Medieval Wall

Venice

The art of Venice throughout history was always different form the other European art. It showed increased affinity to colour, as well as a emphasised decorativity, than the rest of European art (as well as the art of the rest of the cities on the Apennine Peninsula). Venice was from the beginning under the influence of the Byzantine Empire. Although it claims it’s indipendence in the 9th century, there are still noticeable oriental influences. Such long lasting Byzantine influences are often explained by relations with the Siena school, while the direct influences of Constantinople were neglected.¹ Although, looking at it’s specific art expression one can say that Venetian art was closed to outside influences, the truth is somewhat different. Venice had very developed naval and trading relations, as the goods that was imported to Europe from the East by sea, passed through Venice harbour. Especially successful period of time for it’s economy were the first few decades of 14th century. Venice was a very lively and dynamical international town. Many cultures met in Venice, many influences were mixed there, and there lies the key to understanding Venetian art. Venetian artists were influenced by all styles they have met, but they have interpreted them in their own specific way. In other words, elements and influences that came to Venice were transformed and adjusted to the Venetian way.

Influences

In 14th century Venice we can find several art influences that come from different places, and that can be found in Paolo’s work. They are:

• BYZANTINE First of all, they are the Byzantine influences, most of all from it’s capital – Constantinople. This stream from the capital of Byzantine Empire was mostly received at the Doge’s Palace. This shouldn’t be a surprise, knowing that the Venetian workshops had a strong contact with Constantinople. Those Byzantine influences came to Venice in several occasions, so, depending on the period, they are more or less seen in the art. One of the Byzantine moments that has strongly marked Venetian art was the decoration of St. Mark’s baptistery, in the time of Doge Andrea Dandolo.
• RAVENNIAN The other stream, than can be associated with Byzantine, comes to Venice with Ravenna mosaic makers. They bring the secrets of mosaic making and the fascination with sparkling colours (especially significant to Venetian art in the later periods) to Venice. Ravenna, as a representative of the Adriatic school, found her rival in Venice.
• GOTHICS In this period there are also influences of the Gothic style. Paolo was the first Venetian painter who mixed Byzantine and Gothic shapes, although Gothic influences were often neglected by Paolo’s researchers.

Paolo – Life and Work

The Early Faze

Works of Paolo Veneziano are found in the period from 1333 to 1258, while other works are attributed to him by style. One of his earliest works is Cover of blessed Leo Bembo (around 1321.), found in Vodnjan.² The work was originally placed in the Venetian church of San Lorenzo, and was brought to Vodnjan after the desacralization done by Napoleon, in which Venice lost many works of art. Cover of blessed Leo Bembo is a painted sarcophagus cover, divided to five fields. In the center field, the biggest one, Leon Bembo himself is shown, while the four smaller ones, left and right of the center field, some of the miracles that he had done are painted. Leon was from Venice, so on the cover the miracles that he had done in that area are shown. Two influences can be seen here: Byzantine influences that are noticeable in the usage of a golden background, viridescent faces and strong contours, while the communication amongst the characters was presented in the Gothic style.

Polyptych of St. Lucy also derives from this period. It was built for the church of St. Lucy in Krk. Local saints are shown with Lucy. It remains unknown who ordered this work.

Death of the Virgin from year 1333. is Paolo’s first signed work. The mixture of styles, specific for Venice, is very well shown here. In the central piece, where Virgin is shown, Byzantine elements are noticeable, while western influences can be seen in the display of the saints.

A Washington Coronation of the Virgin, not signed and not dated, also belongs to this period. Evelyn Sandberg Vavala was the first one to attribute it to Paolo, which becomes widely accepted. Today, it is considered that Paolo was not the author, and the work is attributed to a Majstoru Washingtonskog krunjenja Bogorodice, to whom some other work, originally attributed to Paolo, are assigned.³

A State Painter (pittore ufficiale)

Paolo Veneziano was one of the first venetian artists that had worked as a state painter, that is he painted the orders given by the Doge’s court. His first work done as a state painter is Lunette of the tomb of doge Francesco Dandolo from 1339, that is placed in the venetian church of Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari. Doge himself told Paolo didn’t want his tombstone to be too ornate. In the center of lunette Maddona and Christ are shown. Left and right from them doge and his wife who are kneeling. They surrender themselves to the Madonna. Also, it is significant that Christ is looking toward the men, while Madonna looks at the women. Style quality of Paolo’s work is more than obvious here. He directed his attention to colour orchestration, than the space itself, and by that he drifts form Giotto’s painting. Big surfaces of clean colour represent the quality of his painting.

