DOMENICO DI BARTOLO (ITALY, SIENA, PAINTING, HOSPITAL, RENAISSANCE)

This monographic study of the Sienese painter Domenico di Bartolo (active circa 1427-1444) investigates the style and social factors of his art. The iconography of major works is discussed with reference to contemporary historical events and intellectual issues and the artist's provincialism is considered within the context of Sienese traditions and the progressive trends of Florence.;The second chapter explores the iconography of his first two projects with reference to the influence of Saint Bernardino and humanistic culture in Siena as well as the political atmosphere surrounding the emperor Sigismund's Sienese sojourn.;The third chapter analyzes stylistic changes wrought by Domenico's commissions outside of Siena, in Florence and Perugia, and investigates the effects of monastic reform on the iconography of his altarpiece in Perugia.;The last two chapters deal with his fresco cycle in the Hospital of Santa Maria della Scala in Siena. The style of the frescoes was affected by the artist's response to the unprecedented subject matter: the history and charitable work of the institution. The relationship between the various subjects and stylistic changes in the cycle are related to contemporary events.;The first chapter concerns Sienese art in the 1420s and Domenico's early artistic development and relationship with the sculptor Jacopo della Quercia.;Part I or the catalogue discusses in detail accepted works of art, and Part II briefly reviews rejected attributions. A register of documents transcribes all known notices about the artist including many new ones. An appendix discusses work by other artists in the hospital. A full bibliography and illustrations are included.