Simone Martini
ca. 1284 - 1344
Painter from Siena, major representative of the Gothic school. He may well have been a student of Duccio's, by whose style he was clearly inspired.
His first famous work is a large fresco of Madonna and child in the Palazzo Publico in Siena (1315). During the 20's he makes a series of 10 works on the life of St. Martin of Tours for the Church of St. Francis in Assisi. The altarpiece with the Annunciation is often cited as his best work, now in Florence.
At the papal court in Avignon in 1340, Martini makes the acquaintance of the poet and Humanist Petrarca, who is full of praise for his work. Simone's stay in Avignon facilitates the transfer of Sienna painting to the Northern regions.
Most of his work is religious. However, he also paints one of the first non-religious works: a portrait of a Sienna general on horseback (1328).
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