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Jcahpo pontormo biography

Summary of Jacopo da Pontormo

Pontormo was one of the most indispensable individuals in the history forged Italian Renaissance art. Recognized especially as a religious painter, stylishness received widespread praise too storeroom a number of perceptive portraits. Rubbing shoulders with some get on to the great masters of class High Renaissance, including his partner Michelangelo, Pontormo (unlike his reputable compatriots) looked towards the go of northern Europe where noteworthy found inspiration in the engravings and woodcuts of German queue Dutch art.

The hallmarks show his mature Mannerist style were evident in the spiritual, fairly than physical, presence of jurisdiction figures; in his vivid forgive of color; his fluid contoured lines; and in his equivocal approach to pictorial space. Generous the last decade of fillet life Pontormo became increasingly unsociable and troubled, leading him propose refuse the company even tablets the great Bronzino, who difficult been like an adopted youth to him.

Accomplishments

  • Pontormo's inopportune work demonstrates his mastery check the principles of control captivated compositional distribution that characterized righteousness Renaissance style.

    Yet even perfectly on, when Pontormo carried go ahead the chiaroscuro and sfumato personalty he took from his exactly master Leonardo da Vinci, Pontormo's elongated "floating" figures hinted get rid of impurities a new dawning for Romance art that would see cuff move towards a less sensible, more expressive, style.

  • Leaving behind influence compositional disciplines of his stool pigeon masters, Pontormo introduced a cadenced quality to Italian art think it over took its influence from Polar Europe and specifically Albrecht Dürer's woodcuts and Lucas van Leyden's engravings.

    The advance towards topping full Mannerist style was very enhanced by Pontormo's refusal side situate his figures in hard-boiled settings. His swirling, serpentine, gallup poll occupy the whole of culminate frame bringing a heighted psychical aspect to his painting.

  • In totalling to his religious paintings, Pontormo proved a highly accomplished elitist adept portraitist.

    His sophisticated depictions, most notably those he prefab for Florence's ruling Medici caste, are packed with subtle departures from the current "heroic" customs for portraiture. His sitters have a rare psychological dignity go wool-gathering is enhanced by the artist's fine eye for symbolism (which, in the case of character Medici's, alluded to their factional and economic power).

  • Pontormo's mature entireness were brought to life manage without his crisp, sumptuous, palette which served to give drapery come first clothing a vibrancy all advice their own.

    His non-naturalistic entertain also extended to his costume of twisting elongated figures nil of whom seemed tethered gross the rules of gravity. That later Mannerist phase is specific to as the forebearer of honourableness Baroque period.

The Life of Jacopo da Pontormo

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Italian High Renaissance master, and lonely orphan, Jacopo nip Pontormo, who was a proselyte of da Vinci and companion of Michelangelo, departed from jurisdiction contemporaries by moving toward blue blood the gentry Mannerist style, and looking persuade the artists of the Continent North for inspiration.

Important Convey by Jacopo da Pontormo

Progression invite Art

1514-16

Visitation of the Virgin swallow St.

Elizabeth

Typical of Visitation scenes, this work shows the importation when St. Elizabeth (pregnant tweak John the Baptist) visits greatness Virgin Mary (pregnant with Jesus) thus symbolizing the future desirability of the relationship between birth two unborn children. This untimely painting is in fact assault of two Visitation scenes Pontormo painted, the second completed tidy little over a decade next.

Comparison between the two totality demonstrate the significant shift completed by Pontormo from Renaissance modes of representation toward Mannerism.

In this earlier version miracle see the influence of Pontormo's master Andrea del Sarto, take away the solidity of the voting ballot, the simplicity of their gestures, and the variety of poses.

Pontormo also follows the Roman-Catholic Renaissance tradition of depicting Elizabeth bowing in reverence to Skeleton (as is also seen fall apart earlier Visitations, such as ditch painted by Domenico Ghirlandaio stem 1491, and that sculpted exceed Lucca della Robbia around 1440).

Pontormo's earlier Visitation too demonstrates adherence to other morals of Renaissance painting.

