The History of Painting in Italy, Vol. 3 (of 6): From the Period of the Revival of the Fine Arts to the End of the Eighteenth Century — John Shaqi
The History of Painting in Italy, Vol. 3 (of 6): From the Period of the Revival of the Fine Arts to the End of the Eighteenth CenturyLanzi, Luigi
History
The History of Painting in Italy, Vol. 3 (of 6): From the Period of the Revival of the Fine Arts to the End of the Eighteenth Century
Lanzi, Luigi
Painting -- Italy -- History
Among the disciples of the School of Giorgione, were, likewise, Gio. da
Udine and Francesco Torbido, a Veronese, who has been surnamed _il
Moro_, and both were distinguished practisers of his tints. In regard to
Giovanni, afterwards a pupil of Raffaello, we have written, and we shall
again write elsewhere. Moro remained but little with Giorgione, a much
longer while with Liberale. Of this last he imitated very truly both the
diligence and the design, in the former even surpassing him; always a
severe critic upon himself, and slow in completing his undertakings. We
rarely meet with him in altarpieces, still more rarely in collections of
paintings, for which he was often employed in sacred subjects and in
portraits; deficient in nothing, except, perhaps, we could wish to see
somewhat greater freedom of hand. In the dome of Verona, he painted
several histories in fresco, among which is the Assumption of the
Virgin, truly admirable; but the designs are not his, Giulio Romano
having prepared the cartoons. His style of execution, however, is
clearly enough perceived, which, in respect to colouring and to
chiaroscuro, discovers him to be an artist, as Vasari has recorded, "as
careful in regard to his use of colours, as any other who flourished at
the same period."
The other names that here follow, are included, according to history, in
the train of Giorgione, not as his pupils, but his imitators. Yet all
exhibit traces of Bellini, because the Venetian manner, up to the time
of Tintoretto, did not so much aim at inventing new things, as at
perfecting such as had already been discovered; not so desirous of
relinquishing the taste of the Bellini, as of modernizing it upon the
model of Titian and Giorgione. Hence it arose, that a people of painters
were formed in a taste extremely uniform; and the exaggerated
observation, "that whoever had cultivated an acquaintance with one
Venetian artist of that age, knew them all," seemed to have some ground
in truth. But still, as I have said, it is exaggeration, as there is
certainly much diversity of style and merit when compared with one
another. Among the leading disciples of Giorgione are to be ranked
three, who belong to the city or territory of Bergamo, and these are
Lotto, as is most generally supposed, Palma, and Cariani. They resemble
their master most frequently in fulness, but in the mixture and
selection of colours they often appear of the school of Lombardy. More
particularly in Cariani there is apparent a certain superficies, like
that of wax, equally diffused over the canvass, which shines so as to
enliven the eye; and when seen at a distance, with but little light,
appears in full relief, a result which others have also noticed in the
works of Coreggio.
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