The constant thirst for the holiday, a thriving commercial port and the influence of the ideals of beauty and grandeur of the high Renaissance - all this contributed to the emergence of artists in Venice of the XV and XVI centuries in order to bring elements of luxury into the world of art. The Venetian school, which arose at this moment of the prosperity of culture, breathed new life into the world of painting and architecture, combining the inspiration of its predecessors, oriented to the classics and the new desire for rich color, with a special Venetian adoration of embellishment. Most of the work of artists of this time, regardless of the subject or content, was permeated with the idea that life should be perceived through the prism of pleasure and enjoyment.
Short description
The Venice school belongs to a special, original direction in art, which developed in Venice of the Renaissance from the end of the 1400s, and which, headed by the brothers Giovanni and Gentile Bellini, developed until 1580. It is also called the Venetian Renaissance, and its style shares humanistic values, the use of linear perspectives and the naturalistic images of Renaissance art in Florence and Rome. The second related term is the Venice School of Painting. It appeared during the early Renaissance and existed until the 18th century. Its representatives are such artists as Tiepolo, associated with two areas in art - Rococo and Baroque, Antonio Canaletto, known for his Venetian city landscapes, Francesco Guardi and others.
Key ideas
The innovative accent and features of the Venetian school of painting associated with the use of color to create forms made it different from the Florentine Renaissance, where they painted forms filled with color. This led to the emergence in the works of revolutionary dynamism, an unprecedented wealth of color and a special psychological expression.
Artists in Venice painted mainly with oil, first on wooden panels, and then began to use a canvas that best corresponded to the humid climate of the city and emphasized the play of naturalistic light and atmosphere, as well as the dramatic, sometimes theatrical, movement of people.
At this time, a revival of portraiture took place. Artists focused not on the idealized role of man, but on his psychological complexity. During this period, portraits began to depict a large part of the figure, and not just the head and bust.
It was then that new genres appeared, including grandiose images of mythical plots and female nudity, while they did not appear as a reflection of religious or historical motifs. Eroticism began to appear in these new forms of the subject, not subject to moralistic attacks.
The new architectural direction, which combined classical influences along with carved bas-reliefs and characteristic Venetian decorations, became so popular that a whole industry of designing private residences arose in Venice.
Venice culture
Despite the fact that the Venetian school knew about the innovations of Renaissance masters such as Andrea Mantegna, Leonardo da Vinci, Donatello and Michelangelo, her style reflected the special culture and society of the city of Venice.
Thanks to its prosperity, Venice was known throughout Italy as a “serene city”. Due to its geographical position on the Adriatic Sea, it has become an important center of trade linking the West and the East. As a result, the city-state was secular and cosmopolitan, emphasizing the idea of joy and the richness of life, and was not guided by religious dogma. Residents were proud of their independence and the stability of their government. The first doge or duke to rule Venice was elected in 697, and subsequent rulers were also elected by the Grand Council of Venice, a parliament composed of aristocrats and wealthy merchants. Magnificence, entertaining shows and generous holidays, during which carnivals took place, lasting for several weeks, determined the Venetian culture.
Unlike Florence and Rome, which were influenced by the Catholic Church, Venice was primarily connected with the Byzantine Empire with a center in Constantinople, which ruled Venice in the VI and VII centuries. As a result, Venetian art was influenced by the art of Byzantium, which was characterized by the use of bright colors and gold in church mosaics, and Venetian architecture was distinguished by the use of domes, arches and colored stone typical of Byzantium, which, in turn, was associated with the influence of Islamic architecture Central Asia.
By the mid-1400s, the city gained weight and greater influence in Italy, and Renaissance artists such as Andrea Mantegna, Donatello, Andrea del Castaño and Antonello da Messina visited it or lived here for a long time. The style of the Venetian school synthesized the Byzantine color and golden light with the innovations of these Renaissance artists.
Andrea Mantegna
For the first time, artist Andrea Mantegna presented a linear perspective, a naturalistic figurative image and classical proportions, which were decisive for Renaissance art in general and for Venetian artists in particular. The influence of Mantegna can be seen in the painting "Agony in the Garden" by Giovanni Bellini (approximately 1459-1465), which echoes the "Agony in the Garden" of Mantegna (approximately 1458-1460).
Antonello da Messina
He is considered the first Italian artist for whom an individual portrait has become an independent form of art.
