Luca Signorelli

Luca Signorelli
Middle aged or old man with long blond hair and black hat
Self-portrait of Signorelli, from The Preaching of the Antichrist, 1500–1504
Born
Luca d'Egidio di Ventura

1441 (1441)
Cortona, Italy
Died16 October 1523(1523-10-16) (aged 81–82)
Cortona, Italy
NationalityItalian
Known forPainting
MovementEarly Renaissance
SpouseGallizia di Piero Carnesecchi
FatherEgidio di Ventura

Luca Signorelli (c. 1441/1445 – 16 October 1523) was an Italian Renaissance painter from Cortona, in Tuscany, who was noted in particular for his ability as a draftsman and his use of foreshortening. His massive frescos of the Last Judgment (1499–1503) in Orvieto Cathedral are considered his masterpiece.

In his early 40s he returned to live in Cortona, after working in Florence, Siena and Rome (1478–84, painting a now lost section of the Sistine Chapel). With an established reputation, he remained based in Cortona for the rest of his life, but often travelled to the cities of the region to fulfill commissions. He was probably trained by Piero della Francesca in Florence, as his cousin Giorgio Vasari wrote.

Cortona will host a major exhibition in 2023 to celebrate the 500th anniversary of his death.[1]