ASSIGNMENT 3

PAOLO UCCELLO
Paolo Uccello (1397 10 December 1475), born Paolo di Dono, was an
Italian painter and a mathematician who was notable for his pioneering
work on visual perspective in art.
He used perspective in order to create a feeling of depth in his
paintings and not, as his contemporaries, to narrate different or
succeeding stories. His best known works are the three paintings
representing the battle of San Romano (for a long time these were wrongly
entitled the "Battle of Sant ' Egidio of 1416").
Uccello was one of the most versatile founders of the Italian Early
Renaissance, although his later reputation did not reflect his true
significance, he went out of fashion during his lifetime and was only
rediscovered in the XX century.
Paolo worked in the Late Gothic tradition, and emphasized colour and
pageantry rather than the Classical realism that other artists were
pioneering. His style is best described as idiosyncratic, and he left no
school of followers. He has had some influence on twentieth-century art.

Equestrian Portrait of
Sir John Hawkwood

Completion Date: 1436

Style: Early Renaissance
Genre: sculpture
Technique: fresco (transferred to canvas)
Dimensions: 820 x 514 cm
Gallery: Duomo

The background of the fresco is dark red, the horse and the tomb are accented in red, black, white and orange. The
portrait is enclosed in a frame which implies a completed work and our eyes are not led out to explore the
background. Though the cenotaph has the same proportion as the horse and Sir John combined, the colour contrast
in the upper portion and the more eye catching human and horse figures creates the focal point there. Thus the
comparable scaled lower portion provides the balance to the painting. The artist has also created visual areas of
gray to produce a three dimensional effect.
However, Uccellos fresco has to viewpoints: the horse and the rider are painted as if on the level with the
spectator, and the cenotaph is seen as if from below and somewhat left and thats why parts of the figures and
objects lie more close to the left edge to provide balance (so that our eyes are not forced towards right on seeing
from left).
The painting has symmetrical balance with respect to the central vertical axis with head balanced by the tail. The
frame also has designs with perfect symmetry about vertical axis but on the other hand has different designs in the
upper half and the lower half, though with equal visual weight. This provides unity with variety.
The head and the sword (in its holder) because being very close to the upper edge could have forced our eyes out
of the painting but the horse and Sir John seeing downwards provides balance by eye direction.

Saint George and the Dragon

Year
Type
Dimensions
Location

c. 1470
Oil on canvas
55.6 cm 74.2 cm (21.9 in 29.2 in)
National Gallery, London

The painting by Paolo Uccello shows two episodes from the story of Saint George: his defeat of
a plague-bearing dragon that had been terrorizing a city; and the rescued princess bringing the
dragon to heel (with her belt as a leash). Thus motion is illusioned in a single image owing to
common perception that the two episodes cannot happen together.
A feeling of depth has been created using overlapping. Also Uccello uses the lance to emphasize
the angle from which Saint George attacks the dragon, helping to establish a three-dimensional
space. The feeling is even deepened by the use of linear perspective observable clearly by the
pattern of grass.
The highly contrasted horse on the right is balanced by the contrasting snow covered cave on the
left. The Saint George and the horse because of white black contrast and use of warm colours
serve as focal points. The dragon is highly being emphasized because of the psychic lines and the
lance pointing towards it other than its size.
The eye of the storm lines up with Saint George's lance, suggesting that something supernatural
has helped him to victory.

The Battle of San Romano

c.14351460
Year:
egg tempera with walnut oil and linseed oil on poplar
Type:
Location: National Gallery, Galleria degli Uffizi, Muse du Louvre

The Battle of San Romano is a set of three paintings by Paolo Uccello depicting events that took place at the
Battle of San Romano between Florentine and Sienese forces in 1432.
The three paintings are:

Niccol Mauruzi da Tolentino at the Battle of San Romano (probably

c.14381440), egg tempera with walnut oil and linseed oil on poplar,
182 320 cm, National Gallery, London.[2]

Niccol Mauruzi da Tolentino unseats Bernardino della Ciarda at the

Battle of San Romano (dating uncertain, c.14351455), tempera on
wood, 182 320 cm, Galleria degli Uffizi, Florence

The Counterattack of Michelotto da Cotignola at the Battle of San

Romano (c.1455), wood panel, 182 317 cm, Muse du Louvre, Paris

The background gradually turning dark suggests than the sequence of the paintings should be
London, Uffizi, Louvre, although others have been proposed. They may represent different times
of day: dawn (London), mid-day (Florence) and dusk (Paris) - the battle lasted eight hours.
The artist has used single point perspective in the three paintings and has excessively used
diagonal lines as a means to convey rigorous motion.
Painting 1
The focal point is clearly Niccol Mauruzi da Tolentinoon his horse , emphasized by high
contrast of white horse and gold and red patterned hat with the dark surrounding. In the
foreground, broken lances and a dead soldier are carefully aligned, so as to create an impression
of linear perspective. All lines seem to converge towards a single vanishing point. An illusion of
depth is created by overlapping everywhere. Vertical location and aerial perspective are also

