church of San Giorgio Maggiore (FIG. 22-32), the figures appear in a
dark interior illuminated by a single light in the upper left of the im-
age. The shimmering halos establish the biblical nature of the scene.
The ability of this dramatic scene to engage viewers was well in keep-
ing with Counter-Reformation ideals (see “Religious Art in Counter-
Reformation Italy,” page 596) and the Catholic Church’s belief in the
didactic nature of religious art.
Last Supper incorporates many Mannerist elements, including
an imbalanced composition and visual complexity. In terms of de-
sign, the contrast with Leonardo’s Last Supper (FIG. 22-4) is both ex-
treme and instructive. Leonardo’s composition, balanced and sym-
metrical, parallels the picture plane in a geometrically organized and
closed space. The figure of Christ is the tranquil center of the drama
and the perspectival focus. In Tintoretto’s painting, Christ is above
and beyond the converging perspective lines that race diagonally
away from the picture surface, creating disturbing effects of limitless
depth and motion. The viewer locates Tintoretto’s Christ via the light
flaring, beaconlike, out of darkness. The contrast of the two works re-
flects the direction Renaissance painting took in the 16th century, as
it moved away from architectonic clarity of space and neutral lighting
toward the dynamic perspectives and dramatic chiaroscuro of the
coming Baroque.
VERONESEAmong the great Venetian masters was Paolo Caliari
of Verona, called Paolo Veronese(1528–1588). Whereas Tintoretto
gloried in monumental drama and deep perspectives, Veronese spe-
cialized in splendid pageantry painted in superb color and set within
majestic classical architecture. Like Tintoretto, Veronese painted on a
huge scale and often produced canvases as large as 20 by 30 feet or
more for the refectories of wealthy monasteries. He painted Christ in
22-48Paolo Veronese,Christ in the House of Levi,from the refectory of Santi Giovanni e Paolo, Venice, Italy, 1573. Oil on canvas, 18 3 42 .
Galleria dell’Accademia, Venice.
Veronese’s paintings feature superb color and majestic classical settings. The Catholic Church accused him of impiety for including dogs and dwarfs
near Christ in this work originally titled Last Supper.
616 Chapter 22 ITALY,1500 TO 16001 ft.the House of Levi (FIG. 22-48), originally called Last Supper,for the
dining hall of Santi Giovanni e Paolo in Venice. In a great open log-
gia framed by three monumental arches, Christ sits at the center of
the splendidly garbed elite of Venice. In the foreground, with a
courtly gesture, the very image of gracious grandeur, the chief stew-
ard welcomes guests. Robed lords, their colorful retainers, dogs, and
dwarfs crowd into the spacious loggia. Painted during the Counter-
Reformation, this depiction prompted criticism from the Catholic
Church. The Holy Office of the Inquisition accused Veronese of
impiety for painting such creatures so close to the Lord, and it or-
dered him to make changes at his own expense. Reluctant to do so,
he simply changed the painting’s title, converting the subject to a
less solemn one. As Palladio looked to the example of classically in-
spired High Renaissance architecture, so Veronese returned to High
Renaissance composition, its symmetrical balance, and its ordered
architectonics. His shimmering colors span the whole spectrum, al-
though he avoided solid colors for half shades (light blues, sea
greens, lemon yellows, roses, and violets), creating veritable flower
beds of tone.
The Venetian Republic employed both Tintoretto and Veronese
to decorate the grand chambers and council rooms of the Doge’s
Palace (FIG. 19-21). A great and popular decorator, Veronese revealed
himself a master of imposing illusionistic ceiling compositions, such
as Triumph of Venice (FIG. 22-49). Here, within an oval frame, he
presented Venice, crowned by Fame, enthroned between two great
twisted columns in a balustraded loggia, garlanded with clouds, and
attended by figures symbolic of its glories. Unlike Mantegna’s di sotto
in sù(FIG. 21-48) perspective, Veronese’s projection is not directly up
from below but at a 45-degree angle to spectators, a technique many
later Baroque decorators used (see Chapter 24).