Andrea del
Castaño

Florentine painter of the early Renaissance, was born in Castagniers in 1423.

Many of the works of Castagno, executed in fresco technique, are located in the former monastery of St. Apollonia in Florence: the last Supper, two of the Crucifixion and several figures depicting the great people of Florence and their legendary predecessors. The fresco of the equestrian portrait of niccolò da Tolentino (1456) is located in the interior of the Cathedral of Florence in front of the portrait of Sir John Hawkwood work P. Uccello. Among the few works in tempera, attributed to Castagno, two are in the National gallery of Washington is David, written on a leather shield, and a waist portrait of a man. Castagno died in 1457.

He was born in 1423 in the village of castaño. When he was 8 years old, from an accidental fire burned down his house, the fire killed his father. Perhaps, an unwitting perpetrator of this fire was Andrea himself, as later on one of his works he has depicted himself in the image of Saint Julian the Hospitable, penitents of patricide.

Real name Andrea di Bertoldi of Bargilla (Andrea di Bartolodi Bargilla). In his youth he painted a mural Cosima de ' Medici (who was hanged during the rebellion), the Palazzo del Podestà in Venice. In 1442 he painted a mural in the Holy Zechariah, where, together with Francesco da, Faenzi put the signature and date.

The first significant work was "the last supper" in the refectory of the monastery of St. Apollonia, and three scenes of "Sufferings of Christ" (now located in Castagno Museum, Florence).

In 1451 continues a mural at the San Egidio launched earlier by Domenico Veneziano.

The Villa Carducci of Pandolfini in 1450 the artist creates a series of portraits of "Famous men and women" (now located in Castagno Museum, Florence). Series ordered in June 1449. It depicts three Florentine military commander, three famous women and three of the poet. After the death of the customer the Villa was sold in October of 1451.

The famous art historian Giorgio Vasari accused by Andrea del Castagno in the murder out of jealousy of his teacher and patron of Domenico Veneziano (who actually survived his disciple for a few years). This legend became so famous that many of Andrea's been painted over, and his name is subjected to oblivion. Only at the end of the XIX century under a layer of paint was discovered some of his frescoes, after which his name was returned to the history of art.

Died in 1457 in Florence.