Born in Milan, Arcimboldo is best known for his paintings in which various items (flowers, fruit, vegetables) are arranged in the shape of heads. In the beginning of his career, Arcimboldo worked on the cathedral at Milan doing various tasks including repainting the facade. From 1562 until 1587, he worked in Vienna and Prague and was employed by several emperors. Both a costume designer and a painter, Arcimboldo completed a series of 150 ink drawings, dedicated to Rudolph II, for a winter tournament. These drawings are currently housed in Florence's Uffizi museum. Arcimboldo also painted portraits of various members of the royal family and servants, including "The Librarian" and "The Portrait of Rudolph II in the Guise of Vertumnus"; the later is now located in a private collection in Sweden.
$#BACICCIA (IL GAULLI),GIOVANNI BATTISTA
##Giovanni Battista Gauli Baciccia 1639-1709
Born in Genoa, Baciccia's family was killed by the plague in 1657. His early training was the study of del Vaga's, Barocci's and Ruben's work. At age eighteen, Baciccia moved to Rome, where he studied under Bernini and was also influenced by Raphael and Cortona. He painted seven Popes during his career including "Pope Clement IX" (1667), now located in the Galleria Nazionale in Rome. Baciccia is considered to be a fine Baroque artist, His study of Correggio in Parma (1669) led to a higher degree of illusion in his paintings and made his works more colorful and sentimental. His masterpiece fresco, "Adoration in the Name of Jesus" (1674--1679) was painted on a ceiling in the Gesu in Rome. His technique of putting painted figures into painted and modelled figures of stucco was unique. Some of the models for this work are now in Cincinnati, Ohio and at the Palace Spada in Rome. Other works of note are: "St. John the Baptist Preaching", "Christian Virtues", and "The Death of St. Francis Xavier".
$#BAROCCI (FIORI DA URBINO),FEDERIGO
##Federico Barocci 1526-1612
Born in Urbino, Federico Barocci is considered one of the most original Italian Mannerists in the later part of the sixteenth century. He studied briefly in Rome, but then returned to his hometown where he spent most of his life. Barocci's work and shows command of color and sensitivity. It is thought that Michelangelo supported Barocci while he was in Rome. Although Barocci lived to old age, he was troubled by bad health and only worked for two hours each day. His primary works were altarpieces such as "Rest on the Flight into Egypt" (1573, the Vatican Museum in Rome). Barocci was one of the first painters of the Baroque period. His "Martyrdom of St. Vitalis" (1580-83) and "Circumcision" (1590) show his talent and creativity in the use of space. He made multiple drawings prior to painting, and many of these drawings have survived. $#BASCHENIS,EVARISTO
##Evaristo Baschenis 1617-1677
Evaristo Baschenis was born in Bergamo. He worked first with his father, and is thought to have been well-acquainted with Cremonese art. When about thirty Baschenis entered the priesthood. His work included a few religious paintings and a battle scene done in Jacques Courtois' style, but Baschenis is best known for still life paintings, especially of musical instruments. In that genre, he had no equal. He also painted some kitchen scenes and was extremely adept at painting ribbons in a very realistic manner. He is thought to have been influenced by Caravaggio, and to have been a precursor to Cezanne. Bashenis exercized strict attention to detail, and his work is characterized by simplicity, geometry and beautiful lighting. The bulk of his work is now located at the Accademia Carrara in Bergamo. Baschenis died there in 1677.
$#CANALETTO (ANTONIO CANALE)
Antonio Canale Canaletto 1697-1768
Born in Venice as the son of a theatrical designer, Giovanni began his career working with his father. At the age of twenty-two, Canaletto moved to Rome where he stayed for the next eleven years (until 1730). He studied under Panini, and rapidly gained a reputation as an excellent painter of city views. Canaletto earned excellent income doing these scenes, which were fashionable for tourists to buy as souvenirs of their visits. In 1720, he became a member of the painter's guild in Venice; through this association he found many patrons for his work. His earliest known work is"Architectural Capriccio" (1723). In 1736, the English consul Joseph Smith became a patron of Canaletto; and was probably responsible for Canaletto's three journeys to England. The Venetian Academy accorded Canaletto the honor of president in 1763. Canaletto painted his city views with strong contrasts of dark and light, and from nature, rather than from drawings as was the custom. A camera obscura was of help to him in his painting. The British Royal Collection has an extensive library of Canaletto's drawings and paintings. Later in his life, Canaletto became somewhat mechanical in his renderings of cities, however, many of his pictures still had excellent quality. His later works were often imitated by English painters such as Marlow and Scott.
$#CARRACCI,AGOSTINO
##Agostino Carracci 1557-1602
Agostino Carracci was born in Bologna. He came from a family of painters which included his brother Annibale and his cousin Ludovico. Agostino's most widely acclaimed work was the "Communion of St. Jerome" (1590s). In that painting, he illustrated the ideals of classicism which were admired by the Accademia degli Incamminati. Although he went to Rome to help his brother with the decoration of the Galleria in the Palazzo Farnese, the brothers had disagreements, and Agostino did not stay to finish that work. He then went to Parma at the request of the Farnese family. His career was shortened by his early death. Agostino's importance was in his ability as teacher and engraver. As part of his training, he did exhaustive studies of the human body; these studies were used for the next two centuries. All three Carraccis were superb draftsmen; more than 500 of their drawings are in the Royal Collection at Windsor Palace.
$#CARRACCI,ANNIBALE
##Annibale Carracci 1560-1609
Annibale Carracci was born in Bologna to a famous family of Italian painters. Annibale was one of Ludovico's students and is considered to be the most famous of the family. It is believed that Annibale travelled to Tuscany in about 1583-4 and to Venice in 1585-6. Lodovico and Agostino attended the Academy in Venice with Annibale. The three of them collaborated on the decoration of the Fava (1584) and Magnani (1588-91) Palaces in Venice. In 1585, when Annibale toured Parma, he was influenced by the work of Correggio. Annibale demonstrated a firm committment to Mannerism rooted in Classicism, while Caravaggio was at this time turning from Mannerism toward Naturalism. Annibale invented the art of caricature, and he helped lay the foundation for the Baroque period in painting. He created remarkable landscapes, which later influenced Claude and Poussin. The Farnese Gallery, opened by the Carraccis was also a teaching gallery and a lasting model for historical painters. Annibale made many contributions to the world of art: "The Story of Hercules" (1595-97), "The Charity of St. Roch" (1595), and "The Butcher's Shop" (c.1582) are but a few of his paintings.
$#DOMENICHINO (DOMENICO ZAMPIERI)
##Domenichino 1581-1641
Domenchino was a Bolognese painter and was one of Annibale Carracci's favorite students. Domenichino followed Carracci faithfully. Domenichino studied with Calvaert, and in Carracci's academy, prior to going to Rome at age twenty-one (1602). Domenichino was one of the innovators of landscape painting, along with Carracci, Elsheimer and the Brills. While in Rome, Domenichino helped Carracci with the Farnese Gallery. By 1620, Domenichino was one of the foremost painters in Rome. His frescos on "The Life of St. Cecilia" were done in true Classic style and greatly impressed Poussin. He was the architect for Pope Gregory IX. Domenichino had quite a temper and was at odds with Lanfranco who had worked the dome of Saint' Andrea della Valle, while Domenichino did the decorations of the choir and pendentives. In 1631, Domenichino was called to Naples to decorate the chapel of San Gennaro in the Cathedral. He accepted that commission because his style was, at that time, losing popularity in favor of the Baroque style of Lanfranco and others in Rome. Domenichino's landscapes would be a major influence on Claude. The altarpiece, "Last Communion of St. Jerome (1614, the Vatican, Rome), "Landscape with Tobias and the Angel" (1615 ca.), and the portrait of "Monsignor Agucchi" (1610 ca.), are examples of Domenichino's broad painting skill.
$#PIAZZETTA,GIAMBATTISTA
##Giovanni Battista Piazzetta 1682-1754
Giovanni Battista Piazzetta was born in Venice, the son of a woodcarver. His first teacher, and great influence, was Crespi in Bologna (1703). In 1711, Piazzetta returned to Venice to remain. He was individualistic, painting in oils for the most part rather than in the fashionable fresco. And, he used dark serious tones rather than the bright colors which were becoming popular. Piazetta did, however, do one magnificent fresco, the ceiling in the chapel of Santi Giovanni e Paolo. Rembrandt was an influence on Piazzetta in his later years; this influence is seen in Piazzetta's drawings, done for books and collectors as a means to support his family. "The Fortuneteller" (1740, the Accademia, Venice); the "Idyll on the Seashore" (1740 ca., Wallraf-Richartz-Museum, Cologne) and "Rebecca at the Well" (1740 ca., the Brera, Milan) are fine examples of Piazzetta's surviving work; unfortunately, few of his paintings have survived.
