Who? del Verrocchio? Who was that? Maybe you’ve heard of this Italian sculptor, painter, and goldsmith, but his name was new to me. So was the fact that Leonardo da Vinci studied under this master. There are very few paintings that can be attributed to him with certainty, but he is known to have created the magnificent statue of Bartolomeo Colleoni, located in Venice.
In addition to Leonardo da Vinci, a number of other artists were apprentices at his workshop in Florence. This is one reason why it has been difficult to authenticate many of his paintings. According to Wikipedia, many of these early apprentice works were very similar to Verrochio’s own style. You can read more here.
The website “All About Leonardo” adds this information:
Leonardo da Vinci started his career with his master Andrea del Verrocchio. His father Piero sent him to work with the artist when he realized his son’s great potential at an early age. Andrea del Verrocchio was already a well-established artist in Tuscany. Verrocchio taught Leonardo painting and sculpting techniques. Verrocchio used Leonardo as an aid and even a featuring artist on his works. Andrea del Verrocchio shaped and very much helped create one of the greatest minds this world has ever seen. Leonardo and Verrocchio have very similar styles and it is clearly evident in Leonardo’s works that the two worked closely together early in his career. Leonardo’s early work in Florence mostly consisted of helping Verrocchio with his works.
Today’s “art quiz” question provided me with a double dose of new art information, teaching me more about Leonardo da Vinci and introducing me to Andrea del Verrocchio. I enjoyed all I learned. I hope you enjoyed the quiz, too.
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