Artistic Influences during the Late Venetian Renaissance

Artistic depictions of Biblical scenes have existed for nearly as long as the Christian religion itself. What is most striking about these images is how they often express the cultural environment which they were created in. The most well known period is the High Renaissance, which roughly spans the years 1490-1527. However, several Venetian artists such as El Greco, Tintoretto, and Veronese carried on the Renaissance tradition much further into the 16th century. This post-Renaissance period is often referred to as Mannerism, which is roughly characterized by more stylized art, especially distinct styles between artists. These may be used to highlight spiritual truths in their religious art, or simply to distinguish themselves from the past. In general, the mannerists were willing to deviate from the rational ideals of the High Renaissance to provide fresh responses to Biblical narratives. In the work of these artists, we clearly see contemporary landscapes and architecture. The works often incorporate elements of the culture around them, containing references to previous artists and architects. Many of these artworks even contain references to the same artist’s previous works. One influential kind of painting is the “feast” paintings. Leonardo Da Vinci’s The Last Supper is an iconic example of a feast painting, but many artists aimed to imitate Da Vinci’s paintings in different contexts. 

 

 Jacopo Tintoretto, The Washing of the Feet, 1548-49, 210 x 533 cm, Oil on canvas, Museo Nacional del Prado, Madrid, Spain.

The Lord’s Supper was a popular theme for artists to paint, nearly every artist had created a version of it or another feast scene. Tintoretto opts in this case to depict the scene immediately before it. Though the setting of the painting is strictly interior, the deep space in the background gives a clear view of the architecture and the terrain surrounding the scene. The structure of this painting was inspired by the architect, Sebastiano Serlio’s, design for a tragic scene. Tintoretto abandons the stricter Naturalism demonstrated by the High Renaissance by giving each of the characters a faint glow around their heads, more reminiscent of pre-Renaissance art.

 

 El Greco, Christ Healing the Blind, ca. 1570, 119.4 x 146.1 cm, Oil on canvas, Accession Number: 1978.416

Originally sold as a work by Tintoretto and later as a work by Veronese, this work derives its subject from several gospel accounts including Matthew, Mark, and John. El Greco painted three different versions of this work at different periods. Scholars debate whether the architecture displays more Venetian or Roman influence. Careful inspection of the painting reveals numerous imperfections that might be criticized during the High Renaissance, such as the unfinished quality of the two figures in the center or the face of the man in the doorway. However, note that El Greco uses very sketchy, swirly brush strokes to create his own sense of style.

 

El Greco, Christ Cleansing the Temple, ca. 1570-75, 116.8 x 149.9 cm, Oil on canvas, Minneapolis Institute of Art, Minneapolis, Minnesota.

This work and El Greco’s Christ Healing the Blind were both likely inspired by Tintoretto’s The Washing of the Feet, particularly deriving inspiration from the architectural elements that Tintoretto derived from Serlio. The two paintings are interesting to compare and contrast. Both depict Christ in action, both are inspired by the same work by Tintoretto, both were painted at a similar time, and both are approximately the same size. However, this work shows Christ engaged in violent judgment, whereas the other shows Christ healing. El Greco also creates variety by setting this scene indoors and the other entirely outside, though it is still easy to trace them back to the Tintoretto.

 

Jacopo Tintoretto, The Finding of Moses, ca. 1560-70, 77.5 x 134 cm, Oil on canvas, Accession Number: 39.55 

Though much of the religious art focused on the life of Jesus, this work by Tintoretto depicts the baby Moses being found by the Pharaoh’s daughter. Tintoretto takes on a variety of creative stylistic choices in this painting; the extremely sketchy quality has led to debate on whether this was created by Jacopo or by his son, Domenico. At the same time, it is interesting to compare the style of this painting to the sketchy quality that often accompanies El Greco’s works. 

 

  Veronese, The Wedding at Cana, 1563, 677 x 994 cm, Oil on canvas, Louvre, Paris, France.

Feast paintings were extremely popular throughout the Renaissance. The most iconic is of course Da Vinci’s the Last Supper, whose influence is clearly seen here in the Wedding at Cana. Although the scene is entirely different, Veronese places Jesus in the center, facing out, emphasized with a faint glow around his head. Along the sides and the background, the Italian architecture stands proud. Note how the statue at the top of the painting interacts with the scene as its head is turned down toward Jesus.

 

Veronese, The Feast in the House of Simon the Pharisee, 1570, 974 x 454 cm, Oil on canvas, Château de Versailles, Versailles, France.

 

 Here is another feast painting, which has interesting differences and similarities to The Wedding at Cana. Instead of placing Jesus at the center, all attention is directed toward the woman, which is an interesting change of pace in a generally male-focused society. The background is entirely architecture, based on the work of an architect, Palladio, though the background feels like a theater backdrop rather than a physical space. Veronese departs from Naturalism by placing winged putti at the top of the image holding up a banner.

 

El Greco, The Feast in the House of Simon, 1608-14, 143.3 x 100.4 cm, Oil on canvas, Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, USA.

 Here is El Greco’s version of the same Biblical narrative depicted earlier by Veronese. This work is painted much later in El Greco’s life while he was in Spain and takes on a particularly unique style. The figures are all strangely elongated and all of the folds in the fabric take on squiggly contours. Additionally, the background in this painting is particularly strange; each of the buildings seems to be at an angle and the space seems to be much more closed off.