$#TIEPOLO,GIOVANNI BATTISTA
##Giovanni Battista Tiepolo 1696-1770
Giovanni Battista Tiepolo was born in Venice, the greatest in a long line of Tiepolo fresco painters. Although he recieved his early training from a relatively unknown painter by the name of Lazzarini, he became one of the premier practitioners of the Italian Rococo style. He has been called the greatest painter of the eighteenth century. Tiepolo was considerably influenced by Ricci and Piazzetta. His earliest known work is "Sacrifice of Abraham" (1715, the Ospedaletto, Venice). Tiepolo became a member of the guild in 1717. The Church of the Gesuati commissioned him in 1737 to do a series of frescos which display his remarkable skill. He travelled throughout Italy and received many commissions for churches and palaces. Some of these works include "Gathering of the Manna" and "Sacrifice of Melchizdek", both of which are over thirty feet high (1735--1740 ca.), and, the "Antony and Cleopatra" series in the Palazzo Labia in Venice (1750 ca.). Tiepolo decorated the main hall of the Scuola dei Carmini (1740-- 1744) and did several frescos in the Palazzo Rezzonico. These include his most famous work, "Merit Between Nobility and Virtue" (1758 ca., also called "Apotheosis of the Poet Quintiliano Rezzonico"). Tiepolo was elected the first president of the Venetian academy in 1755. In 1761, Charles III of Spain invited Tiepolo to Spain to decorate the Royal Palace. Many sketches and hundreds of drawings which have survived Tiepolo. Tiepolo's son, Giovanni Domenico, who was also a painter.
$#BARTOLOMMEO, FRA (BACCIO DELLA PORTA)
##Fra Bartolommeo 1472-1517
Fra Bartolommeo (Bacio della Porta), born near Florence, was a monk in the monastery of San Marco, the same to which Fra Angelico belonged. He had already won considerable fame as a painter under his real name, "Baccio", when the shock produced by the martyrdom of his friend Savonarola caused him to renounce painting and enter the monastery, which he did under the name of Fra Bartolommeo. After six years of utter seclusion, at the urgent entreaty of friends, he resumed his brush. About this time Raphael visited Florence, became strongly attached to Bartolommeo, learned from him his method of coloring, and, in return, gave him instruction in drawing. Both artists seem to have profited by their friendship. Bartolommeo's rank among Italian painters is high, and he is considered a key figure of the Renaissance in Florence in the early 16th century.
Characteristics.--His composition is simple, almost architectural in its masses; his favorite form is the pyramid, within whose outline he has grouped few figures. Types of figures and faces tend to be abstract and contain little individuality. His figures are clothed with heavy masses of drapery, which is quite elaborate. He is said to have been the first artist to use the lay-figure. In many pictures of the Madonna little boy angels are introduced, sitting at her feet and playing musical instruments, or otherwise occupied in ministry. Raphael borrowed this fancy. His color is finer than usual with Florentine painters, but injured by the use of black pigment in shadows. His management of chiaroscuro shows the influence of Leonardo da Vinci.
$#BERNINI, GIAN LORENZO
##Gian Lorenzo Bernini 1598-1680
Gian Lorenzo Bernini, who was born in Naples, 1598 and died in Rome, 1680, was known as early as his tenth year as a prodigy in art. At this time his father took him to Rome. Pope Paul V became interested in him, as did Cardinal Barberini, who assisted him in his studies. He was always fortunate, and, although he lived during nine pontificates, the favor of the reigning Pope was always his. His fame extended to other countries, and he was invited to France, where he went when sixty-eight years old, accompanied by one of his sons and a large retinue. He received large sums of money and valuable presents. He held several benefits at Rome, and his son was Canon of Santa Maria Maggiore. He was buried in Maria Maggiore, and left an immense fortune of 400,000 Roman crowns. He had a versatile talent, remarkable imagination perceptive power, and a marvelous facility of execution. It has been said that marble was like clay, or wax, beneath his hand. He believed and constantly said that one must be above rules in order to excel. There is a fascination in the sound of this maxim, but Bernini's own works prove that its practical application is difficult. In short, his desire for picturesque and unusual effect detracted from his art. Some of his most important works were executed in the time of Urban VIII. For Charles I of England he executed a statue. For this purpose the king sent him three portraits by van Dyck, and the likeness was so satisfactory that, in addition to the 6,000 crowns paid for the statue, Charles sent him a ring worth much more. The colossal equestrian statue of Louis XIV, executed by Bernini, was afterwards converted into Macus Curtius, and was sent to Versailles.