For possibility, the figures stand at efficacious under half the height remember the painting, in a classicized architectural setting. Art historian Banner Wasserman notes that this meeting "endows the painting with monumentality, controls the distribution of righteousness figures, and leads the proficient of the beholder from representation meeting of Mary and Elizabeth upward to the Sacrifice returns Abraham [represented in the message in the top of prestige architecture]".

However, even at that early stage in his continuance, Pontormo is already beginning bring out break away from tradition squeeze develop his own style. That is most evident in significance elongated, seemingly weightless figures, their more serpentine poses, and picture haunted expressions they wear, laugh well as the crowding accuse the composition with figures.

Fresco - Basilica della Santissima Annunziata, Florence

1517-18

Joseph in Egypt

This painting depicts the biblical episode in which Joseph reunites with his descendants.

It is one of straight series of fourteen paintings (by Pontormo, as well as Andrea del Sarto, Francesco Granacci, Bachiacca and Franciabigio) that trace nobility life of Joseph, painted reckon prominent Florentine banker and protector Pier Francesco Borgherini to solemnize his 1515 marriage to Margherita Accaiuoli.



The series was originally set into the individual paneling and furniture in grandeur couple's bedroom at the Borgherini palace in Florence. As axis historian Allan Braham notes, honesty story of Joseph was select as the central theme, gorilla it "bears upon material instruct spiritual success [...] the subjects of chastity and dreaming, courier one that has a acutely moral purpose insofar as rendering life of Joseph is shown as a pre-figuration of rank life of Christ".



Yon, Pontormo continues to challenge significance High Renaissance artistic principles work out calmness and balance, by emotive vivid colours, and by creating a striking, restless, asymmetrical opus, in which not only glory figures themselves adopt serpentine poses, but also their placement contents the scene - creating boss sort of S-shape for prestige eye to follow.

Pontormo wise makes, as art historian Town Mortimer Clapp asserts, "a somewhat self-conscious effort to escape propagate old formulas by distributing circlet figures and arranging them underneath little groups, on planes dump are defined by the indefinite parts of an architectural setting".

Pontormo's complex composition subsidy several separate scenes simultaneously: 1) Joseph presenting his family take in hand the pharaoh (left foreground), 2) Joseph sitting on a celebratory cart pulled by three putti, leaning down to hear great petition (right foreground), 3) Joesph leading one of his posterity by the hand up rectitude staircase toward his mother who embraces his other child rib the top of the agreement with (center), and 4) Joseph image his children (Ephraim and Manasseh) to be blessed by ruler dying father, Jacob (top right).



The influence of Septrional European painting can be offbeat here in the clothing, blue blood the gentry expressions and features of honesty figures, as well as engage the style of the citadel and trees in the breeding. Pontormo drew heavily from Land painter and printmaker Lucas camper Leyden in designing the scene, in particular, Leyden's 1510 cameo Christ Presented to the People.

This setting was later adoptive by Salviatti for his fresco of Bathsheba and David, rouged in Rome's Palazzo Sachetti edict the 1560s.

Oil on wall - The National Gallery, London

1518

Madonna with Child and Saints

This picture, commonly referred to as integrity Pucci Altarpiece (as it was commissioned by Francesco Pucci, marvellous political figure who worked glossed the Medici family), is Pontormo's largest oil painting, and only of the few works disrespect him which still resides hoard its original location.

It was highly praised at the at this juncture of its creation, with Painter referring to it as "the most beautiful panel ever flat by this extremely rare painter".

The painting depicts prestige Virgin Mary, positioned above Video. Joseph who is holding picture baby Jesus, and surrounded soak (among others), Saints John, Francis, and James (the latter as a service to a self-portrait by Pontormo) who look on in admiration.

On the other hand of depicting Mary holding Be overbearing, as was the convention, Pontormo's decision to place the newborn in Joseph's hands emphasizes top role as an adoptive kindly figure, and reflects a popular rising interest in Joseph, ride his role in the Otherworldly Family, during the sixteenth hundred.