Pala Feriale is one more work painted by Paolo as a state painter. It was placed above the main altar in the Basilica of San Marco in Venice, and was used as a cover of Pale doro. It was also signed by his sons Luca and Giovanni. Doge Andrea Dandolo was the first one to write down the legend of St. Mark. He claimed to be the only one to know where St. Marks’ body was, which was a question often asked in those days because St. Mark’s church has a crypt, but due to the water it doesn’t carry out it’s function. Andrea Dandolo proclaimed that place to be the main altar. The work shows parts of St. Mark’s life, the way doge’s described them. Venetians have imagined and shown as they wanted, in order to get their town a pilgrim sign, because pilgrims traveled through Venice to the Holy Land. They would wait for a galleon here, and get to know the town in the meantime. Guidebooks were printed that shown all that city has to offer.

Madonna from Academy in Venice also belong to a group of work painted by Paolo as a state painter.

Decadence – 1450s

In the period from 1347 to 1358 Paolo didn’t sign his work. During that time, due to plague, he flees from Venice to Dalmatia.⁴ He also left Venice because the request for his work had decreased. In the middle of 14th century, figures loose volume, the emphasis is put upon the line, a hierarchical rigidity is present in the charachters attitude, while the faces show fanatism, unknown to the previous period. Religious ecstasy is stressed, and references to works from Eastern Christianity are noticeable. This new Bysantism, with characteristics different than the one in the earlier work is also present in Paolo’s work. For instance, polyptychs from Paris and Pirana, for which M. Muraro is not sure if they are Paolo’s own work, or just works form his workshop. Muraro thought that it would be inadmissible for a court painter to sink as low as a „patron painter“-„madonner“.⁵ Other researchers don’t interpret this change in Paolo’s style in that way. E. Sandberg Vavala thinks that Paolo grows ever closer to Gothics, and that his changes in style should be interpreted in that way.⁶ Lasareff thinks that Gothic elements are an important criteria for dating Paolo’s works, but also emphasises that the upgrowth of any author isn’t steady and uniform, so Paolo had phases in which he preferred Byzantine, and phases in which he preferred Gothic elements. However, he says that Gothics is seen in his latter work.⁷ During this period, Paolo was situated in Dubrovnik, but his work was found also i Trogir.

Mature Period

From this period numerous signed and dated works are preserved. Number of orders increases, so a workshop is formed. Apart form job partition, copying of the charachters in the shop is noticeable. They were copied with a seethrough paper. This was particularly often with representation of the Madonna. In this period Paolo organizes a production of Madonnas, both Byzantine and Gothic styled. Work particularly manifested in this period is Coronation of the Virgin (Frick Collection, New York) from 1358. It is also his last documented work, dated and signed with his son, Giovanni. Paolo ended his career with a painting that sums up all of his former experiences. Like Muraro says, Paolo here leads Gothic tradition into Byzantine culture.⁸ The effect you get by studying this work is pure decoration – exactly the thing Venetians have aspired to all along. But, we have to ask ourselves why this representation didn’t have an impact in Venice. Fresco with the same theme that was painted in Doge’s palace in 1365, was painted by Guariento, a painter from Padova, with a completely different painting style. Venetian politics in changes in that time. It no longer seeks it’s rolemodel in the faraway Byzantine empire. Instead it is trying to present itself inside a context of the Italian nation.⁹ It seems that as if Paolo’s style, that had combined decorativity of the latter Gothics with eastern elements, rather than Giottos realism, was to gentle and too abstract for a town that was trying to present itself in a new light – no longer eastern, Byzantine, but Italian and European.

Conclusion

Venice always had a specific art style, that was under allot of influences from a variety of cultures. This environment affected the formation of art figures in that area. Paolo Veneziano, a painter who still has allot of work not yet attributed to, a painter who’s life is still greatly unknown to us, for sure is an artist that had marked 14th century. This is the time that Giottos influences spread, but still, Paolo follows a style of his own. Often not sure weather to pick Byzantine or Gothic influences, in his latter work he successfully mixes them, creating a new, original style.