Knights of Art: Stories of the Italian Painters — John Shaqi
Knights of Art: Stories of the Italian PaintersSteedman, Amy
General
Knights of Art: Stories of the Italian Painters
Steedman, Amy
Art -- Juvenile literature; Painters -- Italy
There was no fear of Filippino ever wandering about the Florentine
streets cold and hungry as his father had done. And his training was
very different too. Instead of the convent and the kind monks, he was
placed under the care of a great painter, and worked in the master's
studio with other boys as well off as himself.
The name of Filippino's master was Sandro Botticelli, a Florentine
artist, who had been one of Filippo's pupils and had worked with him in
Prato. Fra Diamante knew that he was the greatest artist now in
Florence, and that he would be able to teach the child better than any
one else.
Filippino was a good, industrious boy, and had none of the faults which
had so often led his father into so much mischief and so many strange
adventures. His boyhood passed quietly by and he learned all that his
master could teach him, and then began to paint his own pictures.
Strangely enough, his first work was to paint the walls of the Carmille
Chapel--that same chapel where Filippo and Diamante had learned their
lessons, and had gazed with such awe and reverence on Masaccio's work.
The great painter, Ugly Tom, was dead, and there were still parts of
the chapel unfinished, so Filippino was invited to fill the empty
spaces with his work. No need for the new prior to warn this young
painter against the sin of painting earthly pictures. The frescoes
which daily grew beneath Filippino's hands were saintly and beautiful.
The tall angel in flowing white robes who so gently leads St. Peter out
of the prison door, shines with a pure fair light that speaks of
Heaven. The sleeping soldier looks in contrast all the more dull and
heavy, while St. Peter turns his eyes towards his gentle guide and
folds his hands in reverence, wrapped in the soft reflected light of
that fair face. And on the opposite wall, the sad face of St. Peter
looks out through the prison bars, while a brother saint stands
outside, and with uplifted hand speaks comforting words to the poor
prisoner.
By slow degrees the chapel walls were finished, and after that there
was much work ready for the young painter's hand. It is said that he
was very fond of studying old Roman ornaments and painted them into his
pictures whenever it was possible, and became very famous for this kind
of work. But it is the beauty of his Madonnas and angels that makes us
love his pictures, and we like to think that the memory of his gentle
mother taught him how to paint those lovely faces.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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