How did Donato Bramante begin his artistic career?

Donato Bramante’s artistic career began with a focus on painting, likely under the direction of his father, who encouraged his early training. While little is known about his life before 1477, he likely served as an assistant to Piero della Francesca in Urbino, a city that had become an important humanist center.1

During this early period, Bramante may have functioned primarily as a planner, designer, and painter of architectural perspectives. These perspectives were often incorporated into the works of other artists or used in construction projects. His training was likely influenced by observing the works of prominent artists such as Leon Battista Alberti, Andrea Mantegna, Ercole de’Roberti, and Filippo Brunelleschi. By 1477, he was working in Bergamo as a painter of illusionistic architectural murals, marking a transition toward the architectural career for which he later became renowned.12