Andrea del Sarto

Andrea del Sarto
he Italian painter Andrea del Sarto (whose original name was Andrea d'Agnolo di Francesco di Luca di Paolo del Migliore) was born on July 16, 1486 in Gualfonda, Florence, as the son of the tailor Angelo die Francesco, for which he received the epithet Sarto (= tailor). Del Sarto was a goldsmith apprentice.
His drawing skills attracted the attention of an unknown artist, who instructed Andrea del Sarto in painting and later sent him to Piero di Cosimo. As his student, he was influenced by the great masters of High Renaissance.
In 1506 Andrea del Sarto set up a joint workshop with Franciabigio. From 1508 to 1514 he painted his main works, frescoes depicting the life of Philippus Benizzi, the worship of the kings and Mary's birth, in the atrium and the cloisters of the Servite church Sant'Annunziata in Florence.
Around 1511 Andrea del Sarto painted a gray on gray fresco of the Baptism of Christ for the brotherhood in the Chiostro dello Scalzo. From 1515 to 1526 he continued his cycle, depicting scenes from the life of John the Baptist. Among his best pieces are numerous chalk and red chalk drawings. Andrea del Sarto's works are refreshingly natural, he is striving to present manifold characteristic features and his works are marked by skillful arrangements and groupings, harmonious coloration and a graceful composition in combination with clever drawing.
Andrea del Sarto died on January 22, 1531 in Florence as an important exponent of Italian Renaissance painting.