PONTORMO (Jacopo Carucci)
Pontormo (Empoli) 1494-Florence 1557
Circa 1506 Pontormo, who was orphaned as a youth,
moved to Florence, where he trained in the studios of
Leonardo da Vinci, Piero di Cosimo, Mariotto Alberti-
nelli, and Andrea del Sarto. Youthful works including
the Visitation of 1514-1 6 (Florence, SS. Annunziata) re-
flect the High Renaissance classicism of Sarto and Fra
Bartolommeo. As early as 1518, in the Madonna and Child
with Saints in San Michèle Visdomini, Florence, Pontor-
mo s art became increasingly complex and disturbing in
form and feeling, signaling the beginning of the Man-
nerist style in Italy. His study of Michelangelo and the
prints of Durer further influenced his development of a
highly personal, idiosyncratic style. The ambiguous
composition and elongated, restless figures of the De-
position of 1526-28 in Santa Felicita, Florence, represent
the culmination of this development. Pontormo re-
ceived Medici patronage throughout his career, includ-
ing a commission for the early fresco decorations (1520)
of the family's country villa at Poggio a Caiano. Between
1546 and 1556 he painted the biblical scenes in the choir
of the Medici parish church of San Lorenzo in Florence
(destroyed).
PORDENONE (Giovanni Antonio de' Sacchis)
Pordenone 1483/84-1539
Pordenone's early works reflect the artistic traditions of
his upbringing in a small town in the province of Friuli.
He worked and traveled throughout central and north-
ern Italy, absorbing a variety of artistic trends. His works
done prior to 1518 indicate his familiarity with contem-
porary styles in both Venice and Rome. The frescoes
Pordenone painted in 1520 for the Cappella Malchiostro
intheDuomo, Treviso (destroyed), indicate the influence
of Titian, Michelangelo, and north Italian illusionism.
From 1520 to 1522 he painted several frescoes for the ca-
thedral of Cremona, including a large Crucifixion (1520-
21) and a Pietà (1522). In Venice he completed frescoes
for San Rocco (1528-29) and at the Palazzo Ducale
(1535-38), all of which have since been destroyed. Be-
tween 1530 and 1535 Pordenone worked intermittently
on three chapels and the dome of the church of the Ma-
donna di Campagna, Piacenza. His late paintings, such
as the Annunciation of 1537 (Murano, Santa Maria degli
Angeli), reflect the currents of Roman Mannerism.JACQUES-ANDRE PORTAIL
Brest 1695-Versailles 1759
Portail was the son of an architect of the same name. Lit-
tle is known about his early education, but he seems to
have been trained in his native city. In 1740 Portail was
given a royal appointment at Versailles, and in 1741 he
was made overseer of the Salon exhibitions. He was
elected to the Académie in 1746 as a flower painter. Al-
though best known as a draughtsman, Portail was also a
painter of portraits, landscapes, and still lifes as well as an
engraver. Among his paintings is View of the Park at Ver-
sailles of circa 1750 (Musée Nationale du Château de Ver-
sailles). Portail's drawing style derived ultimately from
Watteau, while the somewhat contemplative side of his
art reflects the influence of Chardin.NICOLAS POUSSIN
Les Andelys 15 94-Rome 1665
Poussin was first encouraged to paint by the Mannerist
Quentin Varin. He moved to Paris to become a profes-
sional painter in 1612 and made a visit to Italy circa 1621.
In 1624 he moved to Rome, where he discovered classical
antiquity and studied the art of Raphael, Titian, and Do-
menichino, all of whom influenced his development.
His patrons included Cardinal Francesco Barberini and
the antiquarian Cassiano del Pozzo, for whom he painted
a series of the Seven Sacraments (1636-40; National Gal-
lery of Art; Belvoir Castle). Circa 1629 or 1630 Poussin's
repertoire of subjects shifted focus to classical and myth-
ological themes. In 1640 he journeyed to France to work
at the court of Louis XIII. He returned to Rome per-
manently in 1642 and began producing geometrically or-
dered landscapes, of which the two Phocion landscapes
(1648; Shropshire, Oakley Park, earl of Plymouth; Liv-
erpool,, Walker Art Gallery) are prime examples. Poussin
approached painting with a cerebral classicism that be-
came an ideal for future generations of French artists.FRANCESCO PRIMATICCIO
Bologna 1504-Paris 1570
Primaticcio's early development remains unclear. It
seems that his earliest formal training commenced in
1525/26 with his move to Mantua, where he became a
pupil of Giulio Romano at the Palazzo del Te. There he
worked as a painter, decorator, sculptor, and architect.
He was invited to France in 1532 by Francis I to partici-
pate in the decoration of the royal chateau of Fontaine-
bleau, where he collaborated with Rosso Fiorentino in
several of the major rooms, including the Chambre du
Roi (1531-35). Following Rosso's death in 1540 , Prima-
ticcio assumed the position of chief designer. He made
several journeys to Italy on behalf of Francis I during the- With his compatriot Nicolô delTAbate he contin-
ued to work on the decorations at Fontainebleau, which
included the Galerie d'Ulysse and the Salle de Bal. Since
342 ARTISTS BIOGRAPHIES