"Paolo's former master became a limping imitator of his pupil" (Freedberg, 386)
This statement Freedberg refers, harshly, to Veronese's teacher in his early stages of painting. Although Badile is considered a minor painter in history, it is hard to discount his work altogether, as it is believed his naturalistic style strongly influenced Veronese's later, matured style. It is, of course, possible that his naturalism came from other sources, Badile would have been the most likely to influence him in this way.
More research is needed on my part to find specific and concrete examples of Badile's naturalistic influence. I plan on seeking out more information to share here, as I find this dynamic between teacher and student very interesting. It seems difficult to determine who is truly the teacher here.
In my opinion, "Feast in the House of Levi" completed in 1573, may be evidence for naturalism pervading the artist's style. Veronese was originally commissioned for a dominican friary by the name of Basilica di anti Giovanni e Paolo as a last supper scene. The scene, possibly in an act of commitment to realism, includes many figures that aren't considered religious as well as animals. The painting was deemed inappropriate and renamed "Feast in the House of Levi", as it was not an appropriate depiction of Christ.
Its interesting when i pupil can surpass their master. however its always pretty clear where a pupil picked up where a master artist left off or elaborated on a technique. i think its most obvious with the approach of light when comparing Badile and Veronese, which is very easy to see when looking at each artists approach to drapery or clothing. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Antonio_Badile_01.JPG this is an image of Badiles Madonna and christ child. http://uploads4.wikipaintings.org/images/paolo-veronese/muse-with-lyre-1561.jpg this is an image of a muse rendered by Veronese.
ReplyDeletelight became an essential element in capturing the naturalism within a painting and i think Badile must have drilled the importance of light into Veronese's head. which you can observe in clearly in later works like The Feast of the House of Levi.