The Italian Renaissance ushered in a new era of art and culture across Italy, lasting hundreds of years.
TheVenetian Schoolproduced exquisite works of art that emphasized color over linework.
Instead, artists from this school used numerous layers of pigment to construct their paintings.
This approach led to expressive and sumptuously-colored works of art.
Here, we will learn more about the Venetian School and its role in the Italian Renaissance.
It is divided into three periods: Early Renaissance, High Renaissance, and Late Renaissance.
Raphael, “Madonna in the Meadow,” c. 1505 – 6 (Photo viaWikimedia Commons, Public domain)
Its growth was due to several factors.
One of the most important was the introduction of Northern Renaissance oil painting techniques by the artistAntonello da Messina.
Later, his students Giorgione and Titian would explore more possibilities of this medium in increasingly color-driven compositions.
Giorgione, “Sleeping Venus,” 1508 (Photo:Wikimedia Commons, Public domain)
As a result, many Venetian artists made little or no preparatory drawings for their paintings.
Choosing appropriate colors for compositions and blending hues together were other crucial features of Venetian painting.
He and his brother Gentile taught both Giorgione and Titian in their workshop.
Giovanni Bellini and Titian, “The Feast of the Gods,” begun by Bellini c. 1514 and completed by Titian in 1529 (Photo:Wikimedia Commons, Public domain)
Giovanni’s last piece,The Feast of the Gods, was completed after his death by Titian.
As a student of the Bellini brothers and a contemporary of Titian, he was surrounded by creative inspirations.
His six surviving paintings feature atmospheric coloring, poetic qualities, and mysterious narratives.
Titian, “Rape of Europa,” c. 1560-2 (Photo viaWikimedia Commons, Public domain)
In addition to being a major figure from the Venetian School, Tintoretto also painted in the Mannerist style.
He is best known for producing massive paintings with crowds of figures placed within his compositions.
These works were often based on historical, mythological, and biblical events.
Paolo Veronese, “Lucretia,” c. 1580-3 (Photo viaWikimedia Commons, Public domain)
This lead to an increasing preference amongst painters to favor the emotional traits of color.
Get to Know the Renaissance Sculptor and Painter
Giovanni Bellini, “Self-Portrait,” c. 1500 (Photo:Wikimedia Commons, Public domain)
Giovanni Bellini, “San Zaccaria Alterpiece,” 1505 (Photo:Wikimedia Commons, Public domain)
Giorgione, “Self-Portrait as David,” 1508 (Photo:Wikimedia Commons, Public domain)
Giorgione, “The Tempest,” c. 1506 (Photo:Wikimedia Commons, Public domain)
Titian, “Self-Portrait,” c. 1562 (Photo:Wikimedia Commons, Public domain)
Titian, “Bacchus and Ariadne,” c. 1520 – 1523 (Photo:Wikimedia Commons, Public domain)
Tintoretto, “Self-Portrait,” c. 1588 (Photo:Wikimedia Commons,CC0 1.0 Universal Public Domain Dedication)
Tintoretto, “The Miracle of the Slave,” 1547 (Photo:Wikimedia Commons,CC BY-SA 4.0)
Paolo Veronese, “Self-Portrait,” c. 1558 –1563 (Photo:Wikimedia Commons, Public domain)
Paolo Veronese, “Feast in the House of Levi,” 1573 (Photo:Wikimedia Commons, Public domain)
Velazquez, “Las Hilanderas,” c. 1656 (Photo:Wikimedia Commons, Public domain)
