🧵 One of the greatest painters, you’ve probably never heard of, is Giovanni Battista Moroni (c1520-79). He created some of the finest & most realistic portraits of the Renaissance. He was a master of truly realistic images of people, over 400y ago & influenced Velázquez [1] - ThreadSky

robertbohan.bsky.social • 9 days ago

🧵 One of the greatest painters, you’ve probably never heard of, is Giovanni Battista Moroni (c1520-79). He created some of the finest & most realistic portraits of the Renaissance. He was a master of truly realistic images of people, over 400y ago & influenced Velázquez [1]

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robertbohan.bsky.social•9 days ago

[2] Moroni’s first known works date from 1550 & already show his complete mastery of his art. His images are like photographs yet have an inner psychology. He mostly painted professionals & the upper middle class & well to do from Trent & Bergamo

robertbohan.bsky.social•9 days ago

[3] Here’s an overview of my own art. I prefer to draw & use vibrant colours, patterns & bold lines. Moroni was about photographic realism, whereas I’m interested in emotional truth: https://bsky.app/profile/robertbohan.bsky.social/post/3lkqrvlt6zs2o

robertbohan.bsky.social•9 days ago

[4] Another focus is his depiction of soldiers. Here’s a gentleman (1556), a Knight (1558) & a portrait of a Donor adoring the Madonna (c1560). In the same way that politicians tweet images of themselves in front of disasters to show ‘empathy’, the Donor is showing ‘faith’

robertbohan.bsky.social•9 days ago

[5] Moroni was equally at home painting women & men. An important aspect of his work is the sumptuous depiction of clothes. His Lady (c1560), Canon (1560) & Gian Federico Madruzzo(1560) are both true to life & clothes horses!

robertbohan.bsky.social•9 days ago

[6] His achievement is to paint realistic images of people which clearly have a likeness whilst at the same time giving each sitter a distinct personality & a sense of reality. Portrait of a Man (1560), Prospero Alessandri (1560) & Mario Benvenuti (1560)

robertbohan.bsky.social•9 days ago

[7] His images of 16th C Italians are utterly captivating. His Cavalier in Red (1560) shows a Renaissance dandy & contrasts dramatically with the sober image of Giovanni Bressani (1562). Portrait of a Young Woman is ravishing (c1564)

publicsectorlawyer.bsky.social•8 days ago

'His Lady' instantly brought the portrait of Innocent X to mind.

peteonlyflans.bsky.social•9 days ago

🤩

thewatchfulcook.bsky.social•9 days ago

Good to see Moroni getting some PR. There was a big exhibition of his portraits at Galleria d’Italia, Milan last year and I was captivated by his capacity to capture textiles. Faces were good to which is just as well as that’s what he was being paid for. Exhibition catalogue is a gem.