Veronese (nicknamed after his birthplace, Verona) was apprenticed at the age of 14 to the local master Antonio Badile (c.1518–60) and possibly also with Giovanni Francesco Caroto (1480–1555/8), from whom he learned local styles and traditions, including strong colors and contrasts. He moved briefly to Mantua in 1548 before arriving—and remaining—in Venice in 1553. For his first commissions, he articulately combined Veronese painting traditions with High Renaissance finishes and unusual Mannerist viewpoints and dramatic figures. He quickly attracted major commissions, both religious and secular, and his paintings for the church of San Sebastiano, the Doge’s Palace and the Marciana Library established him as a major force among Venetian artists, classed as high as Titian and Tintoretto. With his perspective effects, his decorative sense and his distinctive radiant palette, he could make a crowded composition seem harmonious.
Veronese delighted in painting huge spectacles that displayed the majesty of 16th-century Venice. Marble columns, costumes of velvet and satin and glittering jewels are major elements. He painted many religious, mythological and allegorical works, as well as portraits; his religious scenes were particularly stunning to viewers as he set them in contemporary Venetian locations, dressing saints in expensive garments and jewels. Veronese’s decorative narrative paintings massaged many Venetian nobles’ egos, as they compared themselves with characters from the Bible and classical myth. Many of his works reveal his fascination with architecture, incorporating exacting architectural details and features that complement the stories. Veronese’s early compositions often contained dramatically steep perspectives; later they became more classical, but featured dazzling light and color harmonies. From about 1583, he began introducing the soft light of dusk, as well as his usual brilliant daylight. Some of his finest works were frescoes, produced outside Venice. Because he had such a highly organized studio and his output was so large, there are difficulties in distinguishing his own work. After his death, his workshop was continued by his brother and his sons.
Key Works
The Supper at Emmaus c.1559–60, MUSÉE DU LOUVRE, PARIS, FRANCE
The Finding of Moses c.1570–5, KUNSTHISTORISCHES MUSEUM, VIENNA, AUSTRIA
The Feast in the House of Levi 1573, GALLERIA DELL’ACCADEMIA, VENICE, ITALY
The Four Allegories of Love 1575, THE NATIONAL GALLERY, LONDON, UK
Pietà 1576, STATE HERMITAGE, ST PETERSBURG, RUSSIA
Baroque
c.1600–1700
A term used to describe a style of art that succeeded Mannerism, Baroque is probably derived from “barocco,” the Portuguese word for a misshapen pearl. The definition was introduced retrospectively to describe art that infused emotion, dynamism and drama with strong tonal contrasts. Baroque developed as a consequence of the religious tensions in Europe and was intended to strengthen the image of Catholicism.
The Council of Trent
In reaction to the rejection of Catholic doctrines by the Protestant Christian movement in the early 1500s, bishops of the Catholic Church convened at the Council of Trent in Italy between 1545 and 1563. Over the course of 25 sessions. their purpose was to discuss and settle matters of Church doctrine and practice. One of the decisions was that religious art must encourage piety, through directness, accuracy, realism and logic. But it was not until over 30 years later with the Counter-Reformation—a period of Catholic revival—that a radical new style developed. The Baroque style emerged initially in Italy, later spreading to France, Germany, Netherlands, Spain and Britain. The new type of art was intended to be visually and emotionally appealing and to focus clearly on the Catholic doctrine in order to influence and educate. The style evolved when the Roman Catholic Church had to make a strong stand against the many revolutionary cultural movements that were producing new religious ideas. It gave the Catholic Church an official and commanding form of expression to show the reformers the superiority of the Catholic religion—but it did not remain exclusively associated with religious art.
Stylistic interpretations
As with the Renaissance and Mannerism, Baroque artists included certain common styles, techniques or approaches, but also introduced their own individuality. They all understood that their task was to interpret stories clearly and realistically, but from this starting point they diversified. All the work is exuberant and intense, with solid, believable figures and telling human dramas. From Mannerism, the style inherited movement and intense emotion, while it took solidity, perspective and classical lines from the Renaissance. Two of the most significant aspects of Baroque art were in the portrayal of vivid contrasts of highlight and deep shadow and in the close observation of textures and details. Going against the Renaissance approach of idealizing figures and subjects, many Baroque artists portrayed realistic figures and situations, often using ordinary people as models. Relaxing harmonies were abandoned in favor of energetic and complex compositions. It was a direct, dramatic art, intended to tell stories with no chance of misinterpretation.
At the same time, architects began creating impressive structures and interiors that expressed pride, power and influence. Baroque architecture features grand entrances and staircases, opulent courts and rooms, and a wide range of dramatic styles and use of light and shadow.
The spread of Baroque
In contrast to the Renaissance, when Florence and Venice were the main artistic centers, Rome was the starting point during the Baroque period. The new style soon spread through the other Catholic countries of Europe. Caravaggio’s highly dramatic work was admired, although some rejected it as too realistic. The leading Baroque sculptor, Gian Lorenzo Bernini (1598–1680), had a profound effect on generations of artists with his expressive and energetic interpretations of biblical and mythological stories. In Flanders, Rubens produced religious and secular works in loosely applied paint, while in France, Poussin’s crisp, clear style and Claude’s classical landscapes contrasted with Rubens’s passionate paintings. Meanwhile, in Spain art reached new heights with the rapid, dazzling brushwork of Velázquez. In Belgium and England, with his lively and elegant portraits and luxurious fabrics, van Dyck spread the styles of the Baroque even further north. Nonetheless, it took a while—Baroque was resisted in Protestant countries such as Holland and Britain for as long as possible. The Baroque art that did develop in northern Europe tended to emphasize realism in daily life, moving away from the emotional impact that the Catholic countries preferred.
The style had the greatest impact and lasted longest in Catholic countries. During the 18th century, it became increasingly ornate and ultimately receded in favor of the lighter, more decorative Rococo style.
timeline
1600
Christ Driving the Traders from the Temple,
El Greco
(1541–1614)
1601
Supper at Emmaus,
Caravaggio
(
c
.1573–1610)
1601
St. Cecilia,
Stefano Maderno
(1576–1636)
1609–10
Samson and Delilah,
Rubens