Simone Martini

Style: Gothic; Gothic Art;

Place: Siena

Born: 1284

Death: 1344

Biography:

Biography of a Pivotal Figure in the International Gothic Style

, born around 1284 in Siena, Italy, was a pivotal figure in early Italian painting and significantly influenced the development of the International Gothic style. This renowned artist's life is marked by his contributions to the art world, despite the scarcity of documentation on his personal life.

Early Life and Training

It is thought that Simone Martini was a pupil of Duccio di Buoninsegna, the leading Sienese painter of his time. However, some art historians, including Giorgio Vasari, suggest that he was instead a pupil of Giotto di Bondone. Martini's brother-in-law was fellow artist Lippo Memmi.

Notable Works and Style

's style is characterized by its soft, decorative features and sinuous lines, offering a contrast to the more sober and monumental Florentine art. His major works include:

• Saint Louis of Toulouse Crowning His Brother Robert of Anjou (1317), now in the Museo di Capodimonte, Naples
• Saint Catherine of Alexandria Polyptych in Pisa (1319)
• Annunciation with St. Margaret and St. Ansanus at the Uffizi in Florence (1333)
• Frescoes in the San Martino Chapel in the lower church of the Basilica of San Francesco d'Assisi

Legacy and Influence

's legacy is cemented as a master of early Italian painting, significantly influencing the development of the International Gothic style. His relationship with Petrarch in Avignon led to references in Petrarch's sonnets to a portrait of Laura de Noves that Martini supposedly painted for the poet. View more works by Simone Martini on Wikioo.org:

• The Angel of the Annunciation 1
• Madonna and Child 2

• Italian Renaissance Painting on Wikipedia
• The Museum Museo della Consolazione (Altomonte, Italy) on Wikioo.org