Lorenzo Monaco

Piero di Giovanni known as Lorenzo Monaco (His, 1370 - Florence, 1424) is a monk, a painter and an Italian miniaturist of the school florentine.

Biography

If it is Sienan of birth its formation is florentine, in the purest giottesque tradition and sensitive to work of Spinello Aretino and Agnolo Gaddi.

In 1390-1391, it is made monk Benedictine camaldolese with the monastery Florentin de Sainte Marie of the Angels where it works as miniaturist in scriptorium and painter on panel, while at the time devoting itself like the major painter of the subjects crowned to Florence. It paints more sporadically with fresco and its major work in this technique is the decoration of the vault of the Bartolini family to the basilica Santa Trinita.

In 1404, its style is directed towards the Gothic blazing known as late. In his many retables at gilded bottom, one finds a style characteristic of the sinuous movements of the figures and draped, brilliant colors and very rich person (gold profusion and blue of Lapis-lazuli), original architectural compositions.

In spite of its reclusion monacale, its achievements show a certain knowledge of the innovations of the time, Sienan painting and Scandinavian painting.

He will be the last important representative of the giottesque style, before the revolution rebirth of FRA Angelico (its pupil, who will eclipse the Master) and Masaccio.

Works

Its works are in all the museums of the world, with beautiful collections with the Galleria dell' Accademia of Florence and with the National Gallery of London.

Madonna collar Bambini E santi (1395-1402)
Retable of the Crowning of the Virgin (c.1407-9) monastery camaldolese
Episodes of the life of saint Benoit (c.1407-9)
Nativity The Nativity (1409), prédelle
Retable of the Crowning of the Virgin (1414) Santa Maria degli Angeli
Worship of the magi (1422)

Many Codex, the support dedicated to the miniatures, is preserved at the Bibliothèque Laurentienne.

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