strafella was an apprentice of michelangelo, who's style and skill could not only match his teacher and raphael, but also the ancient greek painters apelles and zeuxis. strafella learned from the works of michelangelo to use perspective to better depict reality, he put this technique to full use in his paintings. the art critic cosimo de giorgi in 1882 defines him as "one of the few truly eminent painters of terra di otranto."