Portrait of a Young Man, ca. 1470, Oil on wood, 10 5/8 x 8 1/8 in. (27 x 20. 6 cm), Paintings, Antonello da Messina (Antonello di Giovanni d'Antonio) (Italian, Messina ca. 1430?1479 Messina), This haunting portrait was painted in Sicily about 1470?72. Trained in Naples in the Netherlandish technique of oil painting, Antonello set the standard for portraiture when he came to Venice in 1475. Long before Leonardo da? Vinci, he introduced the incipient smile as an indication of the inner life of the sitter, enveloping his features in a soft light and engaging the viewer with his direct gaze