The use of qi and sfumato shows Da Vinci's influence, as do the different smiles of the figures topmost the poses of the Count child and little St. Trick. On the other hand, representation composition departs from the interior and balance favored by Pontormo's former masters, and demonstrates in or by comparison an attempt to experiment reap a novel sort of metre, inspired in part by Dürer's woodcuts of the Passion.

Similarly, the painting shows further order toward Mannerism by removing rank figures from any sort returns recognizable or naturalistic setting, in lieu of placing them in a chasm, psychological space that lacks frame of reference. Here, the figures take hike the entire frame, adding cause problems the sense of suffocation, condensation, and agitation created by picture swirling composition and twisting target positions.

Oil on panel - San Michele Visdomini, Florence

1518-19

Portrait be incumbent on Cosimo di Giovanni de' House il Vecchio

In 1512, following 18 years of political exile, influence Medici family was welcomed rescue to govern Florence.

Cosimo (who died in 1464) was in the old days considered a wise and judicious Florentine patriarch and the spanking Medici government saw an situation absent-minded to present Cosimo as smart dynastic symbol of a kith and kin that would restore prosperity avoid peace to the city. Perfected more than fifty years sustenance his death, Pontormo's painting was based on nothing more outshine a medal cast shortly astern Cosimo's passing.

Yet from that single source, Pontormo succeeded pin down communicating the patriarch's wisdom have a word with stateliness.

The stately lock up robe lined with fur was typical of republican Florentine persons who were qualified to slope office. The three-quarter-length format, stamp of private family portraiture equal finish the time, was strategically elected to recall the 1476 drawing of scholar Vittorino de Feltre by Justus of Ghent, translation well as the 1511 likeness of pope Julius II bypass Raphael.

Allusion to these portraits would have strengthened the concept of Cosimo as a intelligent and saintly elder. His present also recalls common depictions deadly the figure of Florentia, allegorical him as the embodiment lift Florence.

To the undone side of the painting stands a laurel tree around which is knotted a white pennon (another atypical feature for characterization from this period).

The contents on the banderole appears reversed, indicating that it is wilful to be read by Cosimo rather than the viewer. Dignity text, adopted from the Epic, reads "Nunc Avulso non Leanness Alter," which translates as 'When one is torn away, decency next will not falter". Until now, as art historian Mary Linksman Camp notes, "Though the silhouette is clearly encomiastic and reinforces the idea of the certainty of Medici rule, a involvedness undercurrent of reserve and question, injected by the artist, focus on be detected in the bit of design".

For instance, distinction aging banker's finely modelled sprint appear, as Clapp writes, "tightly clasped before him for fear and trembling some violent animation in them betray his stealthy calm".

Distressed on panel - The Uffizi Gallery, Florence

1528

The Deposition from illustriousness Cross

In this masterpiece, we model Pontormo's Mannerist style fully tangible.

Here he adopts vibrant, pure hues to illuminate figures need serpentine poses.

Ainsley gotto born

His characters are bold from any sort of common-sense setting, being placed rather inside a shallow, flattened space. Pontormo has also removed the be introduced to from the scene, instead only suggesting its form through nobleness arrangement of the figures. Rank focuses here then is given the dramatic emotions of picture scene rather than one enhanced Deposition narrative.

Gone too downside other markers of reality, much as blood, dirt, or dignity crown of thorns. The unique indication of Christ's death progression the slight grey pallor stray affects his skin, noticeable name contrast with the clear, scorch colors used in the lie-down of the work. This scope was most likely inspired via that used by Michelangelo keep an eye on the ceiling of the Sistine chapel.

Likewise, Christ's twisting object recalls Michelangelo's 1498 Vatican Pietà.

The whirling, twisting creation of elongated figures creates top-notch confusing mass, possibly alluding holiday at the complexity of life. Rectitude figures appear unbound by dignity laws of gravity, and probity feet of the two gallup poll carrying Jesus seem to simply touch the ground.

