Paolo Veronese Artist Date of Birth: 19.11.1528 Country: France

Biography of Paolo Veronese

Paolo Veronese, a renowned artist, was born on November 19, 1528, in the San Paolo district of Verona, one of the main cities of the Venetian Republic. He was the fifth son of Gabriele and Caterina. Later, when he became an independent master, Veronese began to call himself Cagliari, possibly adopting the surname of one of his noble patrons. He first signed his name with this alias in 1555, when he signed a contract to paint the altarpiece "Pala di Montaniana." Veronese's father, according to old documents, was a stone carver or sculptor. Thanks to his father's connections in the artistic circles of the city, Veronese became a member of Antonio Badile's workshop in 1541. He then joined a group of young artists, including Domenico del Barbiere and Anselmo Canera, who enjoyed the patronage of Verona's architect Michele Sanmichele. According to the contemporary witness, Giorgio Vasari, Sanmichele "treated Veronese like a little son." Recent research on Veronese has shown the important role played by the years spent in his hometown in his development as an artist. The Veronese experience left a deep mark on the master's work and influenced the aesthetic foundation of his painting style throughout his successful career. Veronese's early works show his sincere interest in the more modern language of Mannerism, indicating that he chose a different path from his first teacher. Many of Veronese's paintings created before 1550, marked by typical Mannerist features, have been preserved. These include the brilliant "Betrothal of Saint Catherine" from a private collection in New York, painted to commemorate the marriage of Anna della Torre and Giambattista Pindemonte in Verona in 1547; the altarpiece "Pala Bevilacqua-Ladispoli" created in 1548 for the Bevilacqua-Ladispoli family chapel in the Church of San Fermo Maggiore and now housed in the Castelvecchio Museum in Verona; the composition "The Baptism" (now in the Herzog Anton Ulrich Museum in Braunschweig), most likely painted between 1548 and 1549 for the side wall of another Verona church chapel; the "Lamentation," commissioned by Abbot Bernardo Torlioni for the treasury of the Church of the Order of Saint Jerome Santa Maria della Grazia (now in the Castelvecchio Museum, Verona); and the remarkable "Deposition" from a private French collection, formerly located in the Corpus Domini Church in Vicenza. These works display Veronese's characteristic Mannerist graphic style and a remarkable use of color, with a clear contrast between light tones and shimmering highlights. During this period, Veronese's style showed a clear influence from the refined works of Emilian mannerists and the frescoes of Giulio Romano in the Palazzo del Te in Mantua. Veronese's exceptional technical mastery is evident in the "Deposition," which can be considered a culmination of his Venetian period. By the beginning of 1550, Veronese had become a mature master ready to make his mark on the great Venetian art scene. In 1551, he painted a picture for the altar of the Giustiniani Chapel in the Church of San Francesco della Vigna, his entrance exam in the city of Venice. In this composition, depicting the "Holy Family with the Infant St. John the Baptist" and the "Saints Anthony Abbot and Catherine," the young painter showed familiarity with the realities of Venetian artistic life, incorporating "quotations" from Titian's Pesaro Altarpiece in the Frari Church, painted a few years earlier. However, Veronese remained true to his own style, characterized by vibrant colors and dynamic figures. The figure of Saint Catherine is particularly outstanding in this painting, with her tense and elegantly flowing pose and intricately folded golden-green cloak. Veronese's work on his first Venetian commission did not distract him from numerous other assignments on the mainland. In the same year that the Giustiniani Altarpiece was completed, Veronese painted frescoes for Villa Soranzo in Treville, near Castelfranco Veneto, designed a decade earlier by Michele Sanmichele. Veronese worked alongside Dzolotti and Canera, two other young Veronese painters, who were proteges of the architect. Unfortunately, in 1816-1817, the then-owner of the villa, Venetian nobleman Filippo Baldi, decided to remove the frescoes from the walls. Some of the removed frescoes were kept in his possession, while others were given as gifts or sold to an antique dealer named Vendramini, eventually ending up on the art market in England. Only fifteen fragments of the once-extensive decoration have survived to this day, and only six of them can be considered works by Veronese, although they are poorly preserved. Veronese's interest in the technique of removing frescoes from walls is evident in these fragments. At the same time, Veronese was invited to Mantua between 1552 and 1553 by Cardinal Ercole Gonzaga to paint "The Temptation of Saint Anthony" for one of the side altars of the cathedral, whose decoration had recently been renewed by Giulio Romano in the style of Renaissance art. This composition, taken to Paris by the French in 1797 during the Napoleonic campaigns in Italy and now exhibited at the Museum of Fine Arts in Caen, shows the influence of Giulio Romano and Michelangelo's works. For example, the muscular body of the demon and the powerful figure of Saint Anthony in the painting resemble the so-called Belvedere Torso, a famous Greek sculpture that served as a model for many of Michelangelo's sculptural motifs. However, the elegant portrayal of the seductive woman on the left side of the painting still retains influences of Emilian mannerism. Veronese returned to Venice in 1553 and was invited to participate in an honorable commission - the creation of a series of paintings to decorate the ceilings of the three halls of the