Francesco Granacci

1477 – 1543

Florentine painter of the generation immediately preceding Michelangelo whose friend he was from early youth. Like Michelangelo, Granacci was a pupil of Domenico Ghirlandaio, whose assistant later he became. Granacci was one of the assistants engaged by Michelangelo in 1508 for the beginning of the Sistine ceiling but, like the others, was dismissed after about one month. On his return to Florence Granacci fell under the influence of Fra Bartolomeo, and his later works have elongated figures in an attempt at monumentality. The Dublin Holy Family, which is usually attributed to him, has also been attributed to Michelangelo and shows the approximation of their styles. Basically, however, Granacci was a quattrocento artist and is thus very similar to such transitional painters as Ridolfo Ghirlandaio and Franciabigio.

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