$#BRONZINO, ANGELO DI COSIMO
##Angelo Bronzino 1503-1572
Angelo Bronzino was a pupil of Pontormo, friend of Vasari, and the devoted admirer of Michelangelo. His works were very unequal, but he had remarkable ability in drawing and painting. He was employed in many important works, and after the death of Pontormo, finished the Chapel of San Lorenzo at Florence. His frescoes which remain are injured , but he was most important as a portrait painter, and he painted many illustrious persons of his time. His portraits have green backgrounds, and in style might be called Italian Holbeins. He was fond of rich garments, furs, etc., but managed them so as not to interfere with the dignity of the portrait. He had a habit of throwing a strong light and a golden tone on the face, while keeping the rest of the work dark. The somewhat chilly perfection of his figures identifies him with the mainstream of Tuscan mannerism, of which he was a notable representative.
$#CARAVAGGIO, MICHELANGELO MERISI DA
##Michelangelo Caravaggio 1569-1609
Considered a revolutionary painter, Caravaggio was the chief master of the Naturalistic School, noted by its direct anti-humanism of common life. Claiming that nature was his teacher, he was nevertheless a conscious participant in the movement. He gave the same dramatic significance to the depiction of every day events as he gave to biblical events. This lack of a hierarchy of values was truly revolutionary and with his dramatic use of light and dark, led to such bold and powerful masterpieces as "The Calling of St. Matthew" and "The Conversion of St. Paul." The realism of these other works, along with his own somewhat dissolute and violent lifestyle, outraged contemporaries and caused him to flee Rome and live in hiding for a time. The contrast, even the battle between light and dark is descriptive of both his work and his personal life. Caravaggio's iconoclastic influence achieved a renewal in art and radically changed ideas about artists and their relationship painting in the 17th century. He remained faithful to the vision of the great spirituality and nobility to be found in the humble aspects of life. He died tragically, during his wanderings following a sea crossing, October 1600.
$#CARRACCI, LODOVICO
##Lodovico Carracci 1555-1619
Born in Bologna, Lodovico Carracci is considered the founder of what is called the School of the Carracci, the most important of the eclectic schools of Bologna. Lodovico was a pupil of Prospero Fontana, and afterwards of Tintoretto. He studied with more system and devotion to the principles of art than was the custom of his time. Although he incurred much criticism in his day, it only served to convince him that there was a need of reform in the study and practice of painting. He was assisted by his two cousins, Agostino and Annibale, in the formation and conducting of his school. Carracci advocated the selection of the chief points of excellence from various masters, i.e., the color of Lombardy, the truth and nature of Titian, the design of Rome and so forth; all of these were to be united to the study of Nature. But although this doctrine was the foundation of the school of the Carracci, Carracci and his nephews soon went beyond it, and became independent artists, guided by their own genius. Their school was most prosperous, so much so that all other schools in Bologna were closed. They furnished casts, models, and drawings, as well as living subjects for study, and paid a great deal of attention to their pupils. They also gave theoretic instruction in anatomy, perspective, etc. He seems to have been the first to depict the pathos of sorrow, and his example resulted in the almost numberless sorrowing feeling in his works which raises him above his own school. It is said that when the scaffoldings were removed in the Cathedral of Bologna, Lodovico discovered some errors in the "Annunciation", which could not be remedied than and that his disappointment hastened his death. There are a few plates engraved by Lodovico from his own designs, in a masterly style. They are first etched and then finished with the graver. Though his school was influential in the education of artists his cousin Annibale exceeded him in fame and influence.