Antonello da Messina worked in Venice from 1475 to 1476 and had a noticeable influence on the paintings of Giovanni Bellini, his oil painting. It was de Messina who focused on portraiture. Antonello first encountered the art of the Northern European Renaissance when he was a student in Naples. As a result, his work was a synthesis of the Italian Renaissance and the principles of Northern European art, having influenced the development of the special style of the Venetian school.
Giovanni Bellini, “father of Venetian painting”
Already in his early works, the artist used saturated and bright light not only when portraying figures, but also in landscapes.
He and his older brother Gentile were known for creating the Bellini family workshop, which was the most popular and famous in Venice. At the early stage of the Bellini Brothers' creative work, religious themes, for example, “The Procession of the True Cross” (1479), written by Gentile, and the works of Giovanni, depicting the flood and Noah's Ark (circa 1470), were the main ones. Giovanni Bellini was especially popular work with images of the Madonna and baby. This image was very close to him, and the works themselves were filled with color and light, conveying all the beauty of the world. At the same time, Giovanni's emphasis on the image of natural light and the combination of the principles of the Renaissance with a special Venetian style of color rendering made him one of the main representatives of the Venetian school.
Concepts and trends of portraiture
Giovanni Bellini was the first great portrait painter among Venetian artists, since his portrait of the doge Leonardo Loredana (1501) presented an amazing image that, being naturalistic and conveying a play of light and color, idealized the person depicted on him, and at the same time emphasized his social role of the head of Venice. The famous work fueled the demand for portraits by aristocrats and wealthy merchants, who were completely satisfied with the naturalistic approach, while conveying their social significance.
Giorgione and Titian became the pioneers of a new type of portrait. Portrait of a young woman Giorgione (1506) introduced a new genre of erotic portraiture, which later became widespread. In his paintings, Titian expanded his point of view on the subject, including most of the figure in it. This is clearly seen in his "Portrait of Pope Paul III" (1553). Here, the artist emphasized not the idealized role of the clergyman, but the psychological component of the image.
An outstanding representative of the Venetian school of painting, Paolo Veronese, also painted portraits of this type, as can be seen in the example of “Portrait of the Master” (c. 1576-1578), which shows an aristocrat dressed in black clothes standing at the pediment with columns in almost full height.
Jacopo Tintoretto was also famous for his attractive portraits.
The display of mythology in the paintings
Bellini first used the mythological plot in his "Festival of the Gods" (1504). Titian further developed the genre in images of bacchanalia, such as his Bacchus and Ariadne (1522-1523). These paintings were painted for the private gallery of the Duke of Ferrera. Titian's painting Bacchus and Ariadne (1522-1523) depicts Bacchus, the god of wine, abiding with his followers, at a dramatic moment when Ariadne had just realized that her lover had abandoned her.
Venetian patrons paid particular attention to art based on classical Greek myths, since such images, not limited to religious or moralistic messages, could be used to display eroticism and hedonism. Titian's works included a wide range of mythological images; he created six large paintings for the King of Spain, Philip II, including his “Danu” (1549-1550), a woman seduced by Zeus, who appeared in the form of sunlight, and “Venus and Adonis” ( c. 1552-1554), a picture depicting a goddess and her mortal lover.
Mythological contexts also played a role in the emergence of the genre of naked female nature, in particular, “Sleeping Venus” by Giorgione (1508) became the first such painting. Titian developed the theme, emphasizing the eroticism inherent in the masculine look, as in "Venus of Urbinsk" (1534). Judging by the names, both of these works have a mythological context, although their pictorial display of images does not have any visual references to the goddess. Among other similar works by Titian can be called the painting "Venus and Cupid" (c. 1550).
The tendency to depict mythological plots, so popular among Venetians, also influenced the style for contemporary artists to display scenes, such as dramatic spectacles, as seen in Paolo Veronese's “Feast in the House of Levi” (1573), painted on a monumental scale, measuring 555 × 1280 cm.
The influence of Venetian art
The recession of the 16th-century Venice school of painting began around 1580, partly due to the impact of the plague on the city, as it lost a third of its population by 1581, and partly because of the death of the last masters Veronese and Tintoretto. The later works of both Renaissance Venetian artists, emphasizing expressive movement rather than classical proportions and figurative naturalism, had some influence on the development of the mannerists who later dominated Italy and spread throughout Europe.
