\paperw19995 \margr0\margl0 \plain \fs20 \fi15 \f1 Italian painter.\par
\fi0 A pupil of Bronzino, Tito derived his fondness for firm and compact forms from his master, a
nd his fascination with drawing from the sculptor Baccio Bandinelli. In 1558 Santi was in Rome, where he took part in the execution of several decorative cycles, including the one in the chapel of Palazzo Salviati, alongside Barocci. In this work the cla
ssical, anti-Michelangelesque tendency in the artistÆs style is already evident. Upon returning to Florence in 1564, he painted the\i Nativity \i0 for the church of San Giuseppe the following year. The small panels for Francesco IÆs study in Palazzo Vec
chio, representing \i The Origin of Amber\i0 , \i Hercules and Iole\i0 , \i The\i0 \i Daughters of Phaeton\i0 and the \i Crossing of the Red Sea\i0 , date from 1571. By this time the change in the artistÆs style was complete and û with his restrained a
nd narrative approach to painting û he became the purest interpreter of the dictates of the Counter Reformation in Florence. In the final period of his career û perhaps under the influence of Venetian art which was introduced to the city by artists like
Passignano and Jacopo Ligozzi û Santi started to make the scenes in his pictures more intimate, often setting them in secluded interiors. An example of this style is provided by the \i Annunciation\i0 in Santa Maria Novella which, when finished in 1603,
was also his last work. A highly prolific artist, he was also an indefatigable draftsman and even an architect; it was he, for instance, who designed the oratory of San Tommaso d'Aquino in Florence.
