Antonello da Messina

Antonello da Messina (c.1430 - 1479) was an important artist of the early Italian Renaissance. Born in Sicily, Messina's work drew upon the advancements of the early Netherlandish masters, and he is credited as an early champion of oil painting in Italy. His paintings are marked by a mastery of both color and composition that few contemporary works possess and his portraits explore the psyche of his sitters in a manner that would be much imitated throughout the remainder of the Renaissance and beyond. Despite leaving behind a limited oeuvre, Messina's works went on to have a significant impact on the development of Venetian painting, and his work is now housed in such illustrious institutions as the National Gallery, London and the Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister, Dresden.