Nevertheless, the emphasis of the Venetian school on color, light and the enjoyment of sensual life, as can be seen from the works of Titian, also created a contrast with the approach typical of Mannerism and the baroque works of Caravaggio and Annibale Carracci. This school had even greater influence outside of Venice, as kings and aristocrats from all over Europe eagerly collected works. Artists in Antwerp, Madrid, Amsterdam, Paris and London, including Rubens, Anthony van Dyck, Rembrandt, Poussin and Velazquez, were heavily influenced by the art of the Venetian Renaissance school of painting. History says that Rembrandt, while still a young artist, during a visit to Italy said that it was easier to see Italian Renaissance art in Amsterdam than traveling from city to city in Italy itself.
Palladio had a great influence in architecture, especially in England, where Christopher Wren, Elizabeth Wilbraham, Richard Boyle and William Kent adopted his style. Inigo Jones, called the “father of British architecture,” built the Queen’s House (1613–1635), the first classical building in England based on Palladio designs. In the 18th century, Palladio designs manifested themselves in United States architecture. Thomas Jefferson’s own house in Monticello and the Capitol building were created mainly under the influence of Palladio, and Palladio in the decree of the US Congress from 2010 was called "the father of American architecture."
Beyond the Renaissance
The works of artists of the Venice School of Painting remained special. As a result, the term continued to be used in the 18th century. Representatives of the Venetian school of painting, such as Giovanni Battista Tiepolo, have expanded their special style, both in Rococo and Baroque style. Other 18th-century artists are also known, such as Antonio Canaletto, who painted Venetian cityscapes, and Francesco Guardi. His work later greatly influenced the French impressionists.
Vittore Carpaccio (born in 1460, in Venice - died 1525/26, Venice) is one of the greatest representatives of Venetian artists. Perhaps he was a student of Lazzaro Bastiani, but the main influence on his early work was made by the students of Gentile Bellini and Antonello da Messina. The style of his work suggests that he could also visit Rome in his youth. Virtually nothing is known about Vittore Carpaccio's early works, since he did not sign them, and there is too little evidence that he wrote them. Around 1490, he began to create a cycle of scenes from the legend of Saint Ursula for Scuola di Santa Orsola, which are now in the galleries of the Venice Academy. During this period he became a mature artist. The genre scene of the dream of St. Ursula was especially appreciated for the wealth of naturalistic details.
Panoramic images of Carpaccio paintings, processions and other public gatherings are distinguished by a wealth of realistic details, sunny coloring and dramatic narratives. His inclusion of realistic figures in an orderly and consistent space of perspective made him the forerunner of Venetian painters who painted urban landscapes.
Francesco Guardi (1712-1793, born and died in Venice), one of the most outstanding landscape painters of the Rococo era.
The artist himself, along with his brother Nicolo (1715-86), studied with Giovanni Antonio Guardi. Their sister Cecilia married Giovanni Battista Tiepolo. For a long time, the brothers worked together. Francesco is one of the prominent representatives of such a picturesque direction as the Vedut, whose characteristic feature was a detailed display of the city landscape. He painted these paintings until about the mid-1750s.
In 1782, he portrayed official celebrations in honor of the visit of Grand Duke Paul to Venice. Later that year, he was authorized by the republic to make similar images about the visit of Pius VI. He enjoyed considerable support from the British and other foreigners and was elected to the Venice Academy in 1784. He was an extremely prolific artist whose brilliant and romantic images contrast markedly with the transparent displays of architecture by Canaletto, the head of the Vedut school.
Giambattista Pittoni (1687-1767) was a leading Venetian painter of the early 18th century. He was born in Venice and studied with his uncle Francesco. In his youth, he painted frescoes, for example, “Justice and the world of justice” in the Palazzo Pesaro, Venice.
Francesco Fontebasso (Venice, 1707-1769) is one of the main representatives in some way unusual for eighteenth-century Venetian painting. A very active and good artist, an experienced decorator who depicted on his canvases almost everything from everyday life scenes and historical images to portraits, he also demonstrated good skills and mastery of the most diverse techniques in graphics. He began working on religious topics for the Maninas, first in the chapel of Villa Passariano (1732), and then in Venice in the Jesuit church, where he made two frescoes on the ceiling with Elijah captured in the sky and the angels who appeared before Abraham.