Amongst Sicily's famous artists there is the painter Antonello da Messina (1430 -1479) a protagonist of the Italian Renaissance who combined his talent with other European schools, in particular the Flemish.
He was born in Messina and lived, among other places, in Venice, where he came in contact with many famous painters of that time. According to tradition, Antonello was the first Italian artist to use oil paint and to use his knowledge of the Flemish school and their techniques to make three quarter length portraits and pay special attention to the light.
One of his most important paintings is the Annunziata, which is kept at the Palazzo Abatellis museum in Palermo.
