Origins & Early Life

Andrea Mantegna (UK: , US: ; Italian: [anˈdrɛːa manˈteɲɲa]; c. 1431 – September 13, 1506) was an Italian Renaissance painter, a student of Roman archaeology, and the son-in-law of Jacopo Bellini. Like other artists of the time, Mantegna experimented with perspective, e.g. by lowering the horizon in order to create a sense of greater monumentality.

Pivotal Works & Achievements

His flinty, metallic landscapes, and somewhat stony figures give evidence of a fundamentally sculptural approach to painting. He also led a workshop that was the leading producer of prints in Venice before 1500. Mantegna was born in Isola di Carturo, close to Padua, in the Venetian Republic. He was the second son of a carpenter, Biagio. At the age of 11, he became apprenticed to Paduan painter Francesco Squarcione.

Enduring Legacy & Impact

Squarcione, whose original profession was tailoring, appears to have had a remarkable enthusiasm for ancient art, and a faculty for acting. Like his famous compatriot Petrarca, Squarcione was an ancient Rome enthusiast: he traveled in Italy, and perhaps also in Greece, collecting antique statues, reliefs, vases, etc., making his own drawings from them, then making available his collection...

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