Page:Catholic Encyclopedia, volume 2.djvu/477

 BELLINI

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BELLINI

been mentioned; of these the style of his father and of the Paduan school had the most effect upon him. Mantegna was his brother-in-law. Another painter who strongly affected him was Antonello da Messina. Messina was the first person in Italy to understand the Flemish method of painting in oil, and towards the end of his hfe he spent several years (1474-76) in Milan md Venice. The surroundings of Venetian life and the realistic direction which Venetian art had taken gave the Venetian painters a keen perception of the charm of colour, so that even the short time during which Messina was with them sufficed to lead them nto a new path. The genius of Giovanni Bellini mabled him to obtain the full benefit of the new stimulus; at the same time other painters, Bartolom- meo and Luigi Vivarini, Gentile BeUini, and other men. ilso took up the new technic. The use of the new ■nedium produced a softness of outline and an im-
 * )rovement in the modelling which tempered the

lardness of the Paduan style and obtained beautiful effects in colour. Giovanni haii more feeling and a teener spiritual insight than his brother, and his style jjailunlly developed until he attained a perlect har-

which represent Mary Magdalen and St. Catherine, or St. Paul and St. George, in company with the Madonna. Similar to these is the fine picture "The Presentation of Jesus in the Temple". Mary offers the Child to the high-priest over a table while the aged Simeon and Joseph worship. Giovanni did not attempt to solve, even in his larger w^orks, such dif- ficult problems of perspective and of the gradation of light and shade as his brother imdertook. He had. however, learned from his brother the entire art of the distribution of light and shade and applied it with more skill to bringing out the inner feehng of a composition. Unfortunately we are not able to judge of his style in historical work as we are in the case of his brother. His historical compositions, seven in all, w^ere painted for the Great Council Cham- ber of the doge's palace. He worked on these from 1479 until his death; at times the work was done in conjunction with his brother, at times he had the aid of other men. The paintings were all destroyed by fire in 1.'577. Two duplicates remain of the portraits of the doges, painted in the same place, and these show his sldll in portrait-painting. His master-

The Doge Loredano

Gi.j

mony of drawing, perspective, drapery, light, and colour.

His two Pietas, in Venice, produce a deep effect on the mind, yet they betray a striking harshness which becomes at times even ugliness, showing that the characteristic qualities of his style had not yet developed into a harmonious beauty. The painting at Berlin of the "Angels Mourning over Christ" althougli in the relief style, is noble, tender, and rich in colour. The feeling of devotion lo.ses notliing here through the realistic portrayal of all the details. A peculiarity of these pictures is the upright position of the dead body of Christ. The smaller pictures of the Madonna appear at all stages in the development of the artist. Notwithstanding their large number they show no real repetition; at times the expression of Mother and Child is very earnest, at times strange, then again it is lovely and perfectly natural. In one of them the Child listens m a most winning way to the song of the angels and looks upward with open mouth in childlike astonish- ment, while the Mother is absorbed in her Infant.

The carefully worked out details of the.se pictures are not too obtrusive. Gio\anni preferred half- length figures even when a nvimber of saints were grouped together; as, for example, in the pictures

pieces, however, are his great devotional and altar pictures.

Giovanni's artistic powers entered their period of highest development in 1479. In this year he com- pleted the first large oil painting produced at Venice. In a niche which rises in arched form over pilasters is enthroned the Madonna holding with a solemn, earnest expression the Divine Child. The Child stretches out its little hands towards the worshipping sufferer, Job, who is thus honoured as a patron of the Church. Near Job stands St. Francis, farther back is John the Baptist, to the right are St. Sebastian, St. Dominic, and Bishop Leo. At the foot of the throne are angels playing musical instruments, above in the curve of the arch are cherubim and the inscription, "Ave virginei flos intemcrate pudoris". The Virgin her- self seems to be thrilled by the solemn inspiration of the moment and rai.ses her left hand as if in warn- ing not to disturb the music of the angels. Deep de- votion is expressed on all the faces. A large picture of the year 1488 at Murano in which St. Martin pre- sents the Doge Barbarigo to the enthroned .Madonna suffers somewhat from a mechanical .symmetry. Nevertheless the same musical tone prevails in it, together with great richness of colouring and costume. On each side is seen a beautiful landscape in the dis-

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