The Italian artist Paolo Veronese became one of the most prominent representatives of the fourteenth-century art. His works are known worldwide, they have inspired and continue to inspire followers. A closer analysis of the paintings created by Veronese will help a detailed analysis of his biography with a chronology of the appearance of paintings.
early years
The future creator of the late Renaissance was born in Verona, in the family of the famous sculptor Gabriele Cagliari. It is not surprising that artistic talent awoke in the boy. The training of Paolo was carried out by the Verona painter Antonio Badile, who was also his uncle. By the age of twenty, Veronese began independent work. At first he was engaged in the creation of oil compositions and frescoes - today they are preserved in the Villa Emo. In full, his talent as a colorist and decorator was revealed in the process of creating murals for Soranzo in the early 1550s. In his work, there is an understanding of the techniques of Raphael, Michelangelo, Correggio and Parmigianino, which are very inspired Veronese. Paolo's paintings continue the traditions of the Renaissance, they are filled with cheerful festivity, which will become a hallmark of his works in the future.
Path to recognition
In 1551, Paolo Cagliari moved to Venice, where he received the nickname "Veronese". The paintings of Antonio Badile, from whom he studied, did not become a serious school. A real contribution to his work was made by trips to Mantua, where Paolo examined the frescoes of Giulio Romano and the paintings in the Chamber of Delhi Dosi. It was there that a talented young man drew inspiration. Paolo Veronese, whose paintings are filled with incredible harmony, intricate poses, expression of gestures and angles, was able to reach the pinnacle of mastery without serious training, and soon after moving he received a serious order. Veronts - and the nickname "Veronese" is translated that way - had to complete the painting of plafonds for the halls of the Council of Ten in the Doge's Palace on state orders. The resulting work contributed to the recognition of the painter. Veronese's paintings on the central and corner shades revealed his talent in all its splendor. The huge painting “Jupiter expels Vices” will subsequently be taken to Paris by Napoleon, and in the allegorical composition “Old Age and Youth”, the artist was able to show personality without any signs of any influence.
Deserved success
Plafonds made Paolo Veronese famous. The paintings from the Doge's Palace were so good that an even larger order soon followed: he was to complete the painting of the monastery church of San Sebastiano. Veronets worked on creating stunning stories for almost ten years and loved this place so much that he made a will ordering him to be buried there. After death, the artist’s relatives fulfilled his will. The uniqueness of the order is that usually only small frescoes decorated church buildings, which differs noticeably from the scale of Veronese's painting. The artist of The Coronation of Mary in Sacristy, located in the central nave, and the creator of the huge plafonds depicting stories from the lives of Esther and Mordecai, became a pioneer in the implementation of such comprehensive projects for the Catholic Church.
First private orders
The famous Veronese, an artist of paintings and shades for the Catholic Cathedral and a talented master of frescoes, was in demand not only among the state. In 1560, Paolo received a private order from Daniele Barbaro, who invited him to arrange a villa near Maser. This original building by Andrea Palladio was made in the form of a Latin cross (main hall), around which there are smaller rooms. Each room was decorated with illusory niches and columns, which Veronese had to decorate. He brilliantly coped with the task, combining fictional stories with the real life of the Barbaro family in his works.
Gospel series
In the 60s, the most important works were paintings created by Veronese with names associated with the Peers. This is a religious series based on gospel texts that describe the Lord’s meals. Secular painter, devoid of a penchant for religious pathos, Veronese perfectly coped with colossal canvases, similar to which had not yet been in the history of Venetian art. The painting, entitled “Marriage at Caen,” which is now in the Louvre, represented the Lord's Supper as a grand open-air feast, with balustrades and porticoes along the edges and a huge table crowded with guests. In the center are Mary and Christ, designated by nimbuses. In the essence of the canvas, allegory is also hidden: the Venetian holidays were always celebrated unusually magnificent. The role of the painting created by Veronese with the names “Last Supper” or “Feast in the House of Levi” is very significant - it completes the cycle. The double name is simply explained: the finished picture caused displeasure with the too secular interpretation of the event from the Bible. Veronese was summoned to the Inquisitors, who were outraged by the image of the Last Supper. The artist compromised and gave the painting a middle name - “Feast in the House of Levi”, removing Magdalene from the canvas.
The story of the Last Supper
Created by Veronese paintings with the names of the Feasts became an important contribution to Italian culture. But “Feast in the House of Levi” deserves special attention, and not only in connection with the history of the name. This is a grandiose work, based on a stunning visual illusion. Instead of a wall, the artist managed to create a three-arch marble loggia, so convincingly painted that it seems absolutely real. The scene of Christ's meal becomes theatrical and crowded. Only Magdalena was present in the center, but at the insistence of the inquisitors she was replaced ... by a dog.
Other famous paintings by Paolo Veronese
The names “Darius Family in front of Alexander the Great” or “The Cycle of the Kuchchin Family” are also worth reading for every connoisseur of Italian art. The first canvas is one of the most spectacular compositions and depicts the meeting of the great commander with the family of the defeated Persian king. Works devoted to the Kuchchin family are also worthy of attention. The order of the panel cycle is an unusual fact in itself. Historians suggest that the head of the family decided to perpetuate the memory of the deceased brother in such a way, in addition, it is known that the artist was his close friend and spent a lot of time with Kuchchin, which is probably why he agreed to capture the family members in his paintings. The main painting is “The Madonna of the Kuchchin Family” - an excellent group portrait with a religious theme. The creation of the cycle dates back to the 1570s.
last years of life
Creation of Veronese painting "The Abduction of Europe" was at the final stage of the artist. The canvas with a famous mythological plot, which has been repeatedly used in the works of other masters around the world in different eras of history, depicting a bull and an angel abducting Europe that is trying to stop him, is one of the works completing the greatest era of the late Venetian Renaissance in the history of art. The death of Veronese, Titian and Tintoretto served as its end, but the years of life of these masters still inspire the creators of monumental painting.