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50 paintings, loosely organized chronologically.
Most produced between 1475 and 1515.
Rare opportunity to see 19 artworks from Venice’s Gallerie dell’Accademia, which houses
one of the greatest collections of Venetian Renaissance art in the world.
Also includes loans from other institutions in Italy and the U.S. and signature paintings in
the DAM’s collection.
Co-curated by Angelica Daneo, Curator of Painting and Sculpture at the DAM, and Dr.
Giovanna Damiani, former Superintendent of the Museums of the City of Venice and current
Director of the State Museums of Sardinia.
After exhibition closes at the DAM, it will travel to the North Carolina Museum of Art.
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Visitors will see the distinct evolution of art in Venice from the mid-1400s through the early
1500s.
Visitors will spend time with and savor the jewel-box colors and masterful use of light in the
paintings on view—hallmarks of the Venetian Renaissance style.
Visitors will feel immersed in the textures, sounds and colors of Venice of this period, and
leave with a sense of the city’s historical significance.
Venice was a cultural and economic crossroads in the 15th and 16th centuries, and its
prosperity led to a fertile time for artistic achievements.
Venetian painters developed a signature style that emphasized color to model forms,
convincing human emotion, and naturalistic settings which enveloped their subjects in
unifying light.
The introduction of oil paint helped these artists achieve their artistic goals and new effects.
Giovanni Bellini’s work was critically important during this time, as well as his influence on
other artists (pupils Titian and Giorgione).
The exhibition shows the full arc of the development of the Venetian style, from early Gothic
influences, to the high Venetian Renaissance, to leanings towards Mannerism.
Intro (A)
A New Beginning (G)
The Self in Portraiture (F)
Grounded in Gold (B)
Video Room
Devotion to Mary (C)
Currents from the Mainland
(D) two galleries
The Color of Nature (E)
Venice: The Right Place at the Right Time
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Location, Location, Location
During the 15th and 16th centuries, the Venetian Republic was a dominant power in Europe
with a vast maritime empire and significant mainland territories. Strategically located on
the water off the northeast coast of Italy, the city of Venice served as a crossroads between
north and south, east and west, and became quite wealthy. This prosperity led to strong
support of the fine arts in the region. Goods, services and ideas were also exchanged here
from far parts of the known world, and Venetian artists were often exposed to the
innovations in painting coming from elsewhere. Venetian artists absorbed ideas from artists
and artistic centers in Tuscany, Rome, the Netherlands and other parts of Northern Europe
in their pursuit of a unique style.
Leadership
The Republic of Venice was ruled by a doge, or governor, who was elected for life. Doge
Lionardo Loredan, who ruled from 1501-21, strongly supported the flourishing of the fine
arts in Venice during his rule. He encouraged the achievements of Venetian painters and the
development of the new regional style that emphasized color and emotion over line,
structure and draftsmanship favored in Tuscany. He commissioned many works by Bellini,
Titian and Giorgione, among others (he is seen in the Batoni painting).
Atmosphere
Venice was built atop a large group of islands off the northeast coast of Italy, connected by
about 150 canals. With waterways as streets, Venice’s colorful buildings and natural
settings were constantly bathed in changing, reflective light. This unique atmosphere
helped inspire Venetian artists to develop their own style, favoring the use of color and light
to define and model forms.
Bellini Family Workshop
The Bellini family was crucial in the development of the art of Renaissance Venice. Jacopo
Bellini trained under Gentile da Fabriano and by around 1440 had his own successful studio
in Venice. He was the father-in-law of Andrea Mantegna, another important Italian artist,
and both of his sons Gentile and Giovanni followed him into painting. Giovanni Bellini was
the greatest and most prolific artist of the family and his lifelong contributions to the
development of the Venetian style were unparalleled and can be seen in this exhibition. Two
of Giovanni’s most famous pupils, Titian and Giorgione, are also represented.