$#CORREGGIO, ANTONIO ALLEGRI DA
##Antonio Allegri da Correggio 1494-1534
Antonio Allegri da Correggio, so called from his birthplace, a little town near Modena, is an artist about whose youth and study is little known, although much has been said. He is considered to have been a pupil of Bianchi Ferraro at Modena, and later to have entered the studio of Costa and Francia at Bologna, but his early influence was that of Mantegna. He became one of the greatest Italian Masters of painting, and his best pictures were as much sought after as those of Raphael and Titian. He led a singularly quiet and restricted life, wholly separate from all competition with other masters of his time. Many of his notable religious paintings were executed in Parma, where he went by invitation. Afterward he returned to the little town where he was born, and died there. Though the style of Correggio had much influence upon the art of northern Italy, he does not seem to have had any very distinguished students. They all, striving to paint like their master, without possessing his genius, were unable to match his style well. Every important European gallery has examples of his work.
Characteristics.-- Correggio's subjects were religious and mythological; his composition quiet and simple, save in large church pictures, where it is somewhat conventional. Correggio was a worshiper of physical beauty, particularly that of women and children, and no one can study his pictures without feeling that, whatever the subjects, they were painted, first of all, to express this beauty. His goal was to portray charm, not character, causing him to be more closely allied to the Venetian School than to any other school (Giorgione and Titian). His figures always express joy; they are in motion, or just on the verge of it. In this grace of motion he surpasses all other masters. His chiaroscuro rivals that of Leonardo da Vinci. His flesh shadows are so transparent that one seems to look through them and see the very texture of the flesh. His color vies with the Venetian in beauty, but is more Ferrarese in pure, simple brilliance; he was very fond of a certain beautiful blue, which marks many of his pictures. His type of faces recalls that of Leonardo. He was no deep student of human nature. His women's hands are peculiarly beautiful, slender, and restless. His children's heads have usually an exaggerated forehead and an abundance of curly hair.
$#FETI, DOMENICO
##Domenico Feti 1589-1624 ca.
Domenico Feti was born in Rome and was a pupil of Ludovico Cardi. His coloring is powerful, and full of expression. He painted small pictures, and many of these illustrated the New Testament parables, which are among his best works and which brought him fame. His short career did not allow a large body of work, but it was expressive and vibrant, depicting a poetic if unquiet universe of myth and romance.
$#GIORGIONE, GIORGIO BARBARELLI
##Giorgio Barbarelli Giorgione 1477-1510 ca.
Giorgione, was born in Castelfranco. Little is known of his early life. He acquired the name Giorgione, meaning "Georgio the Great," (apparently a reference to his noble height), sometime after 1548. The Venetian traditions give the following: He was fond of pleasure, but never profligate, and his love of his art would not allow him long to neglect it. After being betrayed by his best friend and mistress, Giorgione fled from Venice, entered the army, and worked in decorative painting, and worked with Titian on the Fondacho dei Tedeschi, at Venice. His technique, unique in its effects of light and the stillness of his isolated figures, produced a romantic, poetic mood peculiarly his own. This new style would dominate Venetian art. He had a great influence upon Titian. If any of the frescoes of Giorgione remain in Venice, they are but parts of pictures. The dampness of the climate, fires, and the effect of time have effaced them. His pictures are rare, and it is difficult to give a list of them, for there have been so many differences of opinion among the best judges, concerning the genuineness of those assigned to him, that few remain upon which no doubt has been thrown. He painted few historical subjects. Among the works acknowledged as his, the first place should be given to an altar-piece in the Church at Castelfranco. It represents the "Virgin and Child between Saints Francis and Liberale."
$#LOTTO, LORENZO
##Lorenzo Lotto 1480-1556 ca.
Lorenzo Lotto was an unconventional painter whose troubled, unsettled life was reflected in his numerous, monumental religious works and portraits. He was influenced in his early work by several artists, Giovanni Bellini and Antonello da Messina in particular, leading him toward a purely sixteenth century manner. His sense of color and poetry were his own, however, and the human quality of his portraits reflect a particular style of realism and penetrating psychological understanding. In the later years of his life his work began to display an awareness of Titian in the more restrained use of color and emphasis on shades and shadows. Among his great works are the "Madonna with St. Peter Martyr" (Washington D.C., N.G.), the "Mystic Marriage of St. Catherine" (Bergamo), "Agostino and Niccolo della Torre (London, N.G.), and the "Altarpiece of St. Nicolas in Glory" (Venice, Church of the Carmini). Lotto is considered one of the great masters of the High Renaissance, his genius evident in the poetry and style of his many works.
