Paul Véronèse

Paolo Caliari , dit' Véronèse' , born in 1528 with Vérone and dead the April 19th 1588, is a painter Italian mannerist . Although he enjoyed a real popularity of alive sound, in particular with Venice, he was ignored critics of his time who speak about the Venetian art, only Francesco Sansovino speaking about him in his Guide of 1556.

However, Véronèse constituted with Titien and Tintoretto the triumvirate of the Venetian painters of the late Renaissance. Véronèse is known like a large colourist like for his decorations it (Trompe the eye) in Fresque and oil. Its more famous work is refined narrative cycles, carried out according to the style dramatic and coloured mannerists, with arrangements majestic and scintillating.

Its true patronym remains unknown: the painter having signed successively Paolo Spezapedra (paternal nickname), Paolo di Gabriele , Paolo da Verona or Paolo Caliaro (probable name of loan). The tradition of the history of art speaks about Paolo Caliari . Finally, it will be known under the name of " Véronèse" because of its birthplace to Vérone.

Biography

Childhood and formation

Véronèse was probably born in 1528. His/her father, Piero di Gabriele, are Architecte and Mason stone like had been to it his/her parents. With his wife, Catarina, they had ten children of which Véronèse, which was the seventh and Benedetto ten years its elder.

Very young person, it starts by working in the workshop of his father. It acquires there a skill of modeller for the figures and the ornaments in relief. However, it very quickly expresses leaning for the Peinture what leads his/her father to place it like apprentice at one of his uncles Antonio Badille, resulting from an old family of local painters and which had a workshop. He studies then, in addition to works of Badille, which will become later his/her father-in-law, those of the other artist of Vérone and the neighborhoods like the frescos and tables of Giovanni Maria Falconetto, Domenico and Francesco Morone, Girolamo dai Libri, Giovanni Francesco Caroto, Francesco Torbido, etc

Of this training near the school véronaise and of the local painters, it acquires many matter knowledge of architecture and prospect, but also promptness and elegance in the figures, dignity and the naturalness in the expressions, the glare and the harmony in the play of colorings.

Whereas it was not yet twenty years old, Paul Véronèse had already signed several Retable S for churches of Vérone and had decorated with the frontages of houses, which had given him a certain reputation. Among the retables, it is necessary to quote the pala which one of the first chief of works of Véronèse is carried out before 1548 for the vault of the Bevilacqua-Lazise family.

Promising beginnings

In 1548, it leaves its birthplace and, thanks to its fame growing, it obtains and carries out several orders. It goes some time to Trévise where, in 1551, the architect Michele Sanmicheli charges it, with the painter Giovanni Battista Zelotti to decorate the villa Soranza , close to Castelfranco Veneto, that it had just built. Its work is noticed there by the cardinal Ercole Gonzague who, the following year, orders to him a table for the cathedral of Mantoue, the Tentation of saint Antoine (museum of Caen).

Thereafter, it decorates the Villa Emo in Fanzuolo, a hamlet of the commune of Vedelago in the province of Trévise, built by the architect Andrea Palladio, whom it had met with Vicence. One also entrusts to him the decoration of the palate of Collateral, with Thiene where, always in company of Giovanni Battista Zelotti, it realizes, in a very free and personal style already, several paintings of the old story ( Xerxès receiving the present of Cyrus , the Marriage of Massinissa and Sophonishe , Mucius Scévola burning the fist , the Feast of Antoine and Cléopâtre ).

In 1560, it makes a study trip to Rome where it discovers Raphaël and Michel-Angel. It remains there during two years.

The installation in Venice

In 1552, it obtains a first order for the church San Francesco della Vigna with Venice for which it carries out the crowned Conversation . The following year, its reputation always growing brings the father Bernado Torlioni, priest of the church San Sebastiano in Venice that Véronèse had met in Vérone, to make it come near him to entrust paintings of the church to him.

It thus settles with Venice in 1553. The official orders are numerous because it became the " painter of the Republic ". It realizes in particular, in company of the painters Giambattista Ponchino and Giovanni Battista Zelotti, the Fresque S of the rooms of the Conseil of the Ten to the Palais of the Doges. Véronèse carried out in particular a medallion which decorated, in its center, the ceiling of the Room of the audiences: Jupiter striking down the Defects . It also decorates the room with Boussolla of a Saint Marc crowning the Virtues which is now with the Musée of Louvre.

In 1555, it undertakes the realization of the ceiling of the Sacristie of the church San Sebastiano with the Couronnement of the Virgin . Thereafter, it paints the three ceilings of the nave with Esther presented to the king Assuérus , the Crowning of Esther , the Triumph of Mardochée paintings that Véronèse completed the October 31st 1556, eleven months after their order. This series of masterpieces made this small church a place of pilgrimage for all the posterior painters.

