Antonio Allegri - Il Correggio

(1489-1534)

Antonio Allegri, known as Correggio, is one of the greatest painters of the Italian Renaissance and is deeply connected to the town of Correggio, which not only served as his birthplace but also provided the cultural and social environment in which his artistic style took shape and developed.

He was born in Correggio in 1489, into a lively and cultured small Renaissance court, where the presence of noble families, artists and humanists helped to create a climate favourable to the town’s cultural growth.
It is precisely from this unbreakable bond with his place of origin that the nickname ‘Correggio’ derives, by which he is known throughout the history of art.

His training began in his hometown, where he came into contact with the first local artists’ workshops and, probably, with his uncle Lorenzo Allegri, a painter.
He later moved between Modena and Mantua, but Correggio remained his emotional and cultural anchor, so much so that he returned there several times throughout his life.

His bond with the city was also strengthened through some of his early works and commissions, which helped to establish Correggio as a culturally recognised centre within the Emilian landscape of the time.
In this provincial yet refined setting, the young Allegri developed that pictorial sensibility characterized by light, gentleness and harmony which would become his stylistic hallmark.

Interesting fact

There is a legend about Correggio’s death, also told by Vasari, according to which he died following a gruelling journey on foot under the sun, carrying a heavy load of copper coins he had received as payment.