, Italy. It is an art gallery which was designed by Vasari and comissioned by the Medici family.