Sandro Botticelli

Italian painter Sandro Botticelli was one of the foremost talked-about artists during the early Italian Renaissance, well-known for his portrayal of the female figure. Even throughout the changes of his subjects -- from the whimsical pagan mythologies to the reverent Christian ideologies -- Botticelli was a master of his art. His personalized style was captured in each work, all elegantly executed on canvas with the influence of his patrons and the humanist thinkers.

Botticelli was born under the name Alessandro di Mariano Filipepi in Florence (Gietmann, 1907). His early years were slightly obscure, though it has been said that he derived his name (which meant "little barrel") from either Botticelli, a goldsmith, who was also Alessandro's master, or from his older brother ("Sandro," 2009). The artist was apprenticed around 13 or 14 years of age by Filippo Lippi, whose style defined his earlier works. Lippi's style was particularly...
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