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| Gentile Bellini (after 1432–1507) | ||||||||||
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A historical and portrait
painter of the Venetian school, Gentile was born at Venice and was the
son of Jacopo Bellini from whom he received instructions in the art of
painting in distemper, as well as in oil. He was considered one of the
most skilful painters of his time, and was employed by the Doge to paint
the principal pictures which adorned the council hall, and he executed
many other works for the city of Venice. So high was his reputation that
the Ottoman sultan Mehmed II wrote to the republic to request that they
would send him to Constantinople for his services. Bellini accordingly
went, and executed a number of works there. This period was to have an
important influence on his subsequent output, and he was regarded as one
of the fathers of the Orientalist style in western art. Gentile lacked
the genius that his brother Giovanni possessed, and because only few of
his paintings had survived, and other lesser-quality workshop paintings
had been attributed to him erroneously, Gentile, for some time, carried
the reputation of being somewhat lacking in his ability as a painter.
See also his family tree.
See also his family
tree. |
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Art