renaissance

Brother Gregerio Belo of Vicenza

By Lorenzo Lotto, 1547

Oil on canvas. 

Artists of the Italian Renaissance were far more fluid and unrestrained in their painting than those of the Medieval period it precedes.  Perspective within a piece was experimented with a lot and artists found new ways to achieve the finish they desired, as well as playing around with applied effects and techniques. Overall, both style and subjects within this period were vast and greatly diversified.

Lorenzo Lotto, artist of this piece, was most active during the High Renaissance, the dominant art style in 16th century Italy.  and garnered a reputation while he was alive for his religious depictions and idiosyncratic style. He would be all but forgotten after his death. Lotto was a deeply religious individual and some may argue the strength of that faith is conveyed through his use of bold shadows and increasingly saturated colors. He is recorded as “one of the most individualistic of the Great Italian painters.” Most of his works were incredibly lyrical, and this piece of Brother Gregerio is no different.

The subject stares at the viewer but one hand clasps a religious text and the other rests centrally on his chest, a commentary of this subjects deep faith and devotion to the order he serves. The depiction of the Crucifixion in the background is not happening presently within the painting but rather delineates the mental state of the subject, playing on psychological attributes, much like the cognitively analytical portraits of Durer, who served as a source of inspiration for Lotto. While Brother Gregorio takes up the forefront of the piece and most of the canvas, his paler hues are lost to the blood red hues of the devoted in the background, their distinct colors making them the focal point of the piece. This serves to highlight how that is where the subject’s mind is, and where we should focus our attention also. There is a great deal of sadness in this piece, as there is many of Lotto’s works- Brother Gregorio was painted in the later stages of Lotto’s life, where he started to fall ill and destitute. His mind was plagued by a multitude of fears and his works express this through the idea of the mind being more relevant than the person’s physical form, hence the focal point being on the figures in the background. This mix between subject and focal point plays into High renaissance’s defining characteristic-  always providing a point of focus, and providing a harmony of parts that only work when all together- if one thing were to be removed from the canvas, the whole painting would lose its meaning. 

Lotto was theorised to have a poor state of mental health, as many of his works are deeply emotional and portray people seemingly lost in the personal labyrinths of their mind. His style was deeply sympathetic and unorthodox and he was never afraid to show people’s personal struggles. Brother gregorio here is beating his chest in penance while staring with a pained, withdrawn expression, showing the lengths people will go to to serve and relieve their heaviness of mind with strength of faith.