June 27, On This Day
Giorgio Vasari
The man who wrote the first comprehensive history of art died on June 27, 1574, in Florence at age 62. Born on July 30, 1511, in Arezzo, Tuscany, Giorgio Vasari was a painter, architect, art collector, writer, and historian — but his greatest legacy would be as the world’s first art historian.
The Apotheosis of Cosimo I (1563-1565, Palazzo Vecchio)
Born into a family of modest cloth merchants, the young Vasari attended workshops of several artists in Arezzo, learning painting and architecture while acquiring a humanistic education. When still a child, Vasari was the pupil of Guglielmo de Marcillat, but his artistic vision would be shaped by his encounters with the masters of the Renaissance.
Perseus and Andromeda (1570)
In 1529, he visited Rome where he studied the works of Raphael and other artists of the Roman High Renaissance. Vasari’s own Mannerist paintings were more admired in his lifetime than they are today, but his true genius lay elsewhere — in his revolutionary approach to documenting the lives and works of artists.
Vasari became one of the favourite artists of Grand Duke Cosimo I of the Medici family who ruled Florence. One of his most important architectural commissions was decorating the walls of the enormous meeting room in the Palazzo Vecchio with painted frescoes. His design of the connecting corridor between the Pitti Palace and the Palazzo Vecchio — the famous Vasari Corridor over the Ponte Vecchio — remains one of his most celebrated architectural achievements.
The Lives of the Most Eminent Sculptors, Painters, and Architects (1550)
But Vasari’s immortal contribution was “The Lives of the Most Eminent Sculptors, Painters, and Architects,” first published in 1550. This biographical collection is one of the most frequently cited art history books since the 16th century and the first comprehensive book on art history ever created. In the work, Vasari brings together facts, knowledge, and sometimes gossip about almost 200 Renaissance artists.
Through character sketches and anecdotes, Vasari demonstrated a literary talent that outshone even his outstanding abilities as a painter and architect. He created the very framework we still use to understand art history, introducing concepts like the “Renaissance” and establishing the idea of artistic progress through successive generations.
Vasari was buried in a chapel he had designed for himself in the church of Santa Maria in Arezzo. While his paintings may have faded from popular memory, his revolutionary book created the foundation for all subsequent art historical writing.
Athmaja Biju is the Editor at Abir Pothi. She is a Translator and Writer working on Visual Culture.
