c. 1431/36 - 1516 • Italian • Painter • Renaissance
"... the Grand Turk happened to see some portraits brought by an ambassador, which filled him with wonder and amazement, and although paintings are prohibited by the Mahommedan laws he gladly accepted them, ceaselessly praising the artist and his work and, what is more, requesting that the master should be sent for. The [Venetian] senate, reflecting that Giovanni was of an age at which he could ill support hardships, and unwilling to deprive their city of such a great man, especially as he was at the time employed upon the hall of the great council, decided to send his brother Gentile, who would, they thought, do as well.‘- Vasari, mid-16th century
VASARI's account, quoted from above, may reflect his personal preference for the work of Giovanni over that of Gentile more than that of the Venetians, who actually appreciated Gentile well enough. Giovanni's birth date, and the dates of most of his paintings, which went unsigned, as well as the scant knowledge of his biography, all make his life seem as mysterious as his pictures. Part of their uncertainty may be due to the hazy, cloudy atmosphere of VENICE. As shapes become softened in such an ambience, so does sensibility. Agony in the Garden (c. 1465) presents the dawning of the day on which Christ will be arrested, and he awaits the soldiers while his apostles sleep. Bellini isolates Christ visually by showing us only his back and spatially by contriving a mound, away from his companions, on which to set him. The scene is desert-like, with ominous details like a broken fence of spiky wood, a reminder of the Crown of Thorns. Moreover, the landscape is carved up by curving topological details that make it even more unsettling. This subject was also treated by Giovanni's brother-in-law, MANTEGNA, at roughly the same time, both artists having taken it from their teacher, Giovanni's father, Jacopo BELLINI (see below). Mantegna's and Giovanni's paintings are often contrasted to reveal the hard rockiness of Mantegna, the sharpness of his focus, the solidity of his presentation, the distress of his figures, and the elaboration of the buildings in the background. Giovanni's subtlety and his sensitivity to climate and illumination gain prominence by the comparison. Giovanni pioneered in the exploration of light and its effect on the landscape during different seasons, atmospheric conditions, and times of day. The ability to do this on canvas owed much to his mastery of OIL PAINTING. Until recently it was believed that Giovanni learned the techniques of oil painting from ANTONELLO, but studies now indicate that painters in Venice, including Giovanni, were using oil before Antonello arrived. Yet Antonello did seem to influence Giovanni, who took up techniques similar to those of van EYCK, which Antonello had learned. Giovanni's Saint Francis in Ecstasy (c. 1485) is predominantly oil. His arms open wide, Francis faces the light, perhaps praying to the rising sun. This ecstatic scene, with a fertile valley and a castle beyond the cave in which Francis lives, is crowded with symbols (e.g., a grape arbor signifying Communion) and a close observation of nature: More than 20 different species of plants and animals have been identified. In 1506, DORER wrote an interesting assessment of Giovanni and of other Italians: "Among the Italians I have many good friends who warn me not to eat and drink with their painters ... they copy my work ... and then they revile it and say that it was not in the antique manner and therefore not good. But Giovanni Bellini has highly praised me .... All men tell me what a God-fearing man he is .... He is very old, but is still the best painter of them all."
