Holy Family with the Infant Saint John the Baptist by Marco Palmezzano - Essay Example

Holy Family With The Infant Saint John The Baptist’ by Marco Palmezzano Thesis This essay will seek to discover why this particular work came be topainted and examine the influences that affected it. Biography The period from 1500 to about 1520 is sometimes described as the High Renaissance. Raphael, Michelangelo and Leonardo De Vinci were all producing amazing works at this time. But they were of course not the only Italian artists of the period, though whether or not Forl? is a comune and city in Emilia-Romagna, Italy, famed as the birthplace of the great painter Melozzo da Forl?, of the Renaissance humanism historian Flavio Biondo, of the famous physicians Geronimo Mercuriali and Giovanni Battista Morgagni.... Melozzo da Forl? , was an Italy Renaissance painter near the Umbrian school, the first who practised foreshortening with much success and one of the most outstanding fresco painters of the 15th century....  Marco Palmezzano, 1an Italian from Forli, Romagna ( 1460 – 1539) would be considered as a High Renaissance Artist would depend upon which of his works was being considered. He originally trained as an artist under the master Melozzo da Forli and his earliest work is perhaps the fresco decoration dating from around1480-84 of the vault of the sacristy of the treasury at Santa Casa, Loreto, which was designed by Melozzo da Forli considered to be a great master of perspective and had worked with the better known Piero Della Francesa. Marco was working with his teacher on fresco for the Capella Feo in S.Girolamo, in the town of Forli when the older man died, work that has since been destroyed by war action. Henry La Farge says of the relationship between the two artists Mellozo and Della Francesca that Mellozo:- abandoned the severe impersonal types of his master, changing the latters abstract figures into terms of human grandeur, "using them always as a means for embodying emotions, so that they become pure incarnations of the one grand feeling by which they are animated.2 It is likely that he had also studied architecture in Urbino, according to an article originally written in 1915.3 This seems likely when the fine architectural detail in many of his works is considered , including the one under consideration, as well as his familiarity with various types of marble and his ability to reproduce them on canvas or other material. The same writer points out how Marco Palmezzano would signed himself as the pupil of Melozzo, and the fact that this has caused confusion as to who actually painted a piece and their works have consequently been misattributed. This would also in part explain why Palmezzano is relatively unknown despite having works on exhibition in such prestigious places as the National Gallery4 and The Courtauld Institute, both in London, but also in many other places in Western Europe, in Australia and the United States of America. At some point in his twenties Palmezzano he traveled to Rome, where it is possible he painted the fresco in the church of St Croce de Gerusalemme and possibly on to Jerusalem to paint frescos at the church of The Holy Cross, though there is little evidence for this according to the web page in his name at Virtual Uffizi and it is easy to see how these two statements could become confused.5 Whether or not he did so it was a relatively short stay because property records show him back in Italy, in Venice, in1495, because a document of that date shows the division of property between him and his brothers, Marco being endowed with a house and its contents,6 though it is known he returned to his home town soon afterwards and his traveling life was over except when he had a commission, though while in Venice he did paint an altarpiece including St Sebastian, in the style of Bellini.7 Despite only spending a short time in Venice the Uffizi web page says that it is Venetian masters who were the greatest influence on him, in particular his more of less contemporaries Giovanni Bellini (1430 – 1516) and Conegliano (1459 – 1517), both of whom were only a generation older than Palmezzano and both of whom would have been actively producing new works during his formative years. The Uffizi writer notes particularly his use of color, so similar to that used by the Venetian masters. However, Tom Henry, commenting on an exhibition , says:- Palmezzano’s inventiveness as an artist serve(s) to prove his artistic independence rather than his oft discussed derivation form multiple sources. The etched line of his male protagonists, the standardized perfection of his Madonnas and female saints, the variety of his landscapes and the subtle yet rich colors of his work is not quite like anybody else.8 While he has a valid point, when it comes to certain works such as ‘Christ bearing the cross’ it is very hard to distinguish this work from one by Bellini, though another biographer describes his later style as ‘sparse and dry’ and concludes:-9 Although Palmezzano continued painting into the first four decades of the 16th century, he is a distinctly late 15th-century artist, superficially modern, but in reality limited by an arid preoccupation with the past. Another great influence was the country side around him, in particular the Apennine foothills which was depicted as background in many of his works. Forli lies only 80 miles from Venice, not an impossible distance even considering the primitive travel arrangements of the time. Tom Henry points out 10how Forli’s geographical and political position allowed in many different influences, being north of the Apennine hills and more or less at an equal distance from Venice, Ferrara, Bologna and the northern section of Umbria., yet Palmezzano shows no links to works by great masters such as Raphael, Titian or Michelangelo, being , for most of the time, stuck in a much earlier style, and often included painted wooden surrounds on the canvas. Many of his works are frescos, some on curved surfaces, which means that they have almost never been moved from their original situation, and so perhaps a reason why they are relatively unknown. More than 40 of his alter pieces are still to be found within a small area in Forli and the surrounding countryside, a recent focus on his work includes 6 sites,11 yet despite this a description of the town will say that it is the birthplace of the painter Melozzo da Forlì, of the historian Flavio Biondo, and of the doctors Geronimo Mercuriali and Giovanni Battista and there the list ends, even though a shool in the town bears his name, though only from 1997. Caesar Borgia was in control of the town from 1499 at the time when Palmezzano was active. The date of the painting is difficult to assertain, but if it does include a portrait of a real cardinal Caesar Borgia was born in about 1475 and died quite young in 1507 so this rules him out. After Caesar’s death the town came under the personal jurisdiction of the pope acording to the Catholic Encyclopaedia.12, but no portrait of any of the succession of pontifs at the time seems to fit so this mystery remains. Another work, now in the Liverpudlian ‘Walker Art Gallery13, was possibly commissioned to celebrate a wedding and carries the coat of arms of the Donata and Miciel fsmilies, both promimant in Venice. The catholic Encyclopaedia has an entry for Forli, but though it mentions other painters, and despite the fact that it is still possible to see many works by Palmezzano in the area, such as ‘The Immaculate with the Eternal Father in glory and Saint Anselm, Saint Augustine and Saint Stephen ‘at the Abbey of Saint Mercuriale,14he is again not included. Holy Family With The Infant Saint John The Baptist’ This painting of 1530, by which time Palmezzano would have been 70 years old, is an oil on a poplar panel and is now part of the collection at the Phoenix Art Museum, Arizona, U.S.A.,having been purchased with funds provided anonymously. This type of picture depicting the virgin and child with saints is called in Latin a sacra conversatione which literally means sacred conversation or meeting. Figures from widely different historical periods might come together in such works come within what was considered to be a sacred space. Some such as his ‘Virgin and Child with Saints’, possibly from 1526,15 would include a number of holy people considered by the commissioner to have some relevance or significance. In that picture these include both St Francis and a Dominican martyr among others, perhaps an indication of how important the presence of both religious orders were in the city. In the case of ‘The Holy Family With The Infant Saint John The Baptist’ the picture depicts a young Mary, dressed richly in the medieval style of the period. She is holding the infant Jesus in front of her. He seems to have his right hand raised in blessing toward the slightly older, and therefore larger, John the Baptist, although there were occasions when Palmezzano and others depicted people by size according to their considered importance a sin for instance his depiction of the dead Christ being supported by two very small angels.16 Unusually to modern ideas perhaps is the fact that the boy Jesus is naked, possibly indicating his status as perfect humanity, though John appears to already wearing clothing made of camel hair as described in Matthew’s gospel.17 The much older gentleman to the right could possibly be meant to depict St Joseph, but his costume rather suggests a cardinal or other member of the clergy rather than a carpenter and is perhaps a depiction of the person who commissioned the work. Unlike the other figures depicted he looks straight out