Antonio Allegri da Correggio, commonly known as Correggio, was an influential Italian Renaissance painter, born in 1489 in the small town of Correggio in Northern Italy. He is celebrated for his pioneering work in using light and perspective to convey depth and emotion, techniques that anticipated the Baroque movement.
Correggio’s early training remains a matter of speculation, though his style suggests exposure to the works of Leonardo, Raphael, and Mantegna. By the early 1510s, he began to receive notable commissions, including the frescoes at the convent of St. Paul in Parma, revealing his mastery in illusionistic ceiling painting. His most ambitious works are the dome frescoes of Parma Cathedral, completed between 1526 and 1530, where his use of foreshortening and dramatic chiaroscuro created a revolutionary sense of soaring space and divine presence.
His altarpieces and secular works, such as the sensuous “Danaë,” are marked by soft light and tender human expressions, blending sacred and profane themes with psychological depth. Correggio’s influence extended well beyond his lifetime, inspiring Baroque artists with his dynamic compositions and emotive realism.
He died in 1534, leaving a legacy as one of the most profound and under appreciated masters of the Italian Renaissance.