Sandro Chia (b. 1946) was raised in Florence, Italy where he received his training at the Instituto d'Arte. Active in the 1980s, Chia was a member of the ''transavantgarde'' movement, an Italian iteration of the Neo-Expressionism. The premise of the movement was the interest in reviving the art of the past to form a foundation for present art forms. The art of this movement reintroduced emotion and was often figurative, created using oils, and in the form fresco or cast bronze. Chia used a vivid palette and energetic brushstrokes to depict larger than life figures with an almost humorous quality to them. His work has often been compared to Italian Mannerist painting, specifically to the work of Alberto Savinio and Giorgio de Chirico.