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Sandro
Botticelli, born Alessandro di Mariano Filipepi.
He was born in 1445 in the Ognissanti parish
in Florence, where he was registered as Alessandro,
the son of di Mariano dei Filipepi. One rather
curious thing - his father was fifty years old,
and his mother was forty - this was very old.
This would pursue him through life, as Sandro
Botticelli's health was always very fragile,
and the doctors would opine that he was born
too late to parents who were too old.
Botticelli decided to become a painter. He served
an apprenticeship with Fra Filippo Lippi, the
best Florentine painter of that time and perfected
his art with Andrea Verrocchio, who created
the bust of Lucrezia Donati. By 1470, he developed
a highly personal style characterized by elegant
execution, a sense of melancholy, and a strong
emphasis on line - this impressed so many people,
that he was commissioned to paint the famous
Allegory of Fortitude.
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