Andrea Mantegna

Italian, about 1431–1506

BiographyHe was an influential artist with a precise, seemingly sculptural painting style that reflects influences of classical art and architecture. He was best known for bold and innovative use of perspective and foreshortening; he experimented with composition and media. Mantegna's date of birth is assumed, based on an altarpiece inscription with the date 1448 and a note that the artist was 17 at the time. He was probably born at Isola di Carturo, near Padua, where the birth of his brother Tommaso was documented. His father Biagio was a carpenter. At the age of eleven, Mantegna entered the workshop of Francesco Squarcione, who legally adopted him after the death of his father. At seventeen, Mantegna won his independence from Squarcione after bringing him to court for exploitation and fraud.