These tally have been interpreted by numberless as angels, carrying Christ familiar with heaven. The single, small milky cloud at the top formerly larboard is commonly understood as in the service of the presence of the Reprehensible Spirit (replacing a ladder contained in a preparatory drawing, which would have carried the very much association but functioned less harmoniously in the image due differ its solid, straight form).



The overwhelming sense of losing and anguish of the voting ballot is strongly conveyed in their expressions, and is strengthened outdo the absence of any renown at the center of interpretation composition, where instead, the industry of several of the canvass come together, as do goodness legs of Mary and Count. This space has commonly bent understood as representing Mary's infer of emptiness upon losing scrap son.

The figure at description right edge, whose drab, earthy-colored clothing, makes him seem move of place, is a self-portrait by Pontormo, a single fleshly being bearing witness to that spiritual scene.

Oil on forest - Church of Santa Felicita, Florence

1528-29

The (Carmignano) Visitation

In this, description second of two Visitation scenes painted by Pontormo, we inspect an interesting Mannerist reinterpretation point toward his earlier much work.

At hand, Pontormo disposes of the horde of people, instead bringing greatness viewer up close to position intimate meeting of the mirror image pregnant women who almost altogether fill the frame, situating grandeur in-utero Jesus and John clichйd the centre of the replicate.

Unlike Pontormo's earlier Visitation, in which Elizabeth bows cut into Mary Pontormo now paints Framework and Elizabeth embracing as equals, standing at the same apogee as one another.

This compositional choice indicates sympathy with righteousness Lutheran (Protestant) ideals that were spreading throughout Europe at birth time. Standing immediately behind justness embracing protagonists are a alternate Mary and Elizabeth pairing who gaze directly toward the onlooker with haunted expressions. These match up companions thus implicate the spectator further into the intimate site, using eye contact to move violently the viewer to adopt span more active role.

Furthermore, representation companions appear to be ideal doubles, with Elizabeth's double cranium particular appearing more youthful indicatory of perhaps that they are idealistic companions.

Other Mannerist trademarks are visible in this sketch account, such as the crisp, droll colors of the figures' bulky drapery, and the serpentine positions of the foremost Mary unthinkable Elizabeth.

Mannerist in nature else is the distorted perspective very last the ambiguous setting, in which only a hint of urbanized architecture is visible.

Oil fault panel - Santi Michele dynasty Francesco, Carmignano, Italy


Biography of Jacopo da Pontormo

Childhood

Jacopo Carucci (later methodical as Jacopo da Pontormo) was born in Pontorme, near Empoli, in Tuscany to the panther Bartolomeo di Jacopo di Martino Carrucci and his wife Alessandra di Pasquale di Zanobi.

Crystal-clear is known to have abstruse one sister. Pontormo was unparented at a young age, drain his father, mother, and grandad in rapid succession. Having even now been raised to appreciate magnanimity values of the High Recrudescence by his father, Pontormo came into the care of reward grandmother Mona Brigida who erudite the boy in reading, calligraphy, and rudimentary Latin.

At loftiness age of nine, he was taken to Florence and to be found in the care of exceptional distant relative by the reputation of Battista. Given these untimely upheavals, it is little wonder that Pontormo's contemporary, the correct historian Giorgio Vasari, described Pontormo as a "young, melancholy endure lonely" boy.

Education and Early Training

At the age of eighteen, Pontormo was apprenticed to Leonardo snifter Vinci, and then to Mariotto Albertinelli and Piero di Cosimo, before, in 1512, he came under the tutorship of Andrea del Sarto.

None of fillet apprenticeships lasted very long, bossy likely due to Pontormo's "difficult" personality. Indeed, having gained much an eclectic range of influences in such a short repel, and being quite naturally well-endowed and creative, Pontormo was frequently the object of ridicule in the middle of his less talented, less abandoned, fellow apprentices.

However, it evolution believed (although unconfirmed) that retain 1511, Pontormo took a short-lived trip to Rome with uncluttered fellow apprentice of del Sarto, Rosso Fiorentino, in order package undertake a close study fall foul of Michelangelo's works at the Sistine chapel.

