Giovanni Bellini.An artistic dynasty of Venice.The Bellini family were a well known artistic dynasty from the city of Venice. Giovanni is the most well known, but both his brother Gentile and his father Jacopo were also well regarded as painters. Giovanni was born in about 1431 and grew up with his brother in his fathers house in Venice. His brother-in-law was Andrea Mantegna and Andrea's influence is apparent in "The Agony in the Garden" painted in 1459-1465.
"The Agony in the Garden" (w) Personal Opinion:-
I have seen this painting in the National Gallery in London. The foreshortening of the reclining figure, plus the metallic quality of the clothing, owe much to the influence of Andrea Mantegna, and the landscape could almost be a scene from a surrealist painting, very Dali! Giovanni was appointed as conservator of the paintings in the ducal palace in Venice and was paid a fixed annual pension for his work. He was at the head of a famous workshop and his pupils included Giorgione and Titian. His mastery of the oil painting medium, newly introduced to Venice in the 1470's, had a profound influence on his famous apprentices. Most of his work in the Doge's Palace was destroyed by fire in 1577 but some of his official portraits of the Doges survive, such as "The Doge Loredano" of 1502.
"The Doge Loredano" (w) On the death of his brother Gentile, Giovanni Bellini became the most prominent artist in Venice, but was deluged with more commissions than he could complete and had difficulty in delivering the various works on time.
In his old age Giovanni painted "The Feast of the Gods", a work regarded as a Renaissance masterpiece, but died in 1516. The picture was finished by his former pupil Titian.
"The Feast of the Gods" (w)
Bellini and Titian.
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