Giovanni Bellini

Biography

In Venice of second half, 15th century, Giovanni Bellini incarnates with an extraordinary talent the spirit of the Italian Rebirth, but always in a way adapted to the traditions and the tastes of the local medium. Giovanni Bellini is born about 1429 in Venice, city in which it will reveal its art gradually, for finally being recognized like largest of Bellini.

It is in the paternal workshop that Giovanni learns its trade from painter. He makes thereafter knowledge with the erudite and innovative medium of Padoue, and this through the art of his brother-in-law, who was to mark it deeply. Later, the color of Giovanni is deeper, more homogeneous and plays already a great part in the representation of the relief. There are more humanity in the expressed feelings, tenderness, joy or pain. Nature is represented, which is new: often the compositions are detached on a bottom from landscape where one recognizes the countryside or the hills of Venezia.

The first works are small panels painted whereas it is only 21 years old, the such Pietà, which groups, according to a frequent topic at Bellini, the figures of the Vierge, Saint Jean the Evangelist and of the Christ to the Tomb. One can date from the same year Transfiguration and Christ with the Mount of Olives. It is at 31 years which Giovanni starts to multiply the variations on a topic that it will not cease exploiting: that of the Virgin to the Child.

Being made known by these works, he sees himself entrusting at the time of his 36 years, of more ambitious work. Thus, the polyptyque one of saint Vincent Ferrer is one of the large companies of Giovanni.

It is between 1470 and 1475 that Bellini must go to Rimini to paint the retable of San Francesco which marks a capital turning in its career. The following years will give to Bellini blooming its means. This period is that of balance between the form and the colors, more beautiful the ones than the others.

A spiritual climate is made feel and a certain poetry emanates from the landscape. Its importance is paramount in several panels painted between the 46e and 56e year of the painter, the such Saint François receiving the marks and luminous the Transfiguration ; later is the mystical Allegory of the offices.

Towards 1480 and for one 10 years period, Bellini painted for Venetian churches two of its large retables. For example, the retable of San Giobbe represents six figures of Saints framing a Virgin with the Child sitting on a throne with the bottom of which three angels musicians play.

In this same year, Bellini takes again the Venetian topic of the conversation crowned with the Madonna of Frari, still in place with the church of Frari Venice has, and in which one also finds the Assomption Titien.

Towards the end of the century, the customers of Bellini make him paint many Madonna of small size. The topic of the crowned conversation returns in several tables.

Pushed back with the idea to heat the formulas which had ensured success to him, Bellini can renew its inspiration and its language, tie profit of its contacts with young painters such as Giorgione and Titien. Thus the Baptism of Christ more closely binds faces and landscapes, let us tons them hot prevail. In 1513 Giovanni Bellini signs the Saint Jerome reading with Saint Christophe , the influence of Titien is affirmed there, just like in the Ivresse of Noah .

The following year, Bellini approaches the mythological field with the Festin of the Gods that Titien altered later.

It is at the last years of the painter that belongs some of its more beautiful portraits, like the doge Leonardo Loredano and supposed Pietro of Hampton Court.

Perhaps Bellini does not have the appearance of a revolutionist, but the repercussion of its work is capital. With the other Venetian painters, he teaches the blooming of the form, the resources of the color, the taste of nature and the expression of the feeling. In its workshop, it trains many pupils, of which some will work on the dry land (apart from Venice). In first half of the 16th century, much of painters will still undergo the attraction in its manner.

Principal works

Transfiguration , 1455, Correr museum, Venice
Pietà , 1460, Art gallery of Brera, Milan
Polyptyque di San Vicenzo Ferreri , 1464, basilica San Giovanni, Venice
the Crowning of the Virgin, retable of Pesaro , 1473, museum Civici, Pesaro
the Resurrection of Christ , 1475 - 1479, museums of Berlin
Holy François in extase , v. 1480, Frick Collection, New York
Transfiguration , v. 1485, Capodimonte, Naples
Portrait of humanistic a , 1475 - 1480, Civiche Raccolte d' Arte, Milan
Triptych dei Frari , 1488, church dei Frari, Venice
crowned Allegory , 1490 - 1500, museum of the Offices, Florence
the Doge Leonardo Loredano , 1501, National Gallery, London
Baptism of Christ , 1500 - 1502, church San Corona, Venice
the Madonna with the saints , 1505, retable, oil on wood, deferred on fabric, 402 X 273 cm, Venice, church San Zaccaria
Retable of San Zaccaria , 1505, Venice
the Virgin and the Child blessing in a landscape , 1510, Brera, Milan
the Assumption , 1513, church Saint-Pierre-Martyr, Murano
the Feast of the gods , 1514, National Gallery off Art, Washington
Woman with the toilet , 1515, Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna

Internal bonds

works of Bellini to the Offices of Florence
Giorgio Vasari quotes it and describes its biography in Quickly the

External bonds

Bellini or birth of the “Venetian school” by Lorenzo Pericolo, Lecturer at the university Rennes II-High Brittany.
Giovanni Bellini in Artcyclopedia
Web Gallery off Art

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