Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Although nothing else of scale remains from the Gothic period, the era's highly decor-
ative tradition, love of naturalism and representation of an anecdotal character captured
the northern imagination and resonate across the centuries. Men like Grassi were forerun-
ners to the burgeoning Renaissance talent of Stefano da Verona (c 1379-1438), Gentile da
Fabriano (c 1370-1427) and the great Pisanello (1395-1455), who worked at the courts of
Verona, Ferrara, Mantua, Milan, Rome and Naples. Pisanello foreshadowed the coming
brilliance of the Renaissance with his naturalistic style so wonderfully captured in his
fresco
St George and the Princess of Trebizond
in Verona's church of Sant'Anastasia, and
the graphic cartoons in Mantua's Palazzo Ducale.
Cremonese Sofonisba Anguissola (c 1561-1625) was one of the few professional female artists of the
16th century. She set a precedent for women to be accepted as students of art and she pursued an inter-
national career at the royal court in Madrid. Despite two marriages she worked as a professional artist
her whole life, until she died aged 93 in 1625.
