The History of Art And The Curious Lives of Famous Painters
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Biography Giorgio Barbarelli da Castelfranco was born in a small town just outside of Venice. From an early age he exhibited extraordinary artistic abilities and was sent to Venice be trained under the legendary Renaissance master Bellini. Giorgio was a striking young man, famous for his handsomeness and strength. He earned the nickname "Giorgione" which means "George the Great" in Italian, for his physical beauty and his painting abilities. Giorgione was a master at using a newly developed painting technique called sfumato or chiaroscuro. This technique imparted a dramatic, almost dreamlike luminosity of light for which his masterpieces are famous. The suggestion of melancholy, perhaps also longing, is a strong theatrical element in almost all of his work. Giorgione's Pastoral Symphony, circa 1508, is one of the greatest masterpieces of the High Renaissance. The artist died of plague at the height of his fame in 1510.
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About The High Renaissance Period Artists of the Renaissance were elevated in social standing and their art was no longer looked upon as simple handicrafts, but as divinely inspired creations. The spirit of an era awoke, revitalized with knowledge and creativity. The sense of humanism pervading renaissance painting is palpable. Baldassare Castiglione, the great Italian Writer of the High Renaissance advised painters, "Employ in everything a certain casualness which conceals art and creates the impression that what is done and said is accomplished without effort and without its being thought about. It is from this, in my opinion, that grace largely derives." The painters touched on a multitude of issues regarding the human condition - death, love, reason, religion, universal morality, social problems. Until the Middle Ages men regarded themselves as following the Good Shepherd, and art consequently did not recognize the individual in particular. In the structure and position of the figures, as in their expression, a general and uniform type of beauty prevailed. The early Renaissance marks the victory of individualism and the uncompromising prominence of he individual. According to Renaissance historian Walter Pater "Here, artists and philosophers and those whom the action of the world has elevated and made keen, do not live in isolation, but breathe a common air, and catch light and heat from each other’s thoughts. There is a spirit of general elevation and enlightenment in which all alike communicate. The unity of this spirit gives unity to all the various products of the Renaissance; and it is to this intimate alliance with the mind, this participation in the best thoughts which that age produced, that the art of Italy in the fifteenth century owes much of its grave dignity and influence.."
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Key Descriptive Words and Phrases associated with the Renaissance Movement - rebirth, rediscovery of the classical world, publication of Della Pittura, a book about the laws of mathematical perspective for artists, sfumato, chiaroscuro, spiritually significant, illuminated manuscript, idealized biblical themes, scriptorium, illuminator, plague, Age of Discovery, curiosity about the natural world, realistic use of colours and light, Old Testament stories, ethereal and foggy backgrounds, Gospel parables, romanticized landscapes, Christian symbolism. Require more facts and information about Giorgione and the artists of the renaissance era? Poke around every nook and cranny of the known universe for information this subject. Search Here © HistoryofPainters.com If you like this page and wish to share it, you are welcome to link to it, with our thanks. If you feel you have worthwhile information you would like to contribute we would love to hear from you. We collect essential biographical information and artist quotes from folks all over the globe and appreciate your participation. When submitting please, if possible, site the source and provide English translation. Email to millardmulch@gmail.com |
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| Major Painters of the
Italian High Renaissance
Andrea del Sarto |
