The way that distant hills fade in contrast, detail and colour, and how their hue shifts towards cooler colours. From Antonello (1475) to Thomas Girtin.
Antonello
One of the great technical challenges in painting, glassware has been used by young and aspiring artists to demonstrate their skills. Antonello and Cranach to Liotard’s pastels.
He painted a succession of fine works after his return from Venice, including superb portraits, Christ at the Column, and finally Saint Sebastian.
His time in Venice brought a succession of masterpieces, including the large San Cassiano altarpiece, a Salvator Mundi, and Virgin Annunciate which were highly influential.
Tintoretto to a friend, Antonello’s cartellini, Alma-Tadema’s dedication of a wedding present in some graffiti, and some mysterious Venetians.
Vasari claimed that he was trained by Jan van Eyck, but he probably learnt under an Italian artist in Milan before becoming the first Master in oils.
From fresco to varnish: a succinct summary of all the different media which have been used in painting, with links to more detailed articles.
From the funerary portraits of Fayum, through the work of Jan van Eyck, to Leonardo, Rubens and Botticelli, many of the greatest paintings are on wood panels.
Since the decline of egg tempera and fresco in the Renaissance, oil paints have predominated. They rely on drying oils as their binder, which give them longevity and versatility.
Was painting ‘invented’ by the maid of Corinth? What is ‘shadow play’, and how have painters extended it to religious works? A short history of shadows in painting.
