The Venetian Renaissance
Giorgione's painting reflects the style of the Venetian Renaissance rather than the Italian High Renaissance, separate
movements which were concurrent within Italy during the sixteenth century, but with considerable differences. There was abundant
wealth to support Giorgione's painting and that of many other artists. While Venetian art appeals more to the senses and emotion, Italian
High Renaissance art focuses more on intellect. Venetian art is imbued with soft, reflected light,
and muted tones, characteristic of Giorgione's painting.
Giorgione's Painting of The Pastoral Concert, a "Poesie" Painting
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The Pastoral Concert Titian and
Giorgione
c. 1508, oil on canvas, 43 x 54 in. (109 x 137 cm)
Musee du Louvre, Paris
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Giorgione's painting of The Pastoral Concert is attributed to both Giorgione and Titian jointly, as both artists were known to collaborate on a single work. Giorgione's painting
and a similar painting called The Tempest created a new genre in art history, that of enigmatic pastoral themes. Giorgione's painting
depicts four main figures, two mostly nude females who are ignored by two fully clothed men, one an aristocrat richly garbed and the other in
peasant dress. The lushness of the figures in Giorgione's painting competes with the lushness of the landscape with its stormy clouds and deep
vista. It is uncertain why Giorgione's painting would depict a concert taking place in the open with musicians and female figures in a state of
undress. Other Venetian artists of the time embraced Giorgione's new genre of painting with its moody landscape. Giorgione's painting with its
rich, enigmatic imagery was termed a "poeie" by the artist, a poem or mood expressed in paint.
Brenda Harness, Art Historian
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