The Life of Perugino             

            Pietro Perugino was born in Cittá della Pieve in 1448¹. Perugino fell in love with art since he had been a little kid, and he was influenced by another well known artist; Verrocchio. He became a painter and a master who taught at the Umbria School near Perugia.² One of the best artists of the High Renaissance is Raphael, who in fact was a student of Perugino.

            Perugino was given many commission opportunities to make his art well known. One of his most famous commissions he got offered was from Pope Sixtus IV to paint a fresco on the walls of the Sistine Chapel. He painted many murals along the wall including: The Baptism of Jesus, Handing over the Keys to Peter, and The Last Judgment.³

            Perugino was a well known man throughout Renaissance history, even after he died in1523 as, “The man who painted Umbria.”⁴ He used six heroes that influenced him which in turn influenced others who looked at his painting. The six heroes influenced the Greek/ Roman Culture in many ways. He was looked up to by many and helped create many other famous artist such as Raphael.

Fortitude and Temperance with Six Ancient Heroes

            Fortitude and Temperance with Six Ancient Heroes was painted by Perugino in 1496 until 1497. It was painted in Perugia at the Collegio del Cambio, in the Audience Hall (Sala dell’Udienza), under an arch on the wall. This fresco he painted stands to be 291cm by 400cm.⁵ Perugino choose six different heroes and by bringing them together he was able to represent his values of the Renaissance.

The two figures sitting above the heroes on the clouds represent Fortitude and Temperance (left to right); Fortitude meaning the strength to face difficulty or hardship and Temperance meaning self-restraint over one’s actions. There are six heroes that are strong representatives of Greek/Roman battles. The first hero from the left is Lucius Sicinus.⁶ When war broke out with the Sabines he was one of the bravest commanders that lead the Romans and fought in 120 wars. The second hero from the left is Leonidas the Spartan.⁷ He fought in the battle of Thermopylae and is known for his battle skills and being a strategist king and fearless commander. The hero third from the left is Horatius Coclite.⁸ He fought the Etruscans alone because his army fled leaving him alone, but he fought anyways to protect the Etruscans from invading Rome. The hero fourth from the left is Scipio.⁹ He was a Roman General who conquered Hannibal in the Punic Wars. He conquered New Carthage (Cartagena) and used the city to his advantage and within several years he had conquered Spain. The fifth hero from the left is Pericles.¹⁰ Pericles turned the Delian League into an Athenian empire and led them in the first two years of the Peloponnesian War. Last but not least in line from the left is Cincinnatus.¹¹ Cincinnatus was thought of as a model of Roman virtue. The Romans appointed him dictator against the invading Aequi and he defeated them.

Renaissance Values

            There are many physical characteristics in this painting that jump out as having renaissance values. Perugino used light and dark in this painting. He made the sky in the background light in order to create a better picture by making the heroes really pop out of the painting. Going along with light and dark, came the brighter more vivid colors of the heroes clothing that really helped to make them stand out even more.

            The painting has materialistic matters along with some spiritual matters but it is mostly materialistic. The spiritual matter is the little angels flying around in the sky above the heroes. However the materialistic matter is mainly about the war and bravery that all those heroes have fought through to keep their people and culture safe.

When he painted Fortitude and Temperance, he created it under a round arch. Round arches are a characteristic of Greek and Roman times before the Renaissance. However this shows classical antiquity because they adopted this characteristic and kept that tradition of their culture alive. Not only was the Renaissance a birth of new ideas but it was also a way to preserve and understand their culture. Another thing that represents taking ideas from the Greek/Roman times and using them again was the Greek/Roman heroes. These Greek/Roman heroes  had great importance and value to their time.

