Jacopo Bellini

Jacopo, Gentile and Giovanni Bellini: Polyptych of the Madonna , approx. 1464–70, Gallerie dell'Accademia , Venice

Jacopo Bellini , also Giacomo Bellini (* around 1400 probably in Venice, † around 1470/71 in Venice ) was an Italian painter of the Venetian school.

Life

Jacopo Bellini was the son of a tin caster. Where and with whom he began to study is unknown, but during a stay in Florence , from 1422 to 1425, around 1423 he worked as a pupil and assistant in the workshop of Gentile da Fabriano . He must have shown himself to be very capable, as he aroused the envy of local artists. These presumably incited some young people to raid the Gentile's workshop on June 11, 1423 and throw stones at it. In order to protect these and the works of art, she defended Jacopo Bellini and apparently injured one or more of the attackers. For this he had to serve a long prison sentence and then leave Florence. It is believed that he accompanied Gentile to Rome in 1426 . How long he stayed there is not known. In the following years, however, he stayed mainly in Venice and the surrounding area.

In 1429 his first son was born, whom he called Gentile in admiration of his teacher . His son Giovanni was born around 1430/31 . Both sons are among the greatest painters in Venice.

Around 1436 Jacopo stayed in Verona, where he decorated the cathedral with a now lost crucifixion fresco. In 1437 he was back in Venice, where he became a member of the Scuola di San Giovanni Evangelista , for which he painted a "Mary with the Child" and 18, now also lost, panels with scenes from the lives of Christ and Mary. In 1441 he was briefly at the court of Ferrara , where he designed the tomb for Niccolò d'Este . At the same time he portrayed his son Lionello . He then stayed in Venice until at least 1457 before traveling to Padua, where he created other important works.

style

Jacopo Bellini can be seen as the painter who brought the spirit and traditions of the Renaissance to Venice. While his contemporaries such as Giambono , Jacobello del Fiore and Antonio Vivarini continued to adhere to the style of Byzantine icons and only enriched it with a touch of Gothic elegance, Jacopo was impressed by the Florentines from the start. In addition to his master Gentile da Fabriano, he also admired Andrea del Castagno , the sculptor Donatello , Paolo Uccello and, above all, Fra Filippo Lippi . He quickly enjoyed a good reputation, which made his name known at all important royal courts in Italy. He revolutionized painting in Venice and paved the way for his talented sons, but also artists such as Giorgione and Tizian .

Horse and rider in armor (Louvre)

The drawings that have been preserved are of even greater importance for art history than his paintings. As one of the first artists ever, he created sketches on all sorts of topics. In addition to studies of antiquity, he also left behind a large number of figure, nude and clothing studies. He drew both mythological and religious and profane scenes. Many other drawings show animals. The majority of these drawings are in two sketchbooks now in the possession of the British Museum in London and the Louvre in Paris .

Selected Works

Mary with the Child and Angels, around 1455, Venice, Galleria dell Accademia

• Bergamo, Accademia Carrara
  • Mary with the Child, around 1430
• Berlin, Gemäldegalerie
  • The Evangelist John, around 1430–1435
  • The apostle Peter. around 1430-1435
  • Saint Jerome (fragment), around 1430–1435
• formerly Berlin, Kaiser-Friedrich-Museum
  • The Lamentation of Christ (Pietà) (attributed - probably destroyed in 1945)
• Brescia, San Alessandro
  • Annunciation altar, 1441
• Ferrara, Pinacoteca
  • Adoration of the Magi
• Florence, Galleria degli Uffizi
  • Mary with the Child, around 1450
• Gazzada, Collezione Cagnola
  • Mary with the Child, around 1430–1435
• Los Angeles, County Museum of Art
  • Maria with the child. around 1465
• Lovere, Gallerie dell 'Aba Tadini
  • Maria with the child. around 1445
• Milan, Pinacoteca di Brera
  • Mary with the Child, 1448
• New York, Brooklyn Museum of Art
  • Saint Jerome reading
• New York, Metropolitan Museum of Art
  • Maria with the child
• North Mimms, W. Burns Collection
  • Mary with the Child and Angels, around 1455
• Padua, Museo Civico
  • Christ in Limbo
• Paris, Musee National du Louvre
  • Maria with the child and the founder Lionello d'Este, around 1440, wood, 60 × 40 cm
• San Diego, Fine Arts Gallery
  • Maria with the child
• Switzerland, private collection
  • Saint Jerome in the desert, around 1420–1430
• Venice, Galleria dell Accademia
  • Mary with the Child and Angels, around 1455
• Venice, Museo Civico Correr
  • The crucifixion of Christ, around 1450
• Verona, Museo di Castelvecchio
  • The penitent Saint Jerome
  • The crucifixion of Christ
• Washington, National Gallery of Art
  • Saints Anthony Abbas and Bernhard of Siena, around 1459/60
  • Portrait of a boy , around 1470 (attributed)
• Whereabouts unknown
  • A saint (Lucia? - fragment). around 1430–1435 ( formerly the Jakob von Danza collection in Berlin)

literature

• Kindler's painting dictionary . Kindler, Zurich 1964–1971
• Friedrich Wilhelm Bautz :  Bellini, Jacopo. In: Biographisch-Bibliographisches Kirchenlexikon (BBKL). Volume 1, Bautz, Hamm 1975. 2nd, unchanged edition Hamm 1990, ISBN 3-88309-013-1 , Sp. 478.

Web links

Commons : Jacopo Bellini  - Collection of Images, Videos and Audio Files