Venetian art is generally considered to be some of the greatest Renaissance art in the world – in short: it’s amazing. It’s been studied, analysed, and enjoyed for centuries now, and there’s no sign of it declining in popularity any time soon!
When it was first produced, the rest of the world underestimated the sheer brilliance of Venetian Art. However, the combination of glorious scenery, talented artists, and new techniques, has made art from the Venetian School of Painting (dating as far back as the 1400s) totally timeless.
A combination of scenery and rich art history has attracted artists to Venice from all over the globe for hundreds of years. Even today, many artists find themselves drawn to Venice!
Artists
It would be impossible to talk about how great Venetian art is without talking about the artists themselves. The likes of Titian, Tintoretto, Lotto, and Veronese are all from the school of Venice, and all incredibly talented artists.
Titian is probably the most famous Venetian painter, and his paintings have been held in astonishingly high regard for centuries. His masterful portraits are particularly well known and can be found in galleries across the globe today.
If you’ve ever been to see the Mona Lisa in the Louvre, you’ve probably seen one of Veronese’s greatest masterpieces without even realising. ‘The Wedding at Cana’ is enormous and hangs across the room from the Mona Lisa. This wedding scene is packed full of tiny details, exquisite technique, and colours that pop.
Techniques
Venetian art is amazing not only because of the talented artists that produced it, but for the new techniques that were implemented and perfected.
Wood could be hard to come by in Renaissance Venice, so using oil on canvas for paintings was normalised. These materials were quickly adopted all over the world instead of wooden panels, thanks to the success seen in the Venetian School.
Venetian art can often be identified by its use of vibrant colours. A new technique called colorito was used by Venetian artists which provided a new and effective way to apply colour to paintings
Legacy
Perhaps the most impressive thing about Venetian art is its legacy. The scenes and techniques found in art from the Venetian School paved the way for artists, and whole art movements to come. Today, reproductions of iconic Venetian art can be found scattered into pop culture. It’s amazing to think that paintings produced 500 years ago can still be found in our every day life. That, is surely the sign of truly amazing art!
Thank you to Violet Glenton for this guest post. Violet is a History of Art graduate and, not surprisingly, adores Italy home as it is to some of the most beautiful and famous pieces of art in the world.