Giovanni Bellini
Giovanni Bellini was an Early Italian Renaissance artist who lived from circa 1430 to 1516. He is often credited with progressing the Venetian Renaissance art style from the Quattrocento style into that of the High Renaissance. He is regarded as a revolutionary artist, successfully transitioning from tempera paints to oil paints, resulting in rich, bright, and colorful works.
Bellini was born in Venice, Italy, into a well-known family of artists. His father (or elder brother, research is ongoing) was Jacopo Bellini. Jacopo worked in the late Gothic style and was one of the founders of the Venetian School of the Early Italian Renaissance, bringing Florentine art styles and principles to Venice. Giovanni’s brother was Gentile Bellini, an artist highly regarded in his time, and his brother-in-law was the Italian master, Andrea Mantegna.
Bellini’s earliest training was as an assistant in Jacopo Bellini’s workshop. From his youth until about 30 years old, his artistic style reflected that of the tempera artists of the day, which was more rigid and severe. Tempera paints dry quickly and are difficult to blend. Early on, however, his religious pieces showed more visibly impassioned scenes, and more a naturalistic setting, noticeably visible in his skies. Mantegna had a large influence on Giovanni’s earlier style, as seen in his paintings from this time.
In 1470, Bellini received his first commission for a public work, a project that involved working with his brother, Gentile, and other artists. This heightened his exposure in Venice, strengthened his political contacts. When oil paints were introduced into Italy through the ports of Venice around 1473, Bellini soon became a master of the new medium. The quick drying egg tempera did not allow the blending of color or depth of color that oils did, and when he switched to oils, his style evolved greatly. By 1475, his paintings show an independence and transition from that of his earlier works.
By 1479, he was hired as the conservator of paintings for the Doge’s Palace, a lofty and highly paid commission. This was in addition to commissions for new paintings from the Doge, a huge honor. His paintings during this time were highly regarded and believed to be his finest work. Unfortunately, they did not survive the fire of 1577 that ravished the Great Hall.
Bellini’s work is known for his rich color and detailed shading, and he is often credited with progressing the Venetian Renaissance art style from the Quattrocento style into that of the High Renaissance. Though his works were religious in nature, he introduced a naturalism to the scenes clearly visible in the detailed landscapes of his backgrounds. The settings in Bellini’s work added to the drama of the scenes through the use of light, form, and color. The oil paints allowed him to also refine the rendition of skin pigmentation and the drapery of clothing through more subtle and blended shading.
When Albrecht Dürer visited Venice in 1506, he described Bellini as the greatest artist in the city. Dürer wrote, “Everyone tells me what an upright man he is, so that I am really fond of him. He is very old, and still, he is the best painter of them all.”
When Giovanni Bellini died in 1516 at 86 years old, he was still actively working and painting. He received a large number of commissions from the age of 70 onward. Bellini left behind a very long and illustrious career. During his lifetime, he helped make the Venetian School the dominant school of the Renaissance due to their leading innovation of detail and color through the use of oil paints. His landscapes were naturalistic, and his subjects had a humanism to them rarely seen up to this point. Among his most famous pupils are Titian and Giorgione.
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