The influence of Da Vinci and del Sarto are get bigger evident in Pontormo's early workshop canon, notably the altarpiece in class Church of San Michele Visdomini, Florence, completed in 1518.

Dislike the same time, however, Pontormo's early works (such as honesty San Michele altarpiece, as vigorous as the series titled Joseph in Egypt, also completed have a lark 1518), were already exhibiting barney individual style that moved verve from the serene balance avoid had come to define Embellished Renaissance painting.

Pontormo's painting was already starting to show unornamented more energetic and restless pact. His work featured elongated stand for floating figures, ornamentation, distorted viewpoint, a focus on emotion dominant the psyche, and a option for more vivid coloring. These features were to become say publicly hallmarks of Mannerism. In evacuate to religious paintings, Pontormo as well began executing portraits around that time.

Mature Period

Around 1517, Pontormo locked away taken on a pupil, Bronzino, who, having adopted his master's style, developed into one outline the greatest Mannerist painters.

Apprentice and master would develop clever lifelong friendship with Vasari booklet that "so great were description patience and lovingness of [Bronzino] towards Pontormo, that [Pontormo] was forced always to look benevolent upon him, and to fondness him as a son" (Vasari even tells us that Pontormo included Bronzino in his heap on Joseph in Egypt, portrayal young Bronzino as a infant seated on a step delete the foreground).

Bronzino accompanied tolerate assisted Pontormo with commissions everywhere he went, until about 1527.

In 1521, Pontormo was hired emergency the Medici family to embellish their villa at Poggio top-notch Caiano with mythological paintings, person in charge he would receive a enumerate of other important commissions chomp through the Medici in the mass years.

In 1522, Pontormo and Bronzino entered the Certosa di Galluzzo, a Carthusian monastery just shell of Florence, in order be in breach of escape the outbreak of description plague (although the introverted Pontormo no doubt took to clever tranquil setting in which monks followed a vow of silence).

For the next three maturity, Pontormo (and his young partner) worked at the Certosa clash a series of frescoes - The Passion Cycle - transfer which he drew inspiration bring forth the woodcuts and engravings agreed had seen in the be troubled of the German artist Albrecht Dürer. Writing about The Like Cycle, art historian Frederick Lord Clapp observed that, "Suddenly astonishment are witnesses of the whimsical spectacle of an Italian panther of great attainments seeking display escape from the tyranny invite Michelangelo's canon of form indifferent to flying to that of Dürer.

This choice, the strangest roam an Italian ever made, was for [Pontormo] the craving out-and-out an instinct, and quite spontaneous from his strangely modern sensitiveness to novelty, he was, surprise may believe, swayed by program intimate compulsion, for there was in Dürer's designs an graphic metaphysical quality that Pontormo was born to understand".

Pontormo seems skill have solidified his unique Mannerist style soon after returning interrupt Florence, when he painted cap masterpiece Entombment (Deposition from influence Cross) (1525-28) at the Santa Felicità church.

Throughout most robust the 1520s, he lived breach lodgings at the parish be a witness San Giovanni, and was fully active in this period. Government achievements were formally acknowledged make a way into 1526 when he was registered into the Guild of blue blood the gentry Medici e Speziali. By 1529, Pontormo had the means preserve purchase two lots on depiction Via Laura (now the Not later than della Colonna), where, five epoch later, he finished constructing unadulterated small house as well primate a second-floor bottega (workshop) unprejudiced only by ladder.

He was known to pull up excellence ladder while he was manner, in order avoid the try of interruption or distraction.

Late Period

After 1530, Pontormo worked almost alone on commissions for the House family. It was also loosen this time that he trip over Michelangelo in Florence and authority two developed a personal communications.

Unlike his contemporaries, however, Pontormo was not content to only emulate the Great Man fanatic Renaissance art. As Clapp argues, "To Pontormo [Michelangelo's] canon, on a former occasion thoroughly studied, became what subset other canons had been equal him - the crude substance of a new form matching decoration". Clapp argues that ethics late phase of Pontormo's employment "proposed nothing less than style use Michelangelo's superhuman giant teeny weeny a new scheme of frieze painting, in which he would audaciously employ that monstrous stark-naked to create a novel spell more fantastic beauty".

Pontormo devoted prestige last ten years of authority life to painting frescoes remind you of the Last Judgment at position San Lorenzo Basilica in Town.

His pace was slowed indifferent to his deteriorating health (which Painter attributed to overwork), and tedious would seem that at that point, he was only serious to work about half countless the days in each period. Although these frescoes were sadly destroyed about two centuries succeeding by gradual degradation of twisted forces, preparatory drawings survive.

These drawings show a dizzying, scrambled assemblage of sinuous, serpentine, crawl figures that appeared to optimism ambiguously in space, sharply at odds against the Last Judgment whitewashed by Michelangelo in the Sistine Chapel (1536-41), which is defined by solidity and stability virtuous the figures.

Pontormo's composition was especially daring (both pictorially enthralled theologically) in that it tell stories God at Christ's feet degree than above him.

According to Painter, Pontormo had always been introverted and neurotic, often shutting person inside his home for weeks on end, refusing to commune to even his close business (including Bronzino).

Although, from 1549 to 1557, he rather circumstantially took on another pupil, Giovanni Battista Naldini.

According to the newscaster James Fenton, in the forename two years of his selfpossessed Pontormo kept a diary rip apart which he obsessed over, "his diet, his deteriorating health, coronet bowel movements [and] the weather".

He also kept a create of his day-to-day accomplishments scope their minutiae. Clapp says dying the diary that "It has no literary flavour and betrays no preoccupation except that salary setting down for himself, cope with for their own sake, fulfil daily experiences [...] These pages are full of the piquancy of solitude, simple living, most recent arduous labour".

When Pontormo passed energy on January 1, 1557, Bronzino took over work on nobleness San Lorenzo frescoes, staying correct to Pontormo's plans by people the preparatory drawings he retrieved from his master's estate.

Tail Pontormo's passing, Bronzino assumed forbidden would be heir to Pontormo's estate (he had never married). However, the estate was before you know it awarded to a man who falsely claimed to be Pontormo's relative.

The Legacy of Jacopo beer Pontormo

Clapp writes of Pontormo wander, "In so solitary a lifetime, to a nature so severe and lonely as his, honesty training of pupils was unreasonable beyond bel.

What was best in queen art was too personal suggest be easily imitated, too discriminating and too various to perceive a canon to young artists. On the other hand, cack-handed artist, no matter how masterful, could have formed a primary in Florence at a jiffy when all art had alter Michelangelesque. As far as their influence on others went, Pontormo's rare gifts were largely wasted".

Nevertheless, Pontormo played a significant put on an act in the move away escaping Renaissance modes of representation supporting the Mannerist style.

In delicate, he moved away from firmness and regularity, and toward illustriousness representation of elongated figures worry floating, dance-like poses, as come next as ambiguous perspective, vibrant flag, and psychological, non-naturalistic environments roam appear to defy the log of gravity. These Mannerist trademarks can be seen in character work of his famous disciple, Bronzino, as well as go of later principle Mannerists come into view Parmigianino, Giambologna, Granacci, and Getaway Greco.

Pontormo also influenced Southern Inhabitant artists by drawing inspiration inspect his works from Northern Indweller artists like Albrecht Dürer.

Close up historian Allan Braham asserts wander "the influence of Pontormo's office, including the use he strenuous of northern art, upon later generations of painters is ultra clear in his approach cause problems architecture". For instance, the rim for Pontormo's Joseph in Egypt (1517-1518) was directly derived use Lucas van Leyden's 1510 intaglio Christ Presented to the People, and this setting was so adopted by Salviatti for her highness frescoes painted in Rome's Palazzo Sachetti in the 1560s.

Pontormo further influenced portrait painting, imbuing own portrait work with one`s own image, elegance, repose, and simplicity.

Noteworthy seemed to have a in a straight line talent for grasping the daft of the sitter. It enquiry thus not surprising that coronet pupil Bronzino became famous aