While few of his works survive, he was an esteemed and influential painter during his time and is considered the preeminent leader of the Early Lombard School.

Some of his earliest exposures to art were likely frescoes painted by Gentile da Fabriano in the Broletto Chapel in Brescia and the woven Annunciation by Jacopo Bellini.

Some historians suggest that Foppa may have had early training in Padua with Francesco Squarcione, though his earliest works are more stylistically reminiscent of Pisanello and Gentile da Fabriano.

Compositionally, this painting is reminiscent of the Veronese style due to its Gothic appearance, contributing to speculation that Foppa was trained in Verona, possibly by Stefano or Michelino da Besozzo.

This work marked a significant step forward for Vincenzo, as his representation of humans matured considerably between the completion of the Madonna and the Crucifixion.

While the composition is nearly identical to the earlier Bellini work, Foppa's delicate colouring and advanced naturalist depiction of the three crucified men indicate his considerable talent, even at such an early stage of his career.

In the following year, Foppa painted a number of works that have since been lost, such as an altarpiece for the Chapel of St. Bernardino at Morimondo and frescoes from the life of the Blessed Isnardo of Vicenza in the Dominican Church of St. Tommaso at Pavia.

[1] After the death of his father Francesco, Duke Galeazzo Maria Sforza continued his family's close relationship with Foppa, first commissioning an altarpiece at Monza in 1466 and making him a member of the ducal household in 1468.

Upon a request from Foppa in 1468, the new Duke granted him citizenship in Pavia and safe conduct for six years, allowing the painter to move about Milanese territorial holdings without tolls or taxes.

[5] In 1474, Foppa collaborated with Zanetto Bugatto and Bonifacio Bembo on an ambitious altarpiece for the Castello of Pavia, but work on the project was halted when Galeazzo Sforza was murdered in 1476.

Many of these pieces are nearly identically composed: Mary holding the baby Jesus in front of a curtain, landscape, or other similar background.

At Santa Maria di Brera he also completed a fresco of Saint Sebastian, a subject whom Foppa painted several times during the decade.

[1] By 1489, Foppa was back in Liguria, completing a since-destroyed altarpiece for the Doria Chapel of the Certosa di Rivarola near Genoa in February.

In 1490, Foppa was granted a yearly allowance of 100 lire by Brescia in exchange for continued artistic contributions to the city, marking his return home.

His human figures are typically shown with a silvery-grey skin tone, a feature that has become the identifying quality of the Lombard school.

During the peak of his career from the 1460s to the 1480s, he was the dominant influence on Lombard art, and contemporary documents testify to his highly esteemed reputation amongst both his patrons and the rest of the artistic community.

[1] Foppa was confident in his merit and ability to receive commissions, as he often left cities with jobs unfinished to pursue work elsewhere that he found more interesting or more lucrative.

[8] There are multiple artists who exhibit significant influence by Foppa, including Vincenzo Civerchio, Ambrogio Bergognone, and Girolamo Romanino.