$#MICHELANGELO BUONARROTI
##Michelangelo Buonarroti 1475-1564
Michelangelo Buonarroti, who was born at Castel' Caprese near Arezzo in Tuscany, and was one of the world-masters of painting. He is distinguished as sculptor, painter, and architect, as well as engineer and poet. He studied in the workshop of Ghirlandaio. He soon distinguished himself from the other pupils of Ghirlandaio, and attracted the notice of that great patron of art, Lorenzo de' Medici, who gave him a home in his own palace and commissioned him to execute several pieces of sculpture. Here Michelangelo lived for four years, and was brought into contact with many of the greatest and most intellectual men of that time in Italy. The worth of such influence to the young man's life must have been incalculable. He became a diligent student of Masaccio's great frescoes in the Brancacci Chapel and also of the remains of ancient art in Florence. He gave himself up to study of anatomy more like a devotee than an ordinary student. Until 1503 Michelangelo is known (with the exception of a few small pictures) exclusively as a sculptor, but in this year he received the commission to enter the lists as a painter with Leonardo da Vinci. The cartoon made at this time brought him so much fame, that soon after he was summed by the order of Pope Julius II to execute the decoration of the vault in the Sistine Chapel, but eventually the project grew into the great series of frescoes which monumental undertaking became the master's most famous achievement. He was then so diffident of his own powers as a painter that, having consented, with great reluctance, to undertake the work, he sent for some of his old Florentine companions to paint the frescoes from his cartoons. Not satisfied with their work, however, he destroyed it all and painted the whole with his own hand. He loved sculpture best but it was the fresco paintings which gave him sufficient space for the representation of his mighty conceptions. In these, however, his is the painter-sculptor, not alone the painter, for his frescoes are full of sculptural qualities.
Characteristics.-- First of all, we must notice the greatness and essential poetry of his conception and style. His compositions differ from those of other masters in that each part seems complete in itself. He has placed magnificent figures side by side, and they have to do with each other yet the relative action is not in the least necessary to the full force of expression of the figures. He discarded draperies almost wholly, having had a passion for the representation of the nude human figure. Until the recent cleaning of the Sistine Chapel ceiling, art historians were divided between the opinion that Michelangelo was weak as a colorist, and that he deliberately used dull tones to emulate sculpture. The full, dazzling display of brilliant colors which the cleaning revealed has left both views untenable, and make necessary a new assessment of Michelangelo as a colorist. As a sculptor, Michelangelo's poetry and power are monumental. His great works of sculpture include his famous "David" (Florence), the exquisite "Pieta" for St. Peter's in Rome, the "Bacchus" (Florence), the "Slaves" (Louvre), and the "Moses." His painted works, in addition to the Sistine Chapel, include the "Doni Tondo" (Holy Family), (Uffizi), and the frescoes in Pope Paul III's chapel in the Vatican, including the "Conversion of St. Paul" and the "Crucifixion of St. Peter." In addition to his paintings and sculptures, Michelangelo left a number of drawings and architectural works in St. Peter's, the Farnese Palace, and the Church of S. Giovanni dei Fiorentini. From the unveiling of the Sistine Chapel ceiling, Michelangelo was considered the greatest living artist. Strangely, or perhaps due to his monumental greatness, he had no pupils or school, though his creative innovations were adapted into the work of his contemporaries. He stands like a colossus, as monumental an artist as was the nature of his work.
$#PALMA (IL VECCHIO), JACOPO D'ANTONIO
##Palma il Vecchio, Jacopo d'Antonio Negreti 1480-1528 ca.
Palma il Vecchio, called "Il Vecchio," was born at Serina, near Bergamou. He was Bergamesque by birth and name, but Venetian in his manner of painting. He was fond of natural backgrounds and represented in them eternal summer. His female figures are his best works, with soft, richly blended tones, and elegant bearing. His fondness for a type of opulent and sensual beauty marked his work, influenced by Titian but lacking a sense of mystery and atmosphere inherent in the latter's works. We have no account of his having studied with any great master or of his being employed by the state, but he was patronized by the families of noble Venetians of Cornaro and Friuli. At the time of his death, he had no family but nephews and a niece, and was a member of the brotherhood of Saint Spirito, in whose vaults, at San Gregorio, at Venice, he desired to be buried. His pictures are numerous, and yet he left forty-four unfinished when he died.
