Self-portrait of Tintoretto - a sample of the workshop of painting

Italy has always served as the engine of art, especially artistic, because it gave the world of talented artists. Many of them are widely known, others are not recollected so often. We suggest that you today turn to one of the greatest artists of the Renaissance - Tintoretto.

Biography

Artist Jacopo Tintoretto (real name - Robusti) was born in Italy in 1518 (other sources indicate 1519). His father was a dyer, which is why Jacopo got the nickname Tintoretto, which means "little dyer".

His work was discovered by the artist as a child, very early on he began to be fond of art. Teacher Jacopo for a while was Titian, and, according to legend, he soon put the student out of the door because of envy of his talent. Further names of the teachers are unknown, but there is every reason to assume that the artist still received his education.

Tintoretto created real masterpieces that contemporaries admired. However, it is worth mentioning that in those times when he had too many orders, the artist in a hurry could write and not too high-quality work.

In the 50's, the artist married Faustina de Vescovi, who later gave birth to eight children. Two of them went in the footsteps of their father, and were well known at the time.

Tintoretto died in 1594, without ceasing to work until his death. He remained in history as one of the brightest representatives of the Renaissance.

Creation

The main motto of Tintoretto's work was the slogan: "Drawing of Michelangelo, color of Titian". Probably, it was this combination that made it possible to achieve such heights. The painting of the young artist was similar to the purely classical works of Venetian masters, such as P. Bordoni and B. Veronese. However, with age, Tintoretto's works began to show more and more special features: broad strokes, complex foreshortenings, a special position of the horizon, as well as a wealth of lines and restraint of colors. As connoisseurs say, the transparent silhouettes in the background give a feeling of lightness and spirituality.

Most of his life, Jacopo Tintoretto was engaged in decorating churches and palaces. Widely known, for example, is his work in the Palazzo Ducale in Venice and Scuola di San Rocco.

Also Tintoretto liked to create paintings based on ancient myths. Widely known such works in this direction, as "Danae" (1580), "Ariadne, Bacchus and Venus" (1576) and others.

The artist gained popularity during his lifetime. Tintoretto became famous first of all for his master portraits. He often painted portraits to order. Not less famous was the self-portrait of Tintoretto, executed with the same skill.

Known works

One of the most famous works of the artist Tintoretto is a canvas called "Paradise" (1588-1590). It is remarkable for its size - 22 meters! The canvas was the largest in the world, filled with oil paints at that time.

Also known to art lovers are such works as The Last Supper (1592), The Miracle of St. Mark (1548), The Origin of the Milky Way (1575), The Introduction of Mary into the Temple (1555). In all of them a special manner of the artist's letter is shown, which glorified him.

Most of the works of Tintoretto can be seen in the churches and palaces of Venice to this day. Part of his work is stored in the Louvre, including the famous self-portrait of Tintoretto. Thanks to him, we have an idea of how the great artist looked. The rest of Tintoretto's works can be seen in smaller museums in Italy.

Self-portrait Tintoretto

In fact, there are several paintings on which the artist captures himself in different periods of his life.

The first self-portrait Tintoretto created in 1547. Our gaze is represented by the image of a 29-year-old man with a straight and firm gaze. The clothes, the background and the artist's hair seem to merge in the darkness, brightening the face, still young, from the darkness.

The next self-portrait was performed many years later - in 1585. Now the viewer sees a mature, wise man with a lowered gaze. The background and clothing also merge in the dark, but this time the hair is already gray.

The most famous self-portrait is the work written in 1588, which is now in the Louvre.

This work captures the viewer's eyes and fascinates, because the background sinks in the darkness, while the bright eyes of the artist look at us. In them and the face of the old man all wisdom and the years gone by seem to be reflected. This self-portrait for a long time became a model for artists.