Paolo Veronese

Paolo Veronese (1528–1588) was an Italian Renaissance painter celebrated for monumental compositions, vivid color, and elaborate depictions of biblical and mythological scenes.

The Wedding at Cana: A monumental painting by Veronese depicting Christ’s first miracle at a lavish wedding banquet. This vast refectory canvas exemplifies his transformation of a biblical episode into a sumptuous Venetian feast.
Colorito: The Venetian emphasis on color, paint handling, and tonal richness in the making of images. Veronese’s luminous palette belongs to this Venetian tradition of building form through color.
Verona: A city in northern Italy that was Paolo Veronese’s birthplace and early artistic environment. His adopted name identifies the city where he began his career.
Roman Inquisition: A Catholic institution established to investigate and prosecute heresy and related religious offenses. Its Venetian tribunal questioned Veronese about the figures in his banquet painting.
The Feast in the House of Levi: A large Veronese painting of a biblical banquet, originally commissioned as a Last Supper. Its controversial crowd of contemporary figures prompted Veronese’s appearance before the Inquisition.
Linear perspective: A method for representing three-dimensional space on a flat surface through converging lines. Perspective gives his architectural settings depth and organizes the viewer’s attention.
Venetian painting: The painting tradition centered in Venice, distinguished by rich color, painterly surfaces, and varied subjects. Veronese became one of its leading sixteenth-century practitioners.
Counter-Reformation: The Catholic Church’s movement to reform itself and respond to Protestant challenges in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. Religious reform sharpened scrutiny of how painters represented sacred subjects.
The Family of Darius before Alexander: A large painting showing Alexander the Great meeting the family of the defeated Persian king Darius. Its theatrical architecture and richly dressed figures display Veronese’s skill beyond religious subjects.
Foreshortening: A technique that depicts an object at an angle by compressing its apparent length. Foreshortened figures help his crowded scenes project into convincing architectural space.

Linked from 6 pages

Giovanni Battista TiepoloRelated: Tiepolo’s theatrical feasts and vast settings recall Veronese’s Venetian precedent.