             Their clothing and weapons also represent values and individualism about each and every hero in this painting. They are all wearing armor, helmets, robes, weapons, etc. but they all are different because they represent different times and and battles. Perugino used individualism in his painting by choosing these six different heroes and bringing them together to represent his values of the Renaissance. Perugino didn't just choose random heroes from the past, he thought through and chose the heroes that not only influenced him but he believed the they would influence others as well. All of the heroes that he chose are either generals or commanders that fought bravely and won battles for their community. They were all known for their bravery and fighting skills that helped them achieve their goals. All of the heroes influenced their culture by expanding their empires and creating new empires. They all became role models that are still looked looked up upon today for their achievements.

             Since the heroes influenced Perugino he created a painting that in turn influenced everyone else in present time to remember the amazing heroes in the past that preserved their cultures from being destroyed or converted to new believes. 

 Bibliography

    Becherer, Joseph A. "Pietro Perugino." Olga's Diary. 1997. 12 Jan. 2007 <http://www.abcgallery.com/P/perugino/peruginobio.html>.

    Brewer, Cobham. "Achilles of Rome." Infoplease. 1894. 20 Jan. 2007 <http://www.infoplease.com/dictionary/brewers/achilles-rome.html>.

    Condita, Ab U. "Cincinnatus." Wikipedia. 15 Oct. 2006. 19 Jan. 2007 <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cincinnatus>.

    Devi, Savitri. "Leonidas the Spartan." Racial Nationalist Library. 2007. 17 Jan. 2007 <http://library.flawlesslogic.com/leonidas.htm>.

    Franklin, David. Painting in Renaissance Florence. New Haven: Yale UP, 2001. 5-10.

    Morris, Charles. "Historical Tales: Roman." The Bladwin Project. 2000. 19 Jan. 2007 http://www.mainlesson.com/display.php?author=morris&book=roman&story=virginia.

    Turner, Jane. "Pietro Perugino." The Dictionary of Art. 24th ed. 34 vols. United Kindom: Macmillan Limited, 1996.

N/A.  "Pietro Perugino Gallery." Art.Com. 2007. 15 Jan. 2007 <http://www.art.com>.

    Wilkins, George. "Pericles." Wikipedia. 2007. 18 Jan. 2007 <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pericles>.

    N/A.  "Scipio Afracanus Major." Infoplease. 2007. 18 Jan. 2007 <http://www.infoplease.com/ce6/people/A0844075.html>.

    N/A.  "The Works of Perugino." Galleria Nazionale Dell' Umbria. 18 Jan. 2007 <http://www.gallerianazionaleumbria.it/Perugino_lista.asp>.

http://ancienthistory.about.com/od/rulersleaderskings/p/Cincinnatus.htm

Endnotes

¹  Olga's Diary, Joseph A. Becherer.  1997. 12 Janurary 2007 <http://www.abcgallery.com/P/perugino/peruginobio.html>.

²  David Franklin, Painting in Renaissance Florence (New Haven: Yale UP, 2001) 5-10.

³  Olga's Diary, Joesph A. Becherer. <http://www.abcgallery.com/P/perugino/peruginobio.html>.

⁴  Olga's Diary, Joesph A. Becherer. <http://www.abcgallery.com/P/perugino/peruginobio.html>.

⁵  The Works of Perugino, N/A. 2006. 18 January 2007 <http://www.gallerianazionaleumbria.it/Perugino_lista.asp>.

http://ancienthistory.about.com/od/rulersleaderskings/p/Cincinnatus.htm.

⁶  Achilles of Rome, Cobham Brewer. 1894. 22 January 2007 <http://www.infoplease.com/dictionary/brewers/achilles-rome.html>.

⁷ Leonidas The Spartan, Savitri Devi. 2007, Racial Nationalist Library. 17 January 2007 <http://library.flawlesslogic.com/leonidas.htm>.

⁹  Scipio Afracanus Major, N/A. 2007. 18 January 2007 <http://www.infoplease.com/ce6/people/A0844075.html>.

¹⁰  Pericles, George Wilkins. 2007. 18 January 2007 <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pericles>.

¹¹  Cincinnatus, Ab U. Condita. 2006. 19 January 2007 <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cincinnatus>.