PERUGINO, PIETRO

Perugino, Pietro: translation

(Pietro Vannucci; c. 1445-1523)

Italian painter credited with bringing Perugia out of artistic obscurity; the teacher ofRaphael. The details of Perugino's training are unknown, though it possibly took place inFlorence, as indicated by the fact that in 1472 he was listed as a member of the Florentine Company ofSt.Luke, a fraternity of painters. In 1475, he is documented back in Perugia and in 1481 he had acquired enough of a reputation to have been called by PopeSixtus IVtoRometo work on the wallfrescoesin theSistine Chapel. Art historians believe that Perugino may have been put in charge of directing the commission. Of the scenes he contributed, hisChrist Giving the Keys of the Kingdom of Heaven toSt.Peter(1482) represents one of the most successful frescoes in the chapel. He also contributed anAssumption of the Virgin, destroyed whenMichelangelocreated hisLast Judgment(1536-1541) on the altar wall. The first shows the moment when Christ commands St. Peter to establish the first Christian church in Rome and the papacy, visually verbalizing the concept of the pope's Godgiven right to rule since Peter received the appointment directly from Christ. The second, known through a drawing in the Albertina in Vienna by one of Perugino's assistants, showed Sixtus IV kneeling in front of theVirgin, his papal tiara prominently displayed at his side.Also at his side, St. Peter presented him to the Virgin, his keys touching the pontiff on the shoulder to again assert the divine nature of the papal office.

Perugino rendered hisCrucifixion(1481; Washington, National Gallery) a year earlier, a work that bears the influence of Early Netherlandish art and, in particular, that ofHans Memlinc. The pale, delicate figure types, the undulating drapery worn by Christ, and the emphasis on every minute detail emulate Memlinc's style. The scene is calm, with figures passively witnessing the event—an image that invites contemplation. One of the characteristics of Perugino's art is his use of stock figures in an exaggerated sway that he repeated over and over. HisMary Magdalenin this painting echoes the pose ofSt.Johndown to the last detail. Also characteristic of Perugino is the plunging landscape in the center background. All of these elements also form part of hisPazzi Crucifixion(1494-1496) in the Church of Santa Maria Maddalena dei Pazzi, Florence, except that here Perugino included threeclassicalarches to separate the witnessing saints from the crucified Christ and mourning Virgin. Perugino also turned to Memlinc for inspiration when engaging in portraiture. His portraitFrancesco delle Opere(1494; Florence,Uffizi), of a Florentine craftsman, utilizes a formula often found in the Northern master's art that includes an unidealized half figure with face and hands emphasized, one hand resting on a parapet, and the other holding an object—here a scroll with the Latin mottoTimete Deum(Fear God).

Among Perugino's late works are theVirgin Adoring the Child with St.Michael and Tobias and the Angel(c. 1499; London, National Gallery) commissioned for the Certosa di Pavia, theVirgin and Childat the Washington National Gallery (1501), and theMarriage of the Virgin(1500-1504; Caen, Musée des Beaux-Arts) for the Cathedral of Perugia where Mary's wedding ring is housed. In this late phase, Perugino's figures adopt a dreamy quality, achieved by softening the contours and rounding and shading the eyes with earth tones. His style in these works so influenced his pupil Raphael that it is sometimes difficult to tell their works apart. In fact, Raphael might not have achieved the visual beauty of his figures and backdrops had it not been for the lessons he learned from Perugino.