By Paul Dunwell, writing for EasyFrame
© Copyright EasyFrame 2021
What this article is about
The Italian genius Giovanni Bellini was recognised in his own lifetime as one of the greatest artists of the Renaissance, particularly adept at capturing natural light in soft, saturated, sumptuous colour. That is no mean feat when his contemporaries included Raphael, Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci, Titian and Botticelli.
He lived and worked in Venice all his life, through a remarkably long painting career of 65 years. He worked first in egg tempera and then in oils, on religious subjects and later landscapes. It is no exaggeration to say he is one of the main reasons Venetian art became as famous as that of Rome and Florence.
He had a real impact on fellow artists, notably Albrecht Dürer, whose work at times became almost indistinguishable from his mentor's. Sadly much of Bellini's work was lost in a fire at the Doge's Palace in 1577. Thankfully much survives, and he had died half a century earlier, so he was spared the sight.
Strong family influences
Bellini was first trained, alongside his brother Gentile, by their father Jacopo Bellini, a highly regarded artist who started them young. For a time Gentile was considered the star. Renowned for his portraits and cityscapes, he was still so respected at about 50 that the Venetian Senate sent him to Istanbul as an emissary and cultural ambassador, as part of a peace process.
All three were also influenced by, and in turn influenced, Andrea Mantegna, who was about the same age as the brothers and married their sister Nicolosia.
There is an alternative history with some credence, in which Jacopo was not the father of Giovanni, Gentile and Nicolosia but their elder brother. Confused? It's understandable!
At the forefront of the leap to oils
Jacopo would have started the boys on egg tempera, which until around 1500 was how most artists made fast-drying, long-lasting paint. It mixes pigment with a binder, usually egg yolk. (It should not be confused with modern poster paints, though they are sometimes called 'tempera'.)
Giovanni became an early exponent of oils, the medium that largely replaced it. He had the good fortune to meet the Sicilian artist Antonello da Messina, who visited Venice in around 1475 and started something of a revolution in materials. Oil paints, usually made with linseed oil, are easier to blend, so colours, tones and shades can be mixed more subtly. The colours are less flat, and they can be built up in layers to give depth. Oils are also linked to the move from wood panels to canvas.
That Bellini used oils is almost of academic interest. It's what he did with them that is remarkable.
Career development
Bellini's early adoption of oils, and his ability to exploit them, propelled him into the public imagination and secured him work. Venice was wealthy enough to support patrons of the arts, so good artists did not go hungry. When Gentile went to Turkey, Giovanni took charge of conserving the artworks in the Hall of the Great Council in the Doge's Palace. His patrons came to include the fabulously wealthy Alfonso d'Este, Duke of Ferrara, and his elder sister Isabella. He enjoyed the benefits for a very long life, including a pension of 80 ducats a year (a ducat being about 3.5 grams of pure gold).
He never rested on his laurels. Famous for his altarpieces and mythological scenes, he kept setting himself new challenges, broadening his subjects and taking up landscape. It is said he portrayed outdoor light so accurately that you can put a time of day on his works, as if they had been captured by a camera.
Impact on others
Bellini's influence on his students Titian and Giorgione is undeniable. (Giorgione is less familiar because he died young and left only a handful of paintings.) His effect on the young German Albrecht Dürer stands out.
In 1505, in his mid-thirties, Dürer travelled to Italy for the second time and stayed a couple of years. Not realising that Bellini would live and work for another decade, he observed that he was 'very old but still the best in painting'. Dürer then went beyond compliments and set about painting portraits that plainly mimic Bellini's style. Bellini was probably flattered. Dürer was no slouch himself.
Conclusion
Giovanni Bellini was a game-changer who played a leading role in the rebirth of the arts that we call the Renaissance, and who stood out in an era awash with talent.
You can buy unframed prints of his work easily and affordably. Go to the National Gallery site at www.nationalgallery.co.uk and search for 'Bellini'. They have lots of his work for sale.
You'll want to frame whatever you buy. Any good framer will show you a range of solutions and advise on what suits the work and where it will hang. EasyFrame is on 01234 856 501 and sales@EasyFrame.co.uk, and they'll always chat even if you don't want to buy!