used. The lower part has ground which is brighter than the ground depicted in the upper part,
both working together to convey recession.
Due to large number of lances seen on the left side, not only Niccol Mauruzi da Tolentino
army seems dominating at first but also adds visual weight to left side. The balance is maintained
by eye direction as well as the direction of the lances towards right. The small figures on the
receding ground are also eventually emphasized by use of bright colours.
Painting 2
Again a vanishing is emphasized by the use of broken lances and the legs of the fallen horses
which also displaying amplified perspective create an illusion of space. The focal point is the
white horse in the middle with bright coloured horses on each side balancing each other.
Painting 3
The focal point is clearly the centrally located Michelotto da Cotignolaon his black horse. His
and the horses backward glance and the right going lance balance the prancing leg of the horse
towards the left. Here more lances on the right side of the painting are balanced by few lances
pointing out of the painting on the left. The linear perspective is emphasized by the pattern of the
grass in the foreground.
The white and black flag is clearly being emphasized because of the contrast and convey the
theme appropriately. The Michelotto da Cotignolaons army is counter attacking and seemingly
victorious.
The trees in the background now do not have a clear contour symbolizing the time of the day and
the vision at that time.

The Hunt in the Forest

Artist
Year
Type
Dimensions

ocation

Paolo Uccello
c. 1470
Oil painting(oil on canvas)
65 cm 165 cm (26 in 65 in)
Ashmolean Museum, Oxford,
UK

The painting The Hunt in the Forest (also known as The Hunt by Night or simply The Hunt) is perhaps the bestknown painting in the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford, England. It was Uccello's last known painting before his
death in 1475.
The painting is an early example of the effective use of perspective in Renaissance art. It uses a single vanishing
point to create an illusion of space with the hunt participants, including people, horses, dogs and deer, disappearing
into the dark forest in the distance. The feeling of three dimensional space is even more pronounced by use of
overlapping and aerial perspective. The objects at the back show less value contrast with the black background and
the density of bright coloured animals is also gradually decreased. The trees boundaries become less and less
distinct with spatial recession.
The trees trunks are repeated in an alternating background in the negative space. The human figures on horses are
repeated throughout while also emphasizing the small animals by their eye direction, thus providing overall
balance and unity to the painting.
The vanishing point located centrally, does not allow our eyes to go out of the painting. The diagonal contours
further enhance the effect of motion. The foreground is very busy and nowhere our eyes can rest and are lead
automatically to the vanishing point. The circularly placed yellow grass and water in the otherwise empty
foreground in the middle of the painting acts as an effective way of including variety with unity.

St.Dominic
Completion Date: c.1435
Style: Early Renaissance
Genre: religious painting
Technique: fresco
Dimensions: 120 x 46 cm
Gallery: Duomo

Saint Dominic, also known as Dominic of Osma and Dominic

of Caleruega, often called Dominic de Guzmn and Domingo
Flix de Guzmn (1170 August 6, 1221), was a Spanish
priest and founder of the Dominican Order. Dominic is the
patron saint of astronomers.

The painting has undoubtedly St. Domonic as the focal point. It emphasizes his holy importance by
making a circle around his head. It creates a sense of three dimensional space in many ways. The
flower and the red bag overlap the saint, the curved lines converging at a point behind the head of St.
Dominic and the folds of his cloak and dress develops illusion of space.
The leg position, the left leg being placed vertically lower in the painting not only creates three
dimensional space but also imparts a tendency to move towards the paintings right. The bag, placed
on the right side of the central vertical axis, because of the attracting warm colour also adds to the
visual weight and shifts our focus to the right side. This is balanced by the larger portion of the cloak
on the left side of the painting as well as the by the blue flower extending from the central position to
the left side.
The foreground has on its sides brighter areas compared to the central region behind the saint, thus
emphasizing the gradual recession and enhancing the effect of the cylindrical surface. The repetition in
the design on the top provides unity and also variety to the overall painting.

Portrait of a Young Man

Completion Date: 1440

Style: Early Renaissance
Genre: portrait
Type: oil on canvas
Dimensions: 46.5 x 36.4 cm
Gallery: Chambry, muse des Beaux Arts

The figure painting portraits a young man in a black background. It is certainly a linear painting
as the edges are emphasized and the resulting separation of forms makes a clear, definite
statement.
The focal point of the painting is the head of the Man. The highly contrasting white collar with
the black background in the lower half provides the balance to the painting. The various folds in
the turban creates a three dimensional effect. This effect is also seen in the whole painting by the
use of light. Less contrasted areas are followed by the more contrasted areas. This had also
helped to illustrate the characteristics of the neck (the nerves shown).
Though a large part of the dress lies towards the right side in the lower half, a very small part in
its comparison on the left (the orange coloured) is emphasized because of the isolation and
provides balance.
The painting shows very precisely the face of the man and the ear with complex details of the
curves.

Bibliography for the fact based information:

www.wikipedia.com
http://www.abcgallery.com
http://www.nationalgallery.org.uk
http://www.wikipaintings.org