The article will focus on the life and work of the Italian sculptor and architect Niccolo Pisano. He is recognized as the founder of the Italian school of architecture, which influenced the artistic development of all of Italy.
Origin
Niccolo Pisano is rightfully considered the founder of the school of Italian sculpture and is the father of the famous talented sculptor Giovanni Pisano. He is also recognized as the founder of the Proto-Renaissance culture. The exact date of birth of the master is unknown. Researchers of his work say that the most probable date can be considered the year 1219.
The sculptor was born in the city of Puglia, in southern Italy. If you turn to the Siena archives, you can find that he is called the son of Pietro. "Pisano" is not a real surname, but only a nickname that the architect received after working for a long time in Pisa.
Study
Niccolo Pisano, whose work demonstrates a clearly high level of skill, studied with ordinary craftsmen in his hometown. There is also the assumption that he studied in workshops that worked from the commonwealth of Emperor Frederick II and were the focus of the classical tradition. It should be said that he came to Pisa by a rather well-formed sculptor. As time has shown, he made the right decision, abandoning the Byzantine tradition in order to return to the plastic of the ancient world. It is believed that around 1245, Niccolo Pisano left for Tuscany, where he worked in Castello del Emperor in Prato.
After some time, the sculptor again changes his place of residence: he masters Lucca, where he continues to engage in sculpture. A little later, he moved to Pisa (between 1245 and 1250). It was in this city that Niccolo Pisano met his future wife and became a father. Nothing is known about his beloved. Pisano loved his son very much and taught his skills from an early age. From the moment he moves to Pisa, he begins to appear in all documents under the name Niccolo Pisano.
Creation
Researchers cannot say exactly what works belonged to the sculptor Pisano. It is believed that it was he who was engaged in the decoration of the castle in Castello del Emperor. It is most likely that he is also the author of the lions depicted on the castle portal. His work of the Tuscan period includes the “Head of a Girl”, which is shown in Rome (Venice Palazzo). In Lucca, he is engaged in decorating the facade of St. Martin's Cathedral.
First masterpiece
Niccolo Pisano, whose sculptures have already been found all over Italy, received a concrete order in Pisa in 1255, according to which he had to create a baptistery department. The sculptor worked on this project with his friends Lapo di Richevuto and Arnolfo di Cambio. This was the first work that Pisano signed. She is considered his first masterpiece, as the master managed to combine the classics and the late Roman style.
It is believed that before this, Pisano actively studied sculpture in August times, so much of it was reflected in the Department of Baptistery. It was a 6-coal building made of white, pink and dark green marble, which rests on arches. The latter were made in the Gothic style in the form of a trefoil. Arches supported by tall columns. At the corners of each arch was a figure of any of the 4 main virtues (the most popular figure is the image of the Force in the form of Hercules). It is believed that the creation of just such a baptistery was inspired by the triumphal arches of Rome, which he admired when he traveled to Ostia.
Let us recall that the Triumphal Arch of Constantine is also decorated with columns and reliefs. The latter depicts various scenes from the life of Jesus Christ: The Last Judgment, The Adoration of the Magi, Bringing to the Temple, Crucifixion, etc. Also in the work on the baptistery, one cannot help but notice the explicit classical influences that Pisano learned when courtyard of Emperor Frederick II. It is believed that the best creations of Niccolo are the relief "Annunciation", "Adoration of the Shepherds" and "Christmas of Christ". In his work, the sculptor successfully combined the technology of ancient masters and the modern sacred meaning of Christian customs. At the same time, the images of saints also resemble the works of ancient masters: they are majestic, sublime and restrained.
Completion of work with his son
Around 1264, Pisano finished work on the dome of the Baptistery. Initially, the architect Diotisalvi was engaged in it, but then the work was given to Niccolo. The sculptor decided to make the baptistery taller and decorate it with two domes. Around 1278, his son Giovanni came to the rescue of Niccolo, who helped complete the work on the baptistry, decorating the facade with sculptures. A little later, Niccolo began working on a project for the ark for the relics of St. Dominic. The development of Pisano was approved, but further work was refused. A little later, he still had a hand in creating the tomb for St. Dominica in Bologna together with Fra Guglielmo.
Department for Siena Cathedral
Around 1265, he begins to work on a pulpit for Siena Cathedral. In total, he spent about three years on it. The department was very similar to his first masterpiece - the baptistery. However, here he changed the scope and made the structure large in size. Decoration should also be noted, because it was much more luxurious than in the first work. On the project, he worked with his loyal friends - the son of Giovanni, Arnolfo di Cambio and Lapo di Richevuto. If we analyze voluminous curly bas-reliefs, we can say that the influence of French Gothic is very noticeable in them.
The last work of Niccolo and Giovanni Pisano is a fountain, which was intended to decorate the main square in Perugia. Written evidence claims that Niccolo built the Santa Trinita Church in Florence as a reminder of the Cistercian Gothic, which continued to develop in Italy.
Summing up, we can say that Niccolo became the forefather of the Italian school of sculpture, which lasted until the XIV century, and its influence spread throughout Italy. Much of Pisano’s work belongs to the past: outdated symbols and images remain, the space was completely filled, not giving room for a flight of fantasy. But the work of Niccolo Pisano (his paintings) prepared the society for great changes in the field of sculpture and architecture. They became a kind of springboard for a high jump. The years 1260-1270 were very eventful for the master, since he received orders from all over Italy.