Special thanks to the Microsoft Corporation for permission to use following biographical information from Microsoft® Encarta '97:
Lorenzo Lotto was a north Italian painter of the High Renaissance. The quality of his many religious paintings and altarpieces is uneven; his efforts to paint in the styles of his famous contemporaries Raphael and Titian were usually unsuccessful. One success, however, is St. Nicholas of Bari in Glory (1529, Church of the Carmini, Venice). He is best known for his psychologically penetrating portraits, such as Young Man in a Striped Coat (1526, Castello Sforzesco, Milan). His bold compositions and deep, velvety colors enhance the dreamy, often melancholy mood that is frequently seen in the faces of his subjects.
