Biographical Notes
Alberti, Leon Battista (1404–1472). Important Florentine architect and
theorist whose lasting fame derives from his book On Painting, in which
the principles of perspective were articulated for the ¿ rst time, and from
his Ten Books on Architecture, the ¿ rst publication on the subject since
Roman times.
Baciccio (Giovanni Battista Gaulli) (1639–1709). Italian painter who was
inÀ uenced by Rubens, van Dyck, and Bernini; most well known for his
Adoration of the Holy Name of Jesus, painted on the ceiling of the Church of
il Gesu in Rome.
Barocci, Federico (1535–1612). A famous painter in his time, Barocci was
also an important reformer of the complexity of the Mannerist school.
Bellini, Gentile (c. 1429–1507). A major Venetian artist who painted
narrative cycles and other large paintings in which contemporary Venice
was vividly rendered. Gentile was the older brother of Giovanni Bellini
(see below).
Bellini, Giovanni (c. 1430–1516). The ¿ rst great master of the Venetian
Renaissance and a major painter of Madonnas and large altarpieces that
span the period from the Early to the High Renaissance. Among the ¿ rst to
introduce landscape as an important expressive element in his paintings.
Bernini, Gian Lorenzo (1598–1680). Roman sculptor and architect of the
Baroque period, Bernini is considered a universal genius of 17th-century art.
He was appointed of¿ cial Architect of St. Peter’s.
Boccaccio, Giovanni (1313–1375). Humanist, poet, and author of the
Decameron, a collection of 100 stories whose backdrop was the Black Death.
These tales established the vernacular Italian prose style.