This essay will examine and analyse the use of colour within different aspects of Renaissance Venice, with closer examination of the architecture of the Palazzo Ducale and San Marco, as well as the art of Titian, Paolo Veronese and Giovanni Bellini. I will also briefly discuss the importance of colour regarding Venetian fashion.
Two of the artists I have chosen to focus on are arguably the most revolutionary regarding use and experimentation of colour within Renaissance Venice. Titians painting of the Noli Me Tangere and Giovanni Bellini’s painting of Agony In The Garden both show strong connections between the movement of the landscapes and the swirling almost rippling effects seen in Venetian chalcedony glassware.[1] This seems to have created softness and effect of large space to both paintings.
Titians experimentation with colour certainly becomes apparent by around 1510 when he painted his Holy Family and a Shepherd. Here he painted Joseph in violet and a deep auburn as opposed to the yellow he is usually adorned in. This coincides with colours such as orange, purple and brown becoming particular popular and fashionable.[2] Titian later goes on to experiment with different shades of grey, as seen in the 1511 painting Schiavona and the 1523 painting of Man with a Glove. The earlier painting shows the grey colours through the transparency of the woman’s hairnet and the light shawl over her shoulders creating an elegant and light texture to the materials. This was very rare for Titian to paint a portrait of a woman. The latter painting shows the grey gloves in a very life-like fashion, creating a real leather, and notably expensive look to give the man in the painting a subtle air of wealth.[3] Titian also cleverly experimented with black and white to create the lightness and darkness effects seen in his paintings such as The Entombment of Christ. These particular works of Titian show he could create simple but very realistic portraitures and was extremely talented at depicting texture of different materials and creating more character than is usually conveyed in other portraiture by creating refined, elegant and casual looks to his models.[4]
Giovanni Bellini uses colour and transparency in a slightly different way to Titian but still produces spectacular effects with it. The most notable example of his use of this combined with reflection is in his 1515 painting of a Young Woman with a Mirror. Here we can see the elaborate detail of the gold beads reflected in the mirror of the woman’s headdress and also in the delicate gleam of the carafe located on the windowsill.[5]
The architecture and decor alone in Venice is arguably one of the most colourful cities in Europe, and would have definitely looked one of the most opulent in Europe in its heyday, but possibly rivalled by the Byzantine Empire, where it is obvious Venice took some inspiration from, as the San Marco building was designed with striking resemblance to the Church of Holy Apostles located in Constantinople.[6] It is possible to see the fusion of eastern and western tastes in San Marco, a good example of which can be seen on the choir screen of San Marco. Much of the marble used came from Greece and Egypt and must have stood out against the brilliant white marble of which the Apostles and the Virgin were carved from.[7] Even the two tiered columns around the lower floor of San Marco in the porticoes give the illusion of chiaroscuro, continuing from the Piazza through to the church.[8] In the earlier mosaics of San Marco we can see blue becoming an increasingly popular colour to work with, as well as the interest in the gilding of certain areas of buildings or sometimes parts of statues. We can also note from the mosaics of San Marco the viewer would be enthralled in the mystery and majesty of heaven as this was obviously a heavily featured topic in the church. Peter Humfrey describes the effects of the mosaic would ‘glow and shimmer like jewels when caught by the light, before disappearing again into dark, vibrating shadow’.[9]The bronze quadriga situated directly above the Piazza San Marco’s main entrance must have also stood out from an already colourful building, and would have gleamed under the Venetian sun, as they still do today.[10] The complete interior of the basilica of San Marco, namely the walls, domes and the vaults, are completely covered in golden backgrounds with colourfully decorated mosaics depicting Christ, Saint Mark and the Apostles among other themes from the Old Testament, in particular the Book of Genesis. The goldenness of the walls seems to catch the light and create movement within the vibrant mosaics.[11]
The use of blue, in particular blue with stars became a popular feature on and in public buildings from around 1400, mainly due to the Doge Michele Steno, as this was his personal insignia. In particular, the ceiling of the Sala del Maggior Consiglio located in the Palazzo Ducale was decorated in this manner throughout Stenos’ period of dogate.[12] This type of decoration is also documented in Gentile Bellini’s Procession in Piazza San Marco.
