Alonso Berruguete facts for kids
Alonso González de Berruguete (around 1488 – 1561) was a famous Spanish painter, sculptor, and architect. He is known as the most important sculptor of the Spanish Renaissance. His sculptures often show strong feelings like joy or sadness.
Alonso was born in a town called Paredes de Nava. He learned art from his father, Pedro Berruguete, who was also a painter. After his father passed away in 1504, Alonso traveled to Italy to continue his art studies. He spent most of his time in Florence and Rome. There, he learned sculpture from the great Italian artist, Michelangelo. His paintings from Italy showed a style called Mannerism. His art was similar to other artists of that time, like Jacopo Pontormo and Rosso Fiorentino.
Berruguete came back to Spain in 1517. In 1518, Charles V of Spain made him a court painter and sculptor. From then on, Berruguete mostly focused on making sculptures. Some of his important works include:
- An altarpiece at the Irish college in Salamanca (made between 1529 and 1533).
- Choir stalls at the Cathedral of Toledo (made between 1539 and 1543).
- A tomb for Archbishop Juan de Tavera. This tomb is at the hospital Tavera started, the hospital of St. John the Baptist in Toledo (made between 1552 and 1561).
His Famous Wood Sculptures
After his training in Italy, Berruguete returned to the Spanish way of making sculptures from wood. He created altarpieces for the church of San Benito el Real, Valladolid. The figures in his sculptures often had very strong, exaggerated movements. This style became popular with his students, like Andrés de Nájera and Esteban Jordán.
From October 2019 to February 2020, more than 40 of Berruguete's painted wood sculptures were shown. They were part of an exhibition at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C.. The exhibition was called Alonso Berruguette: First Sculptor of Renaissance Spain.
Images for kids
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Alonso de Berruguete's wood sculpture showing three figures.
See also
In Spanish: Alonso Berruguete para niños
