Lorenzo Monaco

1370-1425

Lorenzo Monaco painted sacred images of extraordinary spiritual intensity in late medieval Florence. Born Piero di Giovanni around 1370, probably in Florence despite earlier beliefs, he entered the Camaldolese monastery of Santa Maria degli Angeli in 1390 and took monastic vows the following year. There he worked as both illuminator and panel painter, becoming Florence's foremost painter of religious subjects. His style—marked by elongated figures, sinuous drapery, brilliant colors, and gold grounds—descended from Giotto through Spinello Aretino and Agnolo Gaddi, yet absorbed the decorative refinement of International Gothic. Works like the Coronation of the Virgin show his mastery of line and luminous color. Though he knew of Masaccio and Brunelleschi's innovations, he remained faithful to his own vision, creating imaginative compositions that rejected geometric perspective. He died around 1425 and was buried in his monastery's chapter house, an honor reflecting the esteem in which he was held.