The coupling of gold and blue together was later expanded to the combination white and red, mainly seen in the form of red Veronese marble and white Istrian stone. This type of coupling of coloured architecture can also be seen in the green and white Florentine Baptistery in Tuscany. The combination of white and red in Venice was used as edgings along quaysides as well as window and door surroundings. This is used excessively on the Palazzo Ducale where most of the building is covered by consistent patterns of interlocking diamonds that seem to zigzag around the building. [13]
Focussing now on another part of the interior of the Palazzo Ducale, the walls and ceilings are completely covered from top to bottom in stunning paintings and compartmented ceilings decorated by some of the finest artists of the time, Veronese and Tintoretto possibly the most well known. Paolo Veronese’s beautiful painting of Triumph Of Venice is located in the Great Council and Hall and has been described as one of the most influential paintings within the palace. Veronese has used a perspective known as dal sotto in su, to create the illusion the viewer is looking straight up to the heavens. The painting features the golden lion of Saint Mark, as is a customary feature in Venice, and has included elaborate balustrades and colourful characters, of which Veronese was so admired for. Honour is clothed in a gold and white robe, and has a regal manner and posture. The bright blue skies and white fluffy texture of the clouds are extremely realistic. We can also see Veronese’s talent for depicting other textures, as seen in the armour and the fur of the dog at the bottom of the painting.[14]
The Palazzo Ducale is again another good example for a different art form, this being terrazzo flooring. This had developed to contain flecks of multicoloured chips, usually of Istrian stone, and eventually became a must have domestic item in Venetian buildings.[15]
Hills documents a man who had travelled to Venice in 1438 describe the city as ‘that most wondrous of cities, so rich in colour and in accoutrements of gold, exquisite as perfectly carved sculpture’.[16] Venetian buildings had gradually been replaced from wood to expensive brick, stone and marble as part of a vast project to rebuild the city. It was in this time period Venice has its most notable and decorative changes to its art and architecture.[17]
Among the art forms already discussed, altarpieces were also extremely popular and widespread in Venice; however, I am now going to focus on Titians Assumption of the Virgin, commissioned for San Maria dei Frari for the high altar located within. This particular altarpiece was arguably Titians best, as it established his reputation within Venice, and it was also the largest altarpiece in Venice. His main connections in the painting were the two most prominent apostles and the Virgin, which created a triangle of bright colour, mainly a rich red that pointed upwards to the golden heavens. Directly below the Virgin we can see Titians use of grey tones and experimentation of darker and deeper coloured hues. It is also possible to see Titians flair for depicting different textures and materials, as seen in the robes of the characters and in the fluffiness of the clouds holding the Virgin. This must have been breathtaking for a spectator to walk up the altar steps to see this almost larger than life size altarpiece.[18]
Another example of an altarpiece can be found in San Marco; however, this is very different to the altarpieces we see Titian develop. The golden altarpiece of Pala d’Oro, which was originally brought in from Constantinople, is absolutely covered with colourful jewels and gems and is highly prized as one of the most significant items within the basilica. Patricia Fortini Brown describes ‘The total effect is one of dazzling richness and exotic intricacy: qualities perfectly suited to an ever more refined aesthetic taste’.[19]
Colour in Venice was not limited simply to paintings and architecture; it also had a huge impact on the clothing, clothing materials and the use of fashion in general. The colour of fashion seems to have been determined by the class and status of the individual. The Cittadini and other patricians were expected to wear black woollen garments, as set out by the regulations of the Signoria who kept close watch over Venetian clothing. Rich velvets and reds were reserved for the Procurators, followed by a less expensive red silk garment reserved for the Senators, followed by blue garments reserved for the Savi. The Doges attire would have consisted of a specific crimson called scarlotto, as well as gold and cremisino robes reserved only for him. As evident in Carpaccio’s painting of Healing of a Possessed Man, we can see youthful male patricians dressed in multicoloured hose, often differing on each leg.[20] A more specific example of gold and cremisino robes as worn by the Doge can be seen in Giovanni Bellini’s portrait of Leonardo Loredan, where we are able to see the gold threading throughout the costume more closely.[21] Another example of the use of white dress is noted in the rare exceptions of bridal wear, such as that of the Grimani wedding of 1517, where the bride wore a half white and half restagno d’oro dress. This was considered to be the height of luxury.[22]
