The Holy Family with Saint John the Baptist

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The Holy Family with Saint John the Baptist
The Holy Family with Saint John the Baptist by Nosadella.jpg
Artist Nosadella
Yearca. 1550-1560
Type Oil on panel
Dimensions50 cm× 38 cm(19.5 in× 15 in)
Location Indianapolis Museum of Art, Indianapolis

The Holy Family with Saint John the Baptist is an oil painting by Italian artist Giovanni Francesco Bezzi, also known as Nosadella, located in the Indianapolis Museum of Art, which is in Indianapolis, Indiana. Painted roughly 1550-1560, it depicts Jesus, Mary, Joseph, and John in a powerful, Mannerist style. [1]

Oil painting Process of painting with pigments that are bound with a medium of drying oil

Oil painting is the process of painting with pigments with a medium of drying oil as the binder. Commonly used drying oils include linseed oil, poppy seed oil, walnut oil, and safflower oil. The choice of oil imparts a range of properties to the oil paint, such as the amount of yellowing or drying time. Certain differences, depending on the oil, are also visible in the sheen of the paints. An artist might use several different oils in the same painting depending on specific pigments and effects desired. The paints themselves also develop a particular consistency depending on the medium. The oil may be boiled with a resin, such as pine resin or frankincense, to create a varnish prized for its body and gloss.

Italy European country

Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a European country consisting of a peninsula delimited by the Alps and surrounded by several islands. Italy is located in Southern Europe, and it is sometimes considered as part of Western Europe. The country covers a total area of 301,340 km2 (116,350 sq mi) and shares land borders with France, Switzerland, Austria, Slovenia, and the enclaved microstates of Vatican City and San Marino. Italy has a territorial exclave in Switzerland (Campione) and a maritime exclave in the Tunisian Sea (Lampedusa). With around 60 million inhabitants, Italy is the fourth-most populous member state of the European Union.

Nosadella painter and draftsman

Nosadella, full name Giovanni Francesco Bezzi, was an Italian painter and draftsman, active during the Mannerist period, mainly in Bologna. He appears to have traveled to Rome.

Contents

Description

This depiction of the Holy Family plus St. John has many Mannerist traits: vibrant colors, exaggerated monumentality, formal complexity, and awkward composition. [2] The figures are all massive and muscular (particularly evident in St. John's arm), then crammed together for a composition which is highly expressive, if somewhat uncomfortable. [3] Nosadella's Mannerist disregard for the sweetness and naturalism of earlier painters is particularly evident in the figures of Mary and Jesus. In a departure from the usual handling of this scene, Mary turns her back on the viewer rather than presenting the infant, who restlessly reaches back. This posture displays the torturous knot and bright colors on her dress, very Mannerist details. In comparison, Joseph and John have very contemplative, introverted postures considering their muscularity. [4]

Holy Family Jesus, Mary and Saint Joseph

The Holy Family consists of the Child Jesus, the Virgin Mary, and Saint Joseph. Veneration of the Holy Family was formally begun in the 17th century by Saint François de Laval, the first bishop of New France, who founded a Confraternity.

Historical information

For years, the attribution of this painting shifted between Nosadella and his master Pellegrino Tibaldi, as is the case with many of their works. However, while Pellegrino's works are more fluid, Nosadella gave his figures a great deal of energy and a certain tortured physicality. Thus, this work is now confidently attributed to the student, not the teacher. [1]

Pellegrino Tibaldi Italian painter

Pellegrino Tibaldi, also known as Pellegrino di Tibaldo de Pellegrini, was an Italian mannerist architect, sculptor, and mural painter.

Acquisition

The IMA acquired The Holy Family with Saint John the Baptist in 1966, courtesy of the Martha Delzell Memorial Fund. It currently hangs in the Medieval Renaissance gallery and has the accession number 66.233. [4]

See also

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References

  1. 1 2 Lee, Ellen Wardwell; Robinson, Anne (2005). Indianapolis Museum of Art: Highlights of the Collection. Indianapolis: Indianapolis Museum of Art. ISBN   0936260777.
  2. "The Holy Family with St John the Baptist". Web Gallery of Art . Retrieved 24 February 2013.
  3. Day, Holliday T. (1988). Indianapolis Museum of Art Collections Handbook. Indianapolis: Indianapolis Museum of Art. ISBN   0936260203.
  4. 1 2 "The Holy Family with Saint John the Baptist". Indianapolis Museum of Art . Retrieved 24 February 2013.