Romeo Di Dono Analysis

Paolo di Dono was born in Pratovecchio, Italy, which is near Florence, in 1397. He changed his name to Uccello, which means “bird” in Italian, because of his love for all animals. After changing his name to Uccello, it is only fitting that he received his nickname, “the bird”. Paolo grew up a poor boy, but money never mattered to him. Although he was poor, Paolo started to paint and work at a young age. At the age of 10, Paolo had already become an apprentice in the workshop of a sculptor named Lorenzo Ghiberti. Later on in 1414, at the age of 17, Paolo became a member of the Arte dei Medici e degli Speziali, which was the official association of painters in Florence. Although people can fathom that Paolo was probably an established painter by this time, none of his work from this time period remains today. There is also, no certain suggestion of his early training as an artist, other than his membership in the workshop of Lorenzo Ghiberti, which is known for being the place where many of the great artists, such as Donatello, of that time were trained. In Ghiberti’s workshop Paolo met another upcoming painter named Donatello and formed a life-long friendship. His earliest works are frescoes that are found in the Chiostro Verde of Santa Maria Novella. These now damaged

Art critics say that in this work, “The eye of the storm lines up with Saint George’s lance, suggesting that divine intervention has helped him to victory” and that “Uccello uses the lance to emphasise the angle from which Saint George attacks the dragon, helping to establish a three-dimensional space” (nationalgallery.org). This piece, like “The Flood”, is representative of Paolo’s “obsessive concern with linear perspective” (nationalgallery.org). One other critic says that his painting has a “highly detailed and precise setting” which is “reminiscent of the Netherlandish paintings then popular with Italian patrons”