at those who view the work. Some artists have depicted themselves in this way as in Valasquez’s ‘Las Meninas’.18 The colors of Mary’s costume in scarlet and the red and gold of the older man are reminiscent of the brightness favored by the Venetian school, but at the same time the cool colors of the landscape in the background, remind us that this is a northern artist. A similar colour palate was used in his astonishingly beautiful and serene painting, now in the Vatican museum, of Christ holding the cross.19The scene is presumably a purely imaginary one as the family fled to Egypt during Jesus’ early life, and John would have stayed near Jerusalem where his father’s work was, although in fact the gospel writes only hint at a time scale with their reference to a house rather than a stable in Bethlehem 20. The hills in the background are presumably the Apennines. Despite the number of known works by this artist he can be considered as one of the lesser known medieval artists, unlisted for instance by Harold Osbourne in The Oxford Companion To Art. 21and also ignored in several other such tomes. Palmezzano is known to have painted several alter pieces i.e. decorative works for behind and above an alter, including one depicting both St John the Baptist and his mother St Elizabeth, cousin to the Virgin Mary St for various Roman Catholic churches or other religious institutions. The web site Ist Art Gallery shows another oil, this time without those bright colors and much more northern and cool, but again Jesus is naked and John is wearing his hairy costume. Elizabeth and John seem to be worshipping the baby, but Mary, still a young girl, seems deep in her own thoughts and Joseph is a very old man. According to Christopher Hare at least one of his Madonnas was modeled by Catarina Sforza22, Countess of Forli and a member of the famous Medici family Figure 1, The Holy Family with St John the Baptist and St Elizabeth, 1515 ‘Christ as the Man of Sorrows’ is a total contrast in style and is perhaps one of Palmezzano’s most important and dramatic works. Christ, olive skinned, is depicted sitting on his own tomb, and still wearing his crown of thorns his wounds, or stigmata, clearly to be seen, though they are closed and the intention is obviously meant to show a perfect human body, as would be done by others in later works depicting the Savior. . Figure 2, Christ as the Man of Sorrows23,24 pieces. similar dramatic realism, removed perhaps from the ‘Holy Family’ pieces. The museum’s writer says of this piece, until the 20th century in a private collection:- The oeuvre of Marco Palmezzano shows that he was familiar with the work of Giovanni Bellini (c. 1430–1516)….. Even though Palmezzano adopts this innovative approach, his sharp-edged style and handling of plasticity and space show him to be very much still caught Figure 3, Christ as Man of Sorrows, ( Christs Blessing) Giovanni Bellini25 The web site 1st-Art Gallery lists 10 works in what it describes as ‘Complete List of Marco Palmezzano’s oil paintings,’26 yet his ‘Man of Sorrows’ is not included, which perhaps just goes to show how underrated and unknown he is, this despite a prolific output from an early age until his death at the age of about 79, though as said earlier he did not always sign his own name, or used different variations of it, including Latinized versions. Also many works were destroyed or severely damaged in the Second World War. Conclusion Palmezzano and his studio produced a huge number of alter pieces, many depicting the Virgin and Child, often she would be enthroned and surrounded by holy figures – saints and angels, so this is one of a series. Because, despite his obvious talent, and the power of some of his depictions, this is a relatively unknown artist it has proved impossible to find details of where this particular painting was originally meant to be or who commissioned it, although that information may well be on record in some small Italian church. In some cases with this artist even attribution is difficult as he did not have a consistent signature. One possible work auctioned in 2003 was given the ascription ‘Circle of Palmazzano’ 27and he had pupil such as Baldassarre Carrari da Forli28as well as influencing others such as Niccolo Rondinelli who could further muddle matters, though Berenson does list more than 200 attributed works.29 Any confusion or derivation however does not take away from the value and sincerity of this or other of works such as ‘Jesus as the Man of Sorrows’, even if it is derivative of Bellini and the Venetian school. That Bellini and other Venetians of the High Renaissance were a great influence is obvious, especially when one considers the dates involved, but so too were those northern skies and the hills of home, as well as his knowledge of various types of stone and his interest in