Giorgione

Lore & Background

Giorgione came from the small town of Castelfranco Veneto, 40 km inland from Venice. His name sometimes appears as Zorzo; the variant Giorgione may be translated 'Big George'. Stylistic evidence supports that he served his apprenticeship under Giovanni Bellini. Contemporary documents record that his talent was recognized early: in 1500 he was chosen to paint portraits of the Doge Agostino Barbarigo and the condottiere Consalvo Ferrante. In 1504 he was commissioned to paint an altarpiece in memory of another condottiere, Matteo Costanzo, in the cathedral of his native town. Very little of this work now survives. Vasari mentions his meeting with Leonardo da Vinci on the occasion of the Tuscan master's visit to Venice in 1500. All accounts agree in representing Giorgione as a person of distinguished and romantic charm, a great lover and a musician. He was very closely associated with Titian; although Vasari says Titian was Giorgione's disciple, Ridolfi says they both were pupils of Giovanni Bellini and lived together in his home. They worked together on the Fondaco dei Tedeschi frescoes, and Titian finished at least some paintings of Giorgione after his death, although which ones remains controversial. Giorgione introduced a new range of subjects, painting pictures that told no story but embodied in form and color moods of lyrical or romantic feeling.

Reader's Guide

Giorgione's significance lies in his role as a founder of the Venetian school, alongside Titian, and his introduction of a new range of subjects that prioritized mood and color over narrative. His use of sfumato—the delicate use of shades of color to depict light and perspective—gave his works a magical glow. The Tempest has been called the first landscape in the history of Western painting, and his Sleeping Venus became the prototype for many later nudes by other painters. However, the uncertainty surrounding the identity and meaning of his work has made him one of the most mysterious figures in European art. Only about six surviving paintings are firmly attributed to him, and disputes persist over attributions such as The Three Philosophers. His influence on contemporaries and immediate successors in the Venetian school, including Titian, Sebastiano del Piombo, and Palma il Vecchio, was overwhelming. Despite the difficulty in distinguishing his work from that of his followers, his name and work continue to exercise a spell on posterity.

Did You Know?

• Only about six surviving paintings are firmly attributed to him.
• He was chosen in 1500 to paint portraits of the Doge Agostino Barbarigo and the condottiere Consalvo Ferrante.
• The Tempest has been called the first landscape in the history of Western painting.