Overall, I would consider Venice to be one of the most colourful cities in the world to date, however, it was surely rivalled by cities from the East and Byzantine Empire, to which it owes much of its inspiration. There were other cities experimenting with colour in similar ways as Venice and its artists, for example, the coloured voussoirs seen in the Islamic architecture of the painting Reception of an Ambassador in Damascus, is mirrored in Venetian architecture, notably the Arco Foscari in the Palazzo Ducale courtyard.[23] Also, the coupling of two colours together in architecture is seen in Tuscany on the Florentine Baptistery; however this combination is of green and white. A lot of the materials used in Venetian architecture was imported from areas outside Venice and so could be argued its colour was borrowed from other cities. The fall of Constantinople in 1453 was obviously an important factor when studying the combination of Venetian and Islamic art and architecture because it was after this date in particular when we start to see more of an appearance of this combination of cultures.[24] With regards to Venetian fashion, Venice was bursting with colour, but this could be argued against the need to wear particular colours to distinguish class and status. Artists such as Titian and Giovanni Bellini were experimenting with new colours in their paintings, even daring to paint certain characters in different colours as opposed to the usual colours viewers were accustomed to seeing them in, for example, Joseph in Titians depiction of Holy Family and a Shepherd. Much of Venetian art may not have been possible had it not been for the expansion of wealth and luxury across the city in the 1500s. In conclusion, the combination of colour within Renaissance Venice, regardless of the hidden agendas of matters such as class, patronage and inspiration taken from other areas of the world, is without doubt the most distinguishable of its time because of the scale of experimentation and combination of so many different art forms, and this can be reflected perfectly in Paul Hills quote, ‘Like the waves lapping Venice, colour floods in from the margins’.[25]
Bibliography
Humfrey, Peter, Painting in Renaissance Venice, (Yale University Press: London, 1995) pp. 1-35, 142-175
Fortini Brown, Patricia, Art and Life in Renaissance Venice, (Laurence King Publishing ltd: London, 1997) pp. 20-29, 64-71
Hills, Paul, Venetian Colour, (Yale University Press: London, 1999) pp. 24-36, 57-66, 74-89, 107-125, 150, 173-182, 190-195
Honour, Hugh & Fleming, John, A World History of Art (Laurence King Publishing ltd: London, 1999) pp. 370-374, 422-463, 495-513
[1] Paul Hills, Venetian Colour, (Yale University Press: London,1999) pp. 119-125
[2] Paul Hills, Venetian Colour, (Yale University Press: London,1999) p. 150
[3] Paul Hills, Venetian Colour, (Yale University Press: London,1999) p. 192-195
[4] Paul Hills, Venetian Colour, (Yale University Press: London,1999) p. 36
[5] Peter Humfrey, Painting in Renaissance Venice, (Yale University Press: London,1995) 146-147
[6] Hugh Honor and John Fleming, World History of Art (Laurence King Publishing: London,1999) pp. 370-374
[7] Paul Hills, Venetian Colour, (Yale University Press: London,1999) p. 57
[8] Paul Hills, Venetian Colour, (Yale University Press: London,1999) p. 24
[9] Peter Humfrey, Painting in Renaissance Venice, (Yale University Press: London,1995) p.9
[10] Patricia Fortini Brown, Art and Life in Renaissance Venice, (Laurence King Publishing: London,1997) pp. 20-22
[11] Patricia Fortini Brown, Art and Life in Renaissance Venice, (Laurence King Publishing: London,1997) pp. 26-29
[12] Paul Hills, Venetian Colour, (Yale University Press: London,1999) p. 60
[13] Paul Hills, Venetian Colour, (Yale University Press: London,1999) pp. 65-66
[14] Patricia Fortini Brown, Art and Life in Renaissance Venice (Laurence King Publishing: London,1997) pp. 64-71
[15] Paul Hills, Venetian Colour, (Yale University Press: London,1999) p. 80-81
[16] Paul Hills, Venetian Colour, (Yale University Press: London,1999) p. 74
[17] Paul Hills, Venetian Colour, (Yale University Press: London,1999) p.74
[18] Hugh Honor and John Fleming, World History of Art (Laurence King Publishing: London,1999) pp. 496-497
[19] Patricia Fortini Brown, Art and Life in Renaissance Venice (Laurence King Publishing: London,1997) pp. 23-26
[20] Paul Hills, Venetian Colour, (Yale University Press: London,1999) p. 173-176
[21] Paul Hills, Venetian Colour, (Yale University Press: London,1999) p. 182
[22] Paul Hills, Venetian Colour, (Yale University Press: London,1999) pp. 190-192
[23] Paul Hills, Venetian Colour, (Yale University Press: London,1999) pp. 88-89
[24] Peter Humfrey, Painting in Renaissance Venice (Yale University Press: London,1995) pp. 9-11
[25] Paul Hills, Venetian Colour, (Yale University Press: London,1999) p. 107
No comments:
Post a Comment