Correggio (August 1489 – March 5, 1534)

The Martyrdom of Four Saints

c. 1523

Antonio Allegri da Correggio was not extremely well-known or influential in his lifetime, but after his death his works began to percolate through the art world and influence painters. Correggio did not simply draw in one way throughout his life or tend towards one theme, but rather experimented successfully with all sorts of wonderful ideas and forms. I'm especially fond of his Portrait of a Young Man, which bears many of the characteristics that would later be adopted by the Realists.