With the support of Titien and Jacopo Sansovino, it is indicated, with six other famous painters of which Battista Franco, Giuseppe Porta, Bartolomeo Ammannati and Tintoret, to take part in the decoration of the ceiling of the room of the Libreria of the Biblioteca Marciana (or Saint-Marc library). It carries out in particular three Allégorie S ( the Music , Geometry and Arithmetic the , the Honor ) for which it obtained a premium, a gold collar, which is decreed to him publicly by Titien.

Veronèse turns over a few months to Vérone, its birthplace. Of this stay, it will leave a series of painting in several buildings of which the church Santa Maria della Vittoria ( Deposition ) and the municipal museum ( Portrait of Pace Guarienti ).

Maturity

Véronèse returns to Venice where he became the painter with the mode, the favorite decorator of the Noble S and the Ecclésiastique S. His popularity exceeds the only framework of the city and extends to the neighbouring provinces. It receives orders of any nature, frescos or tables, subjects profane or crowned, allegories or portraits…

It east name again invited to work with the church San Sebastiano. It painted there in 1561, the Virgin in glory with Sebastien saint and other saints then, a little later towards 1565, Holy Marc and holy Marcellin led to martyrdom and the Martyrdom of saint Sebastien .

In 1562, Véronèse undertakes the decoration of the villa Barbaro with Maser in Venezia pertaining to Daniel Barbaro and its brother, Marcantonio. Those had engaged celebrates it architect Andrea Palladio in 1556 for the construction of their villa and he entrusted then pictorial decoration to Véronèse that Daniel Barbaro had met towards 1553, when he carried out his compositions for the Room of the audiences to the Palais of the Doges. Véronèse realizes in this villa of the Fresque S which mark the apogee of its art among which it is necessary to quote the universal Harmony, or the Divine love surrounded of the Olympic gods , Venus and Vulcan with Proserpine or even Bacchus and the nymphs . Very many parts are decorated with the frescos of Véronèse and, everywhere, architectural space is put at the challenge thanks to the use of Trompe the eye of pictorial illusions.

It is at this same period, between 1562 and 1563, that Véronèse paints most famous of its works, the Wedding at Cana which had been ordered to him for the refectory of the monastery Bénédictin of Penquesten located on the Île of San Giorgio Maggiore, in Venice. As in other tables of Véronèse representing a banquet, the scene reflects the festivities which were current at the time in the Venetian life. Painting is immense with almost ten meters broad and it contains more than one hundred of characters, of which recognizable portraits of Titien, Tintoretto, and Véronèse itself.

It turns over in its birthplace of Vérone where, in 1566, it marries Elena Badile with which it has four children of which Carlo and Gabriele which worked with him later.

In 1573, it defies the court of the Inquisition which reproaches him licenses taken compared to the holy texts in a Cène and which it will be condemned to rename the meal at Lévi . One reproaches him for having added to the religious quantity of supporting characters and anecdotic episode, of which a parrot or two halberdiers, one drunk and the other bleeding of the nose. The answer remained to us: “Us, the painters, just like let us take to freedoms the poets and the insane ones”.

The last period

Between 1575 and 1577, Véronèse realizes, with the Palais of the Doges, the Triomphe of Venice for the room of the Great Council and the Allegories of the Virtue for the room of the College which count among its large masterpieces.

As from 1575, Véronèse is interested more in the landscapes, it gives up the great compositions gradually and carries more interest to the small sizes where it will be expressed in a very lyric way. It is of this time which the mythological scenes like date the removal of Europe and the death of Procris .

He dies of a Pneumonie in 1588 at the 60 years age and is buried in the church of San Sebastiano of which he painted a great number of frescos.

After his death, his/her brother Benedetto Caliari and two of his sons, Carlo and Gabriele which inherits the workshop of Véronèse, complete certain paintings which the Master had not finished.

Its work

Véronèse followed the current baroque, in an aspiration with the Maniérisme.

Its work comprises many Fresque S of religious inspiration but also of the profane tables, primarily mythological or allegorical. It often puts in scene monumental tables.

It uses Couleur S accentuated, it represents very detailed scenes, definitely released characters of the funds, with strong contrasts, theatrical and rythmées architectures. Its clear pallet, its coloured shades, its poetic universe, the sensual grace of its characters and his direction of the decoration make of it a Master impossible to circumvent of the painting of the 16th century.

Its more famous murals remain those decorating the villa Barbaro, at Maser (Venezia), together it fascinating places in an architecture conceived by Andrea Palladio.

It is also famous for its series of portraits to the dazzling faces of naturalness. The Master is interested especially in the faces.

With its death, in 1588, Véronèse does not leave a school, but its work will influence all the posterior painting and of many artists like Vélasquez or Rubens then, with the XIXe century, the European colourists of which Delacroix and Cézanne.

Some works

See too

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