Piero della Francesca, << PYAIR oh DEHL uh fran CHEHS kuh >> (1420?-1492), was an Italian Renaissance painter. Piero favored calm, restrained figures in clear, simple spaces. His paintings combine precise contours and carefully created illumination with sensitive color and harmonious design. In the Baptism of Christ, Piero painted early morning light over a quiet landscape to set a gentle, dreamlike mood. Piero’s most famous work is the series called The Legend of the True Cross, painted in fresco, which means it was painted on damp plaster. In one episode, The Dream of Constantine, Piero achieved dramatic effects with his use of bright artificial light and deep shadow.
Piero was born in Sansepolcro, Italy, near Arezzo. In Florence, Piero learned how to paint in the new Renaissance style of the artists Masaccio, Fra Angelico, and Domenico Veneziano. He also learned the construction of perspective, which fascinated him. From Domenico Veneziano in particular, Piero acquired skill in the treatment of light and delicate color. Piero died on Oct. 12, 1492.
