Originally Posted October 5, 2020
Late Gothic and Early Renaissance– Week 5
Giovani Bellini
Giovanni Bellini was born in 1430, Venice, Italy, and was an influential painter who brought the Renaissance style of painting to his hometown. The Bellinis were an artistic family; his father Jacopo, was a painter along with his brother-in-law, Andrea Mantenga, and his older brother, Gentile. This background helped to pave the way for Giovanni as he greatly surpassed his relatives in his artistic career. Bellini’s most notable artwork features masterful use of sensuous colors and his studies in perspective and landscapes. While at the start of his art-making practice, he drew inspiration from the bible and used tempera, he transitioned later in his life to natural scenes in oil paint.
One of his most famous paintings, The Agony In The Garden, depicting Christ praying in the Garden of Gethsemane, clearly shows his mastery of perspective, foreshortening and an incredible sense of colour.
His painting, the Holy Allegory, caught my attention while I was researching this artist. The depth captured in this landscape is impressive, but even more, the precision of the geometric terrace in the foreground astounded me. The combination made for a piece of artwork that appears to be way before it’s time.
Lastly, the altarpiece he painted in St Giobbe church, attests to his absolute skill in realism and perspective. From the architecture to the rendering of the figures, Bellini’s years of practice and perfection led up to this marvellous painting.
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