Uccello, Paolo, << oo CHEHL oh, PAH oh loh >> (1397-1475), was an Italian Renaissance painter. Uccello painted decorative works that emphasize patterns of color and simplified forms. His paintings also show his fascination with perspective.
Uccello’s best-known works are three scenes called The Battle of San Romano (about 1456-1460). Despite the violence of the subject, the paintings have an ornamental, theatrical appearance. A detail of one of the paintings is reproduced in this article. Uccello’s other significant works include several frescoes (paintings on wet plaster). Among his important frescoes are the portrait Sir John Hawkwood (1436) and the Biblical scenes The Sacrifice of Noah, The Drunkenness of Noah, and The Flood (all 1447-1448).
Uccello was born in Florence. His given and family name was Paolo di Dono, but he was nicknamed Uccello. He was fond of birds, and uccello is an Italian word meaning bird. Little is known of his early life. During the late 1420’s, Uccello worked on the mosaics in the Basilica of Saint Mark in Venice. He died on Dec. 10, 1475. Two frescoes dating from about 1431 are thought to be his earliest surviving works.
