Vittorio Sgarbi's Mantegna

Art critic, historian, writer, politician and professional provocateur, Vittorio Sgarbi takes a fresh critical look at the life and work of Andrea Mantegna, in this splendid new tribute published on the fifth centenary anniversary of the great master's death.
Andrea Mantegna was born between 1430 and 1431 at Isola di Carturo (Padua, Italy). He was Francesco Squarcione's pupil in Padua, and as a mere seventeen year old he worked on the decoration of the Ovetari Chapel in the Eremitani Church, also in Padua. Over the next few years he worked on the San Luca Polyptych and the San Zeno Altarpiece. In 1460 he moved to Mantua and the court of the Gonzaga where he remained until his death in 1506, working on some of his most celebrated works, including the Camera degli Sposi (literally "wedding chamber") with its famous ceiling oculus, which shows a beautifully painted sky from which figures and animals look down at the viewer.
In an engaging and informed text, Vittorio Sgarbi explores in detail Mantegna's life and compelling work. The author sets a richly detailed stage for the first truly Renaissance artist of Northern Italy, credited with inventing the techniques of foreshortening and spatial illusionism.