Simone di Filippo Benvenuti, known as Simone dei Crocifissi or Simone da Bologna (about 1330 - 1399), was an Italian painter. Born and died in Bologna, he painted many religious panel paintings, and also

fresco Fresco (plural ''frescos'' or ''frescoes'') is a technique of mural painting executed upon freshly laid ("wet") lime plaster. Water is used as the vehicle for the dry-powder pigment to merge with the plaster, and with the setting of the plaste ...

es in the churches of

Santo Stefano Santo Stefano is the Italian name of Saint Stephen. Santo Stefano may also refer to: Places Islands *Santo Stefano (island), an island in Sardinia, Italy *Santo Stefano Island, an island in the Pontine Islands, Italy Cities, towns and villages i ...

and San Michele in Bosco, both at Bologna.

Life

Simone dei Crocifissi was born in Bologna. He was son of the shoemaker Filippo di Benvenuto. In the 17th century he was renamed "of the Crucifixes" (dei Crocifissi) for his "ability to paint great images of the Redeemer, for our sake nailed to the cross" (Malvasia). He trained with

Franco Bolognese Franco Bolognese (14th century) was an Italian painter, active as a miniature painter (illuminator). He is said to have trained under Oderisi da Gubbio. In conjunction with that master and Giotto, he was employed by Pope Boniface VIII Pope Bo ...

. He was active as a painter at Bologna from 1354 to 1399 in the wake of

Vitale da Bologna 250px, ''St. George and the Dragon'' Vitale da Bologna (–1360), also known as Vitale di Aymo de' Cavalli or Vitale degli Equi, was an Italian painter of the Early Renaissance. He is a representative of the 14th century school of painting ...

's previous experience, which he engaged in a robustly more popular style of painting. Simone dei Crocifissi-Couronnement de la Vierge

The initial artistic phase of Simone Di Fillipo can be seen via the frescoes of the life of Christ that come from the church of Santa Maria di Mezzaratta (mid-1350s century), now preserved in the

National Art Gallery of Bologna The National Art Gallery of Bologna (''Pinacoteca Nazionale di Bologna'') is a museum in Bologna, Italy. It is located in the former Saint Ignatius Jesuit novitiate of the city's University district, and inside the same building that houses the ...

(Pinacoteca di Bologna), where the interest for Giotto's space and plastic solutions is interpreted with a sharp expressivity. The influence on Simone of Vitale's painting style can be caught in works such as the polyptych 474, also preserved at the Pinacoteca. On the other hand, works like the ''Pietà'' by (1368), and the ''Crucifix of St. James'' (1370), on display in the same museum, highlight the influence of Jacopo Avanzi and his solemn style, even if re-interpreted stressing the devotional goal, as in the ''Madonna'' by Giovanni da Piacenza (1382). These are the characteristics that enabled Simone dei Crocifisso to reach a leading position in Bologna soon afterwards, gaining pre-eminence as the author of wooden altarpieces for local churches and for individual customers such as '' Nativity''.

*E. Sandberg Vavalà, "Vitale delle Madonne e Simone dei Crocifissi", in ''Rivista d'arte'', XI 1929, pp. 449–480 *Eugenio Riccomini, ''La pittura bolognese del Trecento'', (I maestri del colore 245), Fabbri, Milan, 1966 *Massimo Ferretti, ''Rappresentazione dei Magi. Il gruppo ligneo di S. Stefano e Simone dei Crocefissi'', Bologna 1981 *Alessandro Volpe,'' Mezzaratta. Vitale e altri pittori per una confraternita bolognese'', BUP, Bologna 2005 *Pinacoteca Nazionale di Bologna.'' Catalogo generale. 1. Dal Duecento a Francesco Francia'', Bologna 2004, pp. 98–152 *Flavio Boggi - Robert Gibbs, ''Lippo di Dalmasio.'' «''Assai valente pittore''».

Bononia University Press Fondazione Bologna University Press (BUP) is an associate publisher of the University of Bologna (Italy). The university is situated in the center of Bologna, where it was established in 1998 as an Italian University Press which was created as ...

, Bologna 2013, pp. 37-41, and passim.

External links

*
Museo civico MedievalePinacoteca Nazionale di Bologna
–

{{DEFAULTSORT:Crocifissi, Simone dei 1399 deaths Italian male painters Gothic painters Painters from Bologna Year of birth uncertain Trecento painters Fresco painters

Life

Further reading

External links