The Gothic Legacy of Venetian Innovation
 The Power of Gold
Visitors to Venice would have been stunned by the abundance of gold, from basilica interiors to
religious icons to mosaics to the golden quality of the light, which all certainly contributed to a
sense of the republic’s power and influence. Gold-ground panel paintings were still popular in
the first part of the 1400s, and were usually made to be a part of a larger altarpiece for a church
or as part of a private devotional chapel. Creating these panel paintings was a laborious process,
involving many steps and materials, including gold leaf. Medieval gold leaf was often made by
beating gold coins into thin sheets, which could then be applied to the properly prepared panel.
In a candle-lit chapel, these paintings would glitter, and the brightly colored figures and scenes
would be better seen in the low light.
 Transitioning to the Renaissance
In ancient Greece and Rome, artists embraced a naturalism in regards to the human figure
which was to be abandoned for hundreds of years during the middle ages when abstraction
better served a focus on the spiritual, heavenly realm of the unseen. The human figure in many
gothic paintings is often flattened, elongated and static, occupying space in odd relation to
architectural or landscape fragments. As the middle ages waned, a hallmark of the emerging
Renaissance period was a renewed interest in naturalism, as artists began investigating how to
create more realistic figures in spaces that were rational and measurable. The works in this
section of the exhibition capture this transition period, with elements of the late Gothic
beginning to cede ground to the coming aesthetic changes and innovations embraced by
Venetian painters.
Venice and the Virgin Mary
 The Special Role of Mary
Venetians had a special relationship with the Virgin Mary. The mythical date of the city’s
founding and the beginning of its calendar year was March 25, the Feast of the Annunciation.
This Christian holy day is a celebration of the announcement by the angel Gabriel to the Virgin
Mary that she would conceive and become the mother of Jesus, the Son of God (March 25 is nine
full months before Christmas). Comparisons would often be made between the impregnable
Venetian republic from foreign invaders and the purity of the Virgin. Images of the Virgin then,
were popular, with the half-length portrait of the Madonna and Child developed by Giovanni
Bellini and becoming a hallmark of his workshop. Later, canvases were extended horizontally to
better accommodate additional saints, donors and naturalistic settings.
 Chasing Emotion/Pathos
With this increased interest in naturalism, artists (led by Giovanni Bellini) began to depict
convincing emotional human connections between figures in their works and between viewer
and subject like never before. The Madonna and Child composition lent itself to this pursuit,
with challenges not only with depicting realistic figures naturally in their settings, but depicting
mother and child emotional bonds and tenderness.
Outside Influences on Venetian Painters
 Exchange of Ideas
Artists from all over Europe traversed through Venice to learn and study; and, conversely, many
Venetian artists traveled abroad and worked in other cities on the Italian peninsula, such as
Padua, Rome, and Florence. The exchange of aesthetic approaches and techniques was critical
to the development of a uniquely Venetian style.
 Netherlandish and Northern European Influences
Flemish artworks were circulating in Venice by the mid-1400s, and Albrecht Dürer arrived
around 1494 enraptured by works by Bellini. Northern techniques and sensibilities worked
their way onto Venetian canvases, with examples here of artworks that use dramatic light to
model the human figure and make them seem to come alive on the canvas; artworks that
incorporate rich dramatic color; and ones that show detailed interiors of rooms loaded with
symbolism. Technique was also altered by the introduction of oil paint (perfected earlier by
Netherlandish artists) which could be layered to create these desired effects on the canvas.
Bellini perfected its use in Venice after being introduced to it by Antonello da Messina, and
helped others there learn how best to use it.
 Influences on the Italian Peninsula
The lessons from classical antiquity still had a presence in Rome and nearby Padua which
heavily influenced Venetian painters. In some of the artworks in this section, you can see
fragments of classical architecture (arches, triumphal arches, plazas and niches); elements of
balance, perspective and symmetry; and the toe-dip into mythological subject matter on the
part of Bellini.
