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Jacopo Bassano was an important late Renaissance painter and belonged to the Venetian School. His real name was Jacopo da Ponte. As was customary for Italian artists of the time, he adopted the name of his native city as his epithet. His father, Francesco the Elder, was little known beyond the borders of the province, but he had a well-running painting workshop. So the young Bassano began his training first in his father's workshop. After he had learned the basics from his father, he was drawn as a young adult to Venice, about 65 kilometres away. There he was apprenticed by Bonifazio Veronese. During his time in the artistic metropolis he became acquainted with the works of Titian, Lorenzo Lotto and Pordenone. Their techniques and influences can be seen in many early works by Bassano. But Bassano is also said to have had a great influence on later generations of artists and is considered a pioneer in many things.
When Bassano was 29 years old, his father died suddenly. The young artist then left Venice and returned to his hometown to continue his father's workshop. He remained in Bassano for the rest of his life. During this time, Bassano's style also changed. He seemed to orientate himself more towards the style of the Florentine and Roman Mannerists. Bassano especially liked Parmigianino's graceful figures, which he liked to take up in his works. Among art critics, Bassano is considered a remarkable representative of the late Renaissance. For he understood how to unite the artistic influences of various artists of his epoch, such as Titian, Dürer, Tintoretto or Raphael, in one painting. He even managed to do this without having to leave his small home town. Today it is assumed that he acquired the techniques by means of art prints, which he collected with great enthusiasm. Bassano also added a personal touch to his works. He combined genre and landscape painting with religious motifs. Thus the figures in his religious paintings often wore 16th century clothing. Bassano also liked to experiment and was considered a pioneer in the development of pastel painting. While his artist colleagues at that time mainly used black or red chalk, Bassano used different colours for one picture.
At the age of 36 Bassano married Elisabetta Merzari, a young woman from his home town. The couple had four sons, who all followed in their father's footsteps and also became painters. Leandro and Francesco the Younger took over the surname Bassano, while Giovanni and Girolamo continued the surname da Ponte. The four sons worked together with their father in the family workshop. Many works were created in collaboration. After the death of their father, the sons continued to work in the workshop, maintaining their father's style. This later made it difficult for art historians to distinguish which works came from Bassano himself and which from his sons.
Jacopo Bassano was an important late Renaissance painter and belonged to the Venetian School. His real name was Jacopo da Ponte. As was customary for Italian artists of the time, he adopted the name of his native city as his epithet. His father, Francesco the Elder, was little known beyond the borders of the province, but he had a well-running painting workshop. So the young Bassano began his training first in his father's workshop. After he had learned the basics from his father, he was drawn as a young adult to Venice, about 65 kilometres away. There he was apprenticed by Bonifazio Veronese. During his time in the artistic metropolis he became acquainted with the works of Titian, Lorenzo Lotto and Pordenone. Their techniques and influences can be seen in many early works by Bassano. But Bassano is also said to have had a great influence on later generations of artists and is considered a pioneer in many things.
When Bassano was 29 years old, his father died suddenly. The young artist then left Venice and returned to his hometown to continue his father's workshop. He remained in Bassano for the rest of his life. During this time, Bassano's style also changed. He seemed to orientate himself more towards the style of the Florentine and Roman Mannerists. Bassano especially liked Parmigianino's graceful figures, which he liked to take up in his works. Among art critics, Bassano is considered a remarkable representative of the late Renaissance. For he understood how to unite the artistic influences of various artists of his epoch, such as Titian, Dürer, Tintoretto or Raphael, in one painting. He even managed to do this without having to leave his small home town. Today it is assumed that he acquired the techniques by means of art prints, which he collected with great enthusiasm. Bassano also added a personal touch to his works. He combined genre and landscape painting with religious motifs. Thus the figures in his religious paintings often wore 16th century clothing. Bassano also liked to experiment and was considered a pioneer in the development of pastel painting. While his artist colleagues at that time mainly used black or red chalk, Bassano used different colours for one picture.
At the age of 36 Bassano married Elisabetta Merzari, a young woman from his home town. The couple had four sons, who all followed in their father's footsteps and also became painters. Leandro and Francesco the Younger took over the surname Bassano, while Giovanni and Girolamo continued the surname da Ponte. The four sons worked together with their father in the family workshop. Many works were created in collaboration. After the death of their father, the sons continued to work in the workshop, maintaining their father's style. This later made it difficult for art historians to distinguish which works came from Bassano himself and which from his sons.