Paolo Veronese an extraordinary Renaissance artist
Paolo Veronese is a famous Italian painter of the 16th century, whose stunning works have become an adornment of temples and churches. The work of Paolo Veronese did not leave indifferent his contemporaries and still impresses art connoisseurs. The paintings are saturated with warm, delicate colors. In his masterpieces, bold ideas have been gracefully embodied. The master painted chic works and created frescoes that harmoniously complement each other.
Biography
Paolo Veronese was born in 1528 in the Italian city of Verona. The artist took a pseudonym: he left his name, but changed his surname. His real name is Cagliari. And the name of his native city inspired the pseudonym of the future master. His father, who was a sculptor, instilled in the boy a love of creativity. The young man initially studied with an architect, but eventually realized that he did not want to do this. Then he began training with his uncle, the painter Antonio Badile.
Paolo Veronese became famous in 1553 after painting the ceiling lamps in the Venetian Doge’s Palace. After some time, the young man also adorned the Marcian library, which was the beginning of the takeoff of his work. Since then, the master has received many orders for painting villas and palaces. In 1555, the painter was again invited to Venice. Now he was honored to paint the church of San Sebastiano. The artist did not stop at any one style or genre. In the late 50s, he began to paint beautiful portraits.
In 1556 Paolo Veronese married the daughter of his uncle and teacher Antonio Badile.
The couple had four children. The master’s works were very daring: they combined biblical motives with modern ones. The works depicted the heroes of the gospel stories in magnificent Venetian costumes, against the backdrop of lavishly laid tables. The life-loving artist did not even suspect what a scandal such creativity could turn into.
In 1573, the master was accused of blasphemy by the court of the Holy Inquisition, but he was later acquitted. To do this, Veronese had to rename one of his paintings. He depicted “The Last Supper”, but the work did not like the holy fathers. They believed that there was no place for dwarfs, warriors and children in the picture. The priests demanded to edit the work, changing the details. But the master did not do this. He only gave the work a new name: “The Feast in the House of Levi.” But the painting was originally commissioned for the Cathedral of Santi Giovanni e Paolo. Previously, there was “The Last Supper” by Tiziano Vecellio, but one day the work burned down in a fire.
In the 80s of the XVI century, the painter’s forces began to gradually leave.
In 1583 he bought an estate in Venice, the city in which he spent most of his life. But the artist never forgot about Verona. In the new domain, the master lived with his wife and children for another five years. On April 19, 1588, Paolo Veronese’s life was cut short: the body could not cope with pneumonia. The painter was buried in the Church of San Sebastiano the same one that he once painted.
After some time, both his sons and brother founded a fellowship of artists, releasing paintings in the manner of Paolo. But they failed to repeat his success.
