Name Defendente Ferrari | Died 1540 | |
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Artwork Enthroned Virgin and Child, with Saints John the Evangelist, Catherine of Alexandria, and Anthony Abbot, and a Saint Reading a Book | ||
Edith Gabrielli, conferenza stampa su Defendente Ferrari, ottobre 2010.MOV
Defendente Ferrari (c. 1480/1485 – c. 1540) was an Italian painter active in Piedmont. His work marks the transition from late Gothic traditions to Renaissance art in the region.
Contents
- Edith Gabrielli conferenza stampa su Defendente Ferrari ottobre 2010MOV
- TORINO Duomo Cappella di S Crispino e Crispiniano di G MARTINO SPANZOTTI e DEFENDENTE FERRARI
- Life and work
- Selected works
- References
TORINO - Duomo - Cappella di S Crispino e Crispiniano di G. MARTINO SPANZOTTI e DEFENDENTE FERRARI
Life and work
Ferrari was born at Chivasso, near Turin. Here he trained and initially worked in the workshop of Giovanni Martino Spanzotti. Spanzotti had been the pre-eminent painter in western Piedmont after moving to Chivasso c. 1502. Many works previously thought to have been by Spanzotti are now attributed to Defendente.
Defendente achieved considerable success as a painter of polyptychs and altarpieces. He painted a number of nocturnal scenes such as the Nativity in Nocturnal Light (1510, Museo Civico d'Arte Antica di Torino).
He left a number of signed and dated works. His work developed away from its initial harsh style following Gothic traditions towards the use of more fluid brushstrokes and the creation of soft, dense highlights more in line with Renaissance painting. His style seems to indicate that he may have known the work of northern European artists such as Rogier van der Weyden, while his later work shows the influence of Macrino d'Alba.
Selected works