$#PRETI (IL CAVALIER CALABRESE), MATTIA
##Mattia Preti 1613-1699
Mattia Preti, called "Il Calabrese," born at Taverna, was one of the less important Naturalistic School followers. He was a pupil of Guercino. He chose gloomy subjects. His composition was copious, his design bold, and his use of heavy shadows very effective.
$#RAPHAEL SANTI DA URBINO
##Raphael (Raffaello) Santi da Urbino 1493-1520
Raphael or Raffaello Santi was born in Urbino. His first instructor was his father, Giovanni Santi, who was probably a pupil of Melozzo da Forli, and who was an excellent painter. Giovanni Santi's importance in this school has only been lately recognized. After his father's death, he entered the school of Perugino in Perugia, where he remained for several years. Raphael visited Florence in 1504, remaining four years, where he was brought into contact with the greatest art workers and masters of Italy. There his work took on the classicism of Leonardo, the young Michelangelo, and Fra Bartolommeo. The development of his mature style places him as one of the greatest painters of the Italian High Renaissance. In 1508 he settled in Rome, having gone there at the request of Pope Julius II, and lived and painted in that city until his early death. In studying the life and work of Raphael, we cannot separate the work from the man himself. He seems to have been from his childhood a seeker. All the individual traits of intellectual and moral life were admirably balanced in him. Although he may well be called an "Apostle of Beauty", the beauty he portrays seldom approaches the sensuous; it is a noble, intellectual, moral, spiritual beauty. From each of those great masters whose works he studied, he assimilated that which was highest and best, and thus formed a style peculiar to himself, expressed in serenity and balance. His works include grand decorative compositions, religious subjects and portraiture, and in each he is always the great master, ever struggling to attain his high ideal -- the perfection of beauty and truth.
Characteristics.-- We often hear the art of Raphael compared with that of Michelangelo, but there can be no real comparison between the two because they are so essentially opposed one to the other. The chief element of Michelangelo's painting is the portrayal of strength, of power; with Raphael, as with Greek art, the whole endeavor is to render a serene, harmonious beauty. Through Michelangelo's art we see the master's own prodigious personality; in Raphael's we feel the sum of all the highest influences to which he had been subjected. In Raphael's work the treatment was subordinate to the conception. He painted in three great styles: The first, Peruginesque, in which he imitated Perugino very closely; the second, Florentine, used very soon after he went to Florence while engaged in the study of Florentine art; and the third, Roman, used after he had been brought into close contact in Rome with Michelangelo. By far the larger number and the most important of his works are painted in the Roman Style. It is difficult to designate the special characteristics of Raphael's style, because it was so full of diverse influences. He gathered up all the elements of the High Renaissance and embodied them in himself. His work is marked by noble subjects, expressive composition, serene landscape backgrounds, clear drawing, true perspective, grace and naturalness of the human figure, beauty and gentleness of expression. His major works include the "Sistine Madonna" (Dresden), the "Virgin with the Fish" (Prado), and the great "Transfiguration" in the Vatican. Also in the Vatican are the series of rooms decorated by Raphael and his assistants, which include "Disputation of the Blessed Sacrament" and the "School of Athens."
$#TINTORETTO, (JACOPO ROBUSTI) IL
##Jacopo Robusti Tintoretto 1518-1594
Tintoretto (Jacopo Robusti), was born in Venice and called Tintoretto (little dyer) from the trade of his father. According to perhaps a legendary story, he is said to have been at one time a pupil in the studio of Titian, who sent him home at the end of three days, saying that he "never would be anything but a dauber." Some writers have attributed this action to Titian's jealousy, but it is difficult to believe this to have been the case. It is likely, however, that it was due to a clash between a great master, and an independent, strong willed student. There, however, could have been few pupils in the studio who would have shown greater ability, judging from after results. Tintoretto is one of the boldest and most assured painters in the history of art. He was so rapid with his brush that he was called "Il Furioso" by his contemporaries. He painted in Venice through his long life. No such diversity of opinion has ever existed regarding the merit of any other painter. His work varied widely in quality. His ability, however, must be judged by his best, and this puts him unmistakably among the greatest, and most original of Venetian masters.