Council of Ten in the Doge's Palace. Giambattista Ponchino, an artist from Castelfranco who had recently returned from Rome, where he had the opportunity to see and appreciate the works of Tuscan-Roman Mannerism, was appointed as the head of the project. Ponchino selected Veronese and Dzolotti as his assistants, possibly having been impressed by their skills when they were working on the frescoes for Villa Soranzo in Treville. The work in the Council of Ten Halls lasted for three years, with the Reception Hall being completed first. By 1553, the luxurious gilded wooden frames had been finished, and the paintings were placed on the ceiling. Veronese completed four main paintings in this hall: the central compartment Jupiter Expelling the Vices (now in the Louvre) and three pendants depicting Juno Bestowing Gifts on Venice, Youth and Age, and Freedom. These paintings are of the highest artistic quality, with a vibrant and shimmering color palette that creates a sense of radiance. The interplay of light and color gives the figures a necessary lightness and depth, a quality that is completely absent in the works of the two other artists in the same hall. Veronese's style in these paintings demonstrates his mastery of decorative painting techniques, based on the interaction of light and color, which would become the basis of all his subsequent works. Veronese's paintings also display his characteristic emphasis on precise drawing, setting him apart from other significant Venetian masters of the time. The most notable among them was Titian, whose colorism was based on a different tonal principle, characterized by the complex layering of colors that create a soft, atmospheric effect. Veronese's stunning paintings in the Reception Hall were highly appreciated by the patrons. Veronese was then entrusted with the decoration of the ceiling of the next hall, the Compass Hall. Apparently, the paintings intended for this hall were completed in 1554. The decorative theme, developed by the iconographer Daniele Barbaro (a scholar-humanist who, along with his brother Marcantonio, would later commission Veronese to paint their villa Maser), was dedicated to the "good governance" of the Venetian Republic. The central composition depicted the city's patron saint, St. Mark, crowning the Virtues (the original painting, taken by the French troops in 1797, is now in the Louvre, replaced in the hall by a 19th-century copy by Giulio Carlini). Scenes of Roman triumphs and an allegory of Victory were arranged on the sides of the central painting. In the following room, the Three Caps Hall, the decorative theme was the triumphs of virtuous governance. Veronese painted two side compartments: Victory of Virtue over Evil and Victory of Nemesis over Sin, highlighting the stark contrast between his vibrant palette and the more subdued colors of his fellow painters. The completion of the Council of Ten Halls coincided with the beginning of Veronese's grand decoration project in the new Church of San Sebastiano, designed by Scarpagnino and belonging to the monks of the Order of Saint Jerome from a nearby monastery. Veronese devoted more than two decades of his life to the embellishment of this church, at the commission of the new abbot of the monastery, Brother Bernardo Torlioni. Veronese had already painted a picture, "Lamentation," for the monks' monastery in Verona at their request. In November 1555, Veronese, with the assistance of his brother Benedetto and another artist, possibly Antonio Fasolo, completed canvases for the ceiling of the treasury. The central composition, "Coronation of the Virgin," was accompanied by figures of the four evangelists on either side, while the corners of the vault featured small monochromatic scenes depicting episodes from the Old Testament and four tondos with Cherubs. In this cycle, Veronese used the experience gained from working on the Council of Ten Halls' vaults, skillfully creating the illusion of expanding the tight space of the treasury. Veronese's use of light and color gives the paintings a luminous quality, while the architectural motifs serve as decorative elements, framing the compositions. Veronese's interest in Titian is evident in the plasticity of the figures, which stand out against a backdrop of open blue sky. In December of the same year, Veronese signed a new contract to paint canvases for the vault of the nave, which were completed by October 31 of the following year, as evidenced by payment documents. The smaller allegorical figure paintings in the vault were executed by Veronese's assistants. Veronese himself painted the three main scenes: "The Denial of Queen Vashti," "Esther Crowned by Assuerus," and "The Triumph of Mordecai." Artists of the 16th and 17th centuries who wrote about art were quick to notice the paintings' brilliant color qualities and the carefully developed stage settings. Veronese's magnificent architectural backdrops, forming decorative frames for the scenes and figures enclosed within richly decorated frames, anticipate the monumental "Feasts" he would later create in the 1550s. The architectural motifs, no longer limited to mere decorative elements, such as frames or consoles, become active participants in the compositions. These wide steps, which disappear into the depths, serve as stages for the scenes and figures, while the vibrant palette and skillful use of light and shadow enhance the grandeur of Veronese's work. The completion of the San Sebastiano Church decoration coincided with the height of Veronese's fame as a prominent artist in Venice. He continued to receive numerous commissions from various patrons, including churches, palaces, and private collectors. Veronese's distinctive style, characterized by his mastery of color and composition, continued to evolve, making him one of the most celebrated painters of the Venetian Renaissance.