Tintoretto – The Italian Renaissance Artist of Baroque Orientations – Sewing Machines Los Angeles

Jacopo Comin or the more popular ‘Tintoretto’ was one of the greatest Italian Renaissance painters of Venetian School. Born on September 29, 1518, in Venice, he was the eldest of 21 siblings. His nickname Tintoretto was derived from his father’s (Giovanni) occupation of that of a dyer. Right from his early childhood, he showed an exceptionally gifted artistic talent, which his father noticed and in around 1533, took him to the studio of Titian, another famous artist from the Venetian school. Within just 10 days of training, the two parted ways and remained distant from each other thereafter, though Tintoretto remained an ardent admirer of Titian. Titian’s insecurity of the potential Jacopo is believed to be the reason for the split.

The painter was an introvert and hardly travelled out of the city. He spent most of his time in his workshop even when he was not painting. Out of three sons and five daughters, his daughter Marietta and sons Domenico and Marco assisted him. He studied art on his own. He lived cheap, collected casts, and self-practiced, tirelessly. Soon, the artist obtained expertise in clay and wax modeling by observing the works of Michelangelo. He used dead subjects from morgues to theme his modeling on.

Filled with blazing energy, his artworks had special space and lighting effect, which earned him the nickname ‘II Furioso.’ He was also considered a frontrunner of Baroque Art. ‘Belshazzar’s Feast’ (1546) and ‘A Cavalry Fight’ are his two earliest mural paintings. Tintoretto was best known for his portraits and mythological paintings. In 1546, for the church of the Madonna dell’Orto, Venice, Italy, Tintoretto painted ‘Worship of the Golden Calf,’ the ‘Presentation of the Virgin in the Temple,’ and the ‘Last Judgment.’ ‘Presentation of Jesus in the Temple’ (1554), ‘Annunciation’ (1563), and ‘Christ with the Woman of Samaria’ were few of his earlier paintings in churches. His most appreciated work has been from 1565 to 1587 when he did a series of paintings for the church Scuola di San Rocco, Venice. The series included ‘Scenes from the life of Christ,’ ‘Scenes from the Old testament,’ and ‘Scenes from the life of the Virgin’ in the upper and the lower halls of the church. ‘Paradise’ (1587-90), measuring 74′ x 30′, is considered the largest painting ever executed on a canvas, which is equally mesmerizing and extraordinary.

After ‘Paradise,’ Tintoretto led a retired life. He did not take up any major work after that. He became a member of Scuola dei Mercant (School of Merchants) in 1592. Tintoretto died in Venice because of bad health, on May 31, 1594, at the age of 76.