architecture and Marco seems to prefer an earlier style than most of his contemporaries, a style that was uniquely his own. If his perhaps greatest works were in a better known gallery, and had not been in private collections, or been painted as fresco’s to adorn the Vatican or monasteries and convents where the public do not enter perhaps the world would know the name Marco Palmezzano rather better than it does References Bible, New International Version, ( London, Hodder and Stoughton, 1988) Osbourne, Harold. The Oxford Companion to Art, (Oxford, Clarendon Press, 1970 Illustrations Figure 1 The Holy Family with St John the Baptist and St Elizabeth, 1515, 1st-Art-Gallery, http://www.1st-art-gallery.com/Marco-Palmezzano/Holy-Family-With-Saint-Elizabeth-And-The-Infant-Saint-John-1515.html ( accessed 17th April 2009) Figure 2 Christ as the Man of Sorrows, Liechtenstein Museum, http://www.liechtensteinmuseum.at/en/pages/artbase_main.asp?module=browse&action=m_work&lang=en&sid=675215427&oid=W-147200412195342092 ( accessed 17th April 2009) Figure 3 . Bellini, G. Christ as Man of Sorrows, ( Christ’s Blessing), The Louvre, http://www.scholarsresource.com/browse/search?text=Bellini&x=12&y=12 ( accessed 17th April 2009) Electronic Sources Benigni,U.Forli, The Catholic Encyclopaedia. 1909, http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/06137a.htm ( accessed 18th April 2009) Berenson, B. Italian Pictures of the Renaissance, Questia, http://www.questia.com/read/77467917?title=Italian%20Pictures%20of%20the%20Renaissance ( accessed 18th April 2009) Complete list of Marco Palmazzano’s oil paintings, 1st-art-gallery.com/.../Complete-list-of-oil-paintings.html, ( accessed 17th April 2009) El Greco, Holy Family with St Anne, 1660’s, Museum of Fine Arts, Budapest, Web Gallery of Art, http://www.wga.hu/frames-e.html?/html/g/greco_el/15/1510grec.html ( accessed 17th April 2009) Hare, C. The Most Illustrious Ladies of the Renaissance, 1907, Kessinger Publishing 2005 http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=d5OiCqJlhCQC&pg=PA256&lpg=PA256&dq=Palmazzano&source=bl&ots=p1G2fizEw1&sig=2DiJlBLO88pXepfbb9zJW4hcHvM&hl=en&ei=xivqSfL5EsWhjAf5-42bCg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=5#PPA315,M1 ( accessed 18th April 2009) Henry, T. A Fossilized Stylist or Admirably Eclectic ?, December 2005, Exact Editions http://www.exacteditions.com/exact/browse/5/358/1335/3/88?dps= ( accessed 18th April 2009) LaFarge, H. Lost Treasures , 1946, page 24, Pantheon Books, http://www.questia.com/read/59339753?title=Lost%20Treasures%20of%20Europe%3a%20427%20Photographs ( accessed 18th April 2009) Lot,156, Circle of Marco Palmazzano, Invaluable, http://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot/circle-of-marco-palmazzano-forli-c.-1459-63-1539-1-c-d19rd6lu5d ( accessed 18th April 2009) Marco Palmezzano, Virtual Uffizi, http://www.virtualuffizi.com/biography/Marco-Palmezzano.htm ( accessed 17th April 2009) Master of St Bartholomew, Holy Family, 1470’s, Museum of Fine Arts, Budapest, Web Gallery of Art, http://www.wga.hu/frames-e.html?/html/m/master/bartholo/holy_fam.html (accessed 17th April 2009) Melozzo Da Forli - 1438-1494. Marco Palmezzano - 1456-1543?, Outlines for the Study of Art, http://www.oldandsold.com/articles28/art-study-24.shtml ( accessed 18th April 2009) Palmezzano, M, Christ Bearing the Cross, Vatican Museum, http://www.catholiccompany.com/catholic-gifts/2002347/Christ-Bearing-Cross-Palmezzano/ (accessed 17th April, 2009) Palmezzano, M. Le Christ mort soutenu par deux anges, The Louvre, World Visit Guide, http://worldvisitguide.com/contact/A009439.html ( accessed 18th April 2009) Palmezzano, M. The Dead Christ in the tomb with the Virgin Mary and Saints. The National Gallery, London, http://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/cgi-bin/WebObjects.dll/CollectionPublisher.woa/wa/work?workNumber=NG596 ( accessed 18th April 2009) Palmezzano, M., The Immaculate with the Eternal Father in glory and Saint Anselm, Saint Augustine and Saint Stephen ‘at the Abbey of Saint Mercuriale, Marco Palmezzano, International Art Treasures Magazine, January 2006, http://www.iatwm.com/200601/Palmezzano/index.html ( accessed 18th April 2009) Palmezzano, M. Virgin and Child with Saints, Walker Art Gallery, http://www.artandarchitecture.org.uk/images/gallery/14ec6bfb.html ( accessed 18th April 2009) Palmezzano, Marco, Biography, Web Gallery of Art, http://www.wga.hu/frames-e.html?/bio/p/palmezza/biograph.html ( accessed 18th April 2009) Rubens,P. Holy Family with St Elizabeth, circa, 1615, Pitti, Florence, The Artchive, http://artchive.com/artchive/R/rubens/rubens_holy_family.jpg.html ( accessed 17th April 2009) Valasquez, Las Meninas, 1656,7, Museo del Prado, Madrid, Web Museum, Paris, http://www.ibiblio.org/wm/paint/auth/velazquez/ ( accessed 18th April 2009 Read More