Paolo Uccello

Paolo Uccello was one of the foremost artists of the early Italian Renaissance, lengendary for his pioneering use of perspective, the humanist, intellectual themes of his work, his vivid and original imagery, and his wit. Yet, few major artists of the Renaissance have remained so elusive to modern scholars. This study looks beyond the romantic myth of the solitary artist created by Vasari in the sixteenth century, to document Uccello as an historical figure, to identify his works on the basis of archival evidence, style, and technique, rather than tradition, and to interpret his imagery in the light of the religious, social, political, and aesthetic concerns of the Florentine Republic in the fifteenth century. It also investigates the circumstances of his workshops, and describes the materials and technique that made him one of the most admired artists of his generation. Included are a comprehensive catalogue raisonn¿ of his works and a compilation of the documents concerning Uccello from his lifetime.