Breakthroughs with Color and Technique
 Venetian Emphasis on Color, Rather than Line
Italy was not unified until the 19th century, so there was (and continues to be) very distinct
regionalisms that share the peninsula. This was also the case in terms of artistic centers, with
differing and competing sensibilities towards the idea of painting—not only in execution and
appearance, but the underlying philosophy. In Florence, disegno, or drawing/design was
considered the foundation to creating any artwork, while in Venice, colorito, or coloring, and the
liberal use of it, was most important. This is not to say that Florentine artists did not prize color,
but the Venetians perfected layering, blending and glazes techniques that allowed for an
unprecedented richness.
 Naturalistic Settings as Protagonist
The works in this section demonstrate how color, light and naturalism harmoniously work to
take our breath away. The figures in each painting are influenced by the quality of the light in
their backgrounds—warmly lit, cool, or in shadow. The landscapes share in the protagonist
role, no longer just relegated to backgrounds, but evident in the middle and foregrounds as
well.
 Gaining Command of Oil Paint Techniques
This section shows the height of the unique Venetian style that we’ve been building upon in the
previous galleries: the naturalism, the amazing color, the sensitive use of light, the beautifully
crafted landscapes—all achieved with the use of oil paint. Oil paint (typically pigment mixed
with linseed or walnut oil) is slow-drying and the use of it changed the working methods of
Venetian artists. With oil paint, these artists could apply very thin washes or layers of paint
which build upon each other to give an impression of realistic qualities—very different than
tempera (pigment mixed with egg yolk), which dried much more quickly and was not as
effective in achieving the depth and sensitive modeling that Venetian artists desired.
New Approaches to the Portrait
 Gradual Embrace of Venetian Individualism
Venice during this time was incredibly stratified by social class, occupation, and origin, and so
Venetian identity was strongly influenced by the idea of belonging to a group. At the same time,
a myth of egalitarianism contributed to an incredible stability in the republic, where even the
doge was “primus inter pares” or “first among equals.” Personal ambition and achievement
were looked upon warily, which may have contributed to the fact that portrait painting
innovations, which celebrated individuals, were slower to come to Venice.
 Development of the Psychological Portrait
Traditionally, portraits of individuals were done with a side view, but gradually Venetian
painters (again led by Bellini) began embracing the quarter and full frontal compositions. This
change allowed for a kind of intimate connection between the sitter and viewer like never
before, especially as artists like Titian and Giorgione strived for portraits that showed complex
emotions and thoughts on the part of the sitter playing a role (poetic portrait), rather than
revealing a sitter’s social class or occupation. Venetian painters’ interest in the psychological
portrait may have been inspired by the work of Leonardo da Vinci, who visited Venice in 1500
and may have brought examples of his work investigating a new language of gesture and
expression.
Another Surge in Innovation
 Building on the Lessons of Bellini: Titian and Giorgione
Although the artists and artworks of the Venetian Renaissance achieved new heights in the
history of art, this was not the end of the story in terms of Venetian innovation. Bellini’s
students Titian and Giorgione picked up his banner and continued experimenting in new ways.
Together, these two artists again revolutionized Venetian painting. Giorgione, older than Titian
and his life sadly cut short at age 30, introduced a new range of subjects and stylistic
techniques, including pictures that alluded to mysterious narratives with vague or no biblical or
mythological reference. Titian, who also studied in Giorgione’s workshop, would become the
star of Venetian painting in the 16th century, and would master new techniques in tonality and
color. Titian’s style changed radically over the course of his long career, but he maintained a
lifelong interest in color (a true Venetian!)
 The New Modern Manner
Titian and others during the early 16th century began challenging the classically inspired
symmetry, balance and clarity of earlier years by embracing dynamic compositions, new ways
to use color, and even more emotional engagement with the subject. This direction would
evolve into a movement called Mannerism, which prized compositional instability and
dynamism, exaggerated forms, and radical experiments in color, light and narrative. Incredibly
radical artworks are just on the horizon.