Pietro Aretino (1492-1556)

### Sexual Orientation

Was a lover of men and declared himself “a sodomite” since birth. In a letter to Giovanni de' Medici written in 1524, Aretino enclosed a satirical poem saying that due to a sudden aberration he had “fallen in love with a female cook and temporarily switched from boys to girls…”.

### Best Known For

His more than three thousand letters, which were published in his lifetime and circulated widely throughout Europe.

## About

Pietro Aretino (1492-1556) was an Italian author, playwright, poet, satirist, and blackmailer who had a significant influence on contemporary art and politics. He was born in Arezzo, Republic of Florence (present-day Tuscany, Italy). Aretino was one of the most influential writers of his time and an outspoken critic of the powerful. He is considered to have been a Nicodemite Protestant due to his communications and sympathies with religious reformers. There are several portraits of Pietro Aretino that have been created by various artists. One of them is a portrait by Wenceslaus Hollar, an engraver, after Marcantonio Raimondi and Titian. Another is a bronze sculpture created around 1542, which is currently in the West Building, Ground Floor – Gallery 16 of the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. The Frick Collection also has a copper alloy cast of Aretino dated 1537. In addition to his literary works, Aretino is also known for his erotic sonnets, which were illustrated by various artists in a work called “I Modi”. Aretino's life has been the subject of several biographies, including “Aretino: Scourge of Princes” by Thomas Caldecot Chubb, “The Divine Aretino, Pietro of Arezzo, 1492-1556: A Biography” by James Cleugh, and “Titian's Portraits Through Aretino's Lens” by Luba Freedman.

## Early Life and Education

Pietro Aretino (1492-1556) was born in Arezzo, Tuscany, Italy, on April 20, 1492. His father was a shoemaker, and his mother was a prostitute. It is unclear whether he received any formal education. When he was very young, he was banished from Arezzo for writing a satirical sonnet against indulgences. He went to Perugia, where he worked as a bookbinder and continued to make daring attacks on religion. Later, he moved to Rome, where he painted for a time. He then moved to Venice in 1527, where he became the object of great adulation and lived in a grand and dissolute style.

## Career

Pietro Aretino (1492-1556) was an Italian author, poet, playwright, satirist, and blackmailer who was born in Arezzo, Tuscany. He received little education and lived for some years poor and neglected, picking up such scraps of information as he could. When he was very young, he was banished from Arezzo on account of a satirical sonnet which he composed against indulgences. He went to Perugia, where he worked as a bookbinder and continued to distinguish himself by his daring attacks upon religion. Aretino gained the good graces of Francis I of France and received handsome presents from him. He was also received by Giovanni de' Medici and attempted to regain the favour of the pope. Aretino's fiery letters and dialogues are of great biographical and topical interest.

## Personal life

Pietro Aretino (1492-1556) was born in Arezzo, Tuscany, Italy, and was said to be the natural son of Luigi Bacci, a gentleman of the town. He received little education and lived for some years poor and neglected, picking up such scraps of information as he could. When he was very young, he was banished from Arezzo on account of a satirical sonnet which he composed against indulgences. He went to Perugia, where for some time he worked as a bookbinder and continued to distinguish himself by his daring attacks upon religion. He later pretended to be the natural son of a nobleman and derived his adopted name (“the Aretine”) from that of his native city.

## Controversies

Pietro Aretino (1492-1556) was a controversial figure in his time. He was known for his bold and insolent literary attacks on the powerful, which earned him the nickname “scourge of princes”. Aretino was particularly vicious in his attacks on Romans. He was banished from Arezzo at a young age due to a satirical sonnet he composed against indulgences. Aretino was also known for his literary pornography, which earned him the title “father of yellow journalism”. He was a blackmailer who used his influence to extort money from the wealthy and powerful. Despite his controversial reputation, Aretino was celebrated throughout Europe in his time for his fiery letters and dialogues.

## See also

To learn more about Pietro Aretino (1492-1556), one can explore his attributed works and black legend1. There are several portraits of Aretino, including engravings by Wenceslaus Hollar and Marcantonio Raimondi, and a bronze sculpture.