Antonello Da Messina; Paolo Ucello

These two programs highlight the works and careers of two minor Italian Renaissance artists. In Antonello da Messina, viewers see the influence of the detailed portraiture--characteristic of the Flemish masters--on Antonello's portraits of Italian contemporaries and religious figures. A Sicilian, little is known about Antonello, other than that he helped popularize the use of oils in painting, and that a handful of his works bear his signature. In Paolo Ucello, viewers witness the steady growth of an artist "obsessed with the problems of perspective." An assistant to Ghiberti, Ucello was known for his unconventional use of color, and for his use of foreshortening and other principles of perspective which lend his more notable works--such as "St. George Slaying the Dragon" and the "Stories of Noah" series--a three-dimensional look. In both programs, we see a number of works attributed, or thought to be done, by each of the artists, as well as a number of identified paintings which are, nevertheless, badly deteriorated. Universities and public libraries with large art collections may want to consider these, but they are not necessary purchases for general collections. (See THE DRAW SQUAD! for availability.)