Characteristics.-- His subjects were mostly religious, mythological, and portrait. His inventive and dramatic power or representation was wonderful. He was a story-teller and loved to combine many incidents within one picture. His swift linear brush strokes and use of color reveal his inventive style, and he had an original mastery of large compositions. Among his many works (about 300 paintings), are "The Assumption" (Venice Church of the Jesuits), "The Last Supper" (Venice, S. Marcuola), "St. Mark Freeing a Slave" (Venice Academy), and scenes from the "Life of Christ" (S. Pocco). Some of his figures are the most headlong, the most impetuous in the world of art. This action is one of his most marked characteristics. He even makes his lights and shade a power in the movement of his pictures. His color is very variable; sometimes rivalling the richest productions of his school.
$#TITIAN, VECELLI
##Titian 1488-1575
Titian (Tiziano Vecelli) was born in Cadore, among the Italian Alps, and would become the greatest painter of his time. He came to Venice as a boy, where he entered the studio of the Bellini brothers and became a pupil of Giovanni Bellini and a fellow-pupil of Giorgione, by whom he was more strongly influenced than by the master himself. Titian was a great colorist; he was great also in every technical quality necessary to the thorough furnishing of the artist. His art life was one of long triumph. Here fame, riches, friends, and honors crowded upon him. Kings and princes would have their portraits painted by no other hand. In his later work we find many classic or mythological themes, much portrait painting, and that style of fancy female figures that had its origin with him. He also painted some purely landscape pictures, a new art feature of this time.
Characteristics.-- Some critics find little of the spiritual ideal in Titian's work; he was, emphatically, the painter of humanity. In his religious pictures we find less of the effort to portray spiritual feeling; the picture seems to have been conceived more to represent a group of noble, tranquil, magnificently painted people. His church pictures were some of the most gorgeous in art. There were superb priestly robes, and princely costumes, and glowed with richest harmonies of color. His composition at its best is unsurpassed, for he composed everything in his picture, -- line, mass, color, light and shade, all in perfect balance. His handling was bold, free, and rapid; detail was wholly subordinated to general effect. His brilliant portraits were always courtly, dignified, high-bred men and women, and were rendered particularly attractive by the wonderful quality of breadth of color and light that fills the canvas. Among his many great works, may be included the frescoes of "The Miracles of St. Anthony" (Padua, Scuola del Santo), "Sacred and Profane Love" (Rome, Borghese), the Huge "Assumption Altarpiece (Venice, Frari), the famous "Venus of Urbino" (Venice, Academy), and the great "Ecce Homo" (Vienna, Museum of Art History). His landscapes were marked by the grand Alpine scenery amidst which he was born, and are often rendered impressive by clouds and storms.
$#LONGHI,PIETRO
##Pietro Longhi (Falca) 1702-1785
Pietro Longhi was born in Venice in 1702. He began his education as an apprentice to Balestra. Together they painted frescos which were not totally successful. Shortly thereafter, Longhi travelled to Bologna and became one of Crespi's students. He changed his style and became a painter of small scenes showing the daily life of the people of Venice. Longhi painted all types of people, from the aristocrats and nobility to the peasants. Some of the earliest works by Longhi were a series of "Shepherds" and "Shepherdesses" (Rovigo, Massano Museum). This series shows the influence of Crespi, and features bright colors with cool lighting effects. The first dated work by Longhi, "The Concert" (1741). In 1756 he was elected to the Academy of Venice as one of its first members. Later he would go there as a teacher. During the 1750's Longhi again changed his style to be more like Crespi's, featuring quick brushstrokes and clear colors in the style of Rosalba Carriera. "The Life of a Lady", "The Presentation" and "The Pankcake Seller" are all paintings from this period. Longhi's style did not change again until the 1770's. At this point, his paintings showed an acute sense of reality with fantasy-like overtones. "Rhinoceros", hunting scenes such as "The Hunt in the Valley" and "The Arrival of the Lord of the Manor" are all examples from this period. The last part of Longhi's career produced some magnificent works such as "The Michiel Family" which shows his interest in the family. Longhi's works were numerous and many artists copied his style. Longhi's painting can be seen in London, New York, Oxford and Washington, D.C. The largest collection of Longhi's works are located in Venice at the Querini-Stampalia Gallery. Pietro Longhi died in Venice in 1785.