1474
Portrait of a Young Gentleman
Antonello da Messina (Antonello di Giovanni di Michele de Antonio)Italian (active Messina, Naples, and Venice), first securely documented 1456, died 1479
Antonello da Messina transformed the Renaissance portrait in paintings like this one, in which the face emerges from the dark background and the sitter’s steady gaze confronts the viewer. He created this composition shortly before traveling to Venice, where his work greatly influenced Giovanni Bellini (Italian, first documented 1459, died 1516), who is considered the founder of Venetian Renaissance art.
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