Perugino

Pietro Perugino, commonly known simply as Perugino, (c. 1445–1523) was an Italian Renaissance painter of the Umbrian school. Born Pietro Vannucci in Città della Pieve, he took the nickname Perugino from his ties to Perugia. He became one of the leading painters of early Renaissance Italy, prized for serene Madonnas and balanced, harmonious compositions.

Perugino trained in Florence during the 1460s–1470s, where he absorbed Florentine innovations in perspective and figure drawing. Returning to Umbria, he established an influential workshop, producing altarpieces and frescoes across central Italy, from Perugia to the Marche. His most famous commission is Christ Delivering the Keys to Saint Peter (c. 1481–1483) in the Sistine Chapel, Vatican. His art is marked by clear arrangements, gentle figures, and luminous landscapes.

Style and influence: He favored pyramidal compositions, precise perspective, and a calm, idealized beauty that made sacred narratives accessible. His refined chiaroscuro and soft color palette helped set a standard for devotional painting in the region. Among his pupils was Raphael, who trained in his workshop in the late 15th century and carried the Perugian tradition into the High Renaissance.

Perugino died in 1523, leaving a legacy as a pivotal link between the early Florentine Renaissance and the later achievements of the Umbrian and central Italian schools. His work contributed to the dissemination of a harmonious, readable, and deeply spiritual visual language.