How did Girolamo Savonarola affect Sandro Botticelli’s later art?

The influence of the reformist preacher Girolamo Savonarola on Sandro Botticelli marked a significant shift in the artist's style during the 1490s. As a devoted follower of the friar, Botticelli moved away from the idealizing naturalism that characterized his earlier work.1

His later paintings became smaller in scale, featuring figures that were slender to the point of idiosyncrasy. By emphasizing intense gestures and expressions, Botticelli focused his art on a sense of passionate urgency. This stylistic evolution reflected the spiritual tensions of the era, as seen in works like the Mystic Nativity and the Mystic Crucifixion, which convey his faith in the renewal of the church. Additionally, his late works, such as The Story of Lucretia, appear to reflect the political climate of the time by condemning the tyranny of the Medici and celebrating republican ideals.1