Giorgione, also referred to as Giorgio da Castelfranco, was an Italian painter famously credited for being one of the initiators of the high renaissance movement. Giorgione was born 1477/78 in the Republic of Venice. His name means “tall George” or “big George” which suggests he was a large man. It’s highly suspected that Giorgione went to study under Giovanni Bellini, a great Venetian master. This is supported by the resemblance in technique, colour, and atmosphere created in Giorgione’s paintings. He was among the first generation of painters who painted exclusively in oil paint. Giorgione completed public commissions with frescoes with the help of Titian (a suspected pupil). It’s suspected that Giorgione made 12 larger paintings (as recorded by the Venetian patrician Marcantonio Michiel), however, only five of these works survived. Of these five, Giorgione’s most remarkable work is considered to be “The Tempest”.
What makes this painting so special is the fact that it was one of the very first paintings that could be labelled as a landscape in western art history. Furthermore, it can be attributed to the rise of landscape paintings during its time. Additionally, its more whimsical colouring and poetic interpretation of nature was a milestone for the early renaissance. Despite only five of his paintings having survived to the modern age, Giorgione is still remembered for his contribution to landscape painting, and his role as an early modern artist. His ability to unify poetry with naturalness allowed him to leave his mark on art history.
Sources:
“Giorgione | Italian Painter.” Encyclopedia Britannica, www.britannica.com/biography/Giorgione. Accessed 1 Oct. 2021.
“Giorgione, The Tempest (Article) | Venice.” Khan Academy, www.khanacademy.org/humanities/renaissance-reformation/high-ren-florence-rome/late-renaissance-venice/a/giorgione-the-tempest. Accessed 1 Oct. 2021.
“Giorgione Paintings, Bio, Ideas.” The Art Story, www.theartstory.org/artist/giorgione. Accessed 1 Oct. 2021.
Wikipedia contributors. “Il Tramonto (The Sunset).” Wikipedia, 8 June 2021, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Il_Tramonto_(The_Sunset).
Yohahnah,
Very nice work on Giorgione! You have solid information through your research with added personal thoughts about the paintings you write about. I didn’t realize that only five of his works have survived that are attributed to him. Anyhow solid first attempt with your posts. Keep it up!
Jeff
Writing comments from Patrick
Good storytelling and vocabulary. Suggest using Grammarly to spot minor mistakes such as not capitalizing Renaissance — and/or reading your piece out loud to hear when the sentences and phrasing get awkward. Consider using alternatives to suspected … believed to be, thought to be, considered to be …
A self-portrait thought to be by Gorgione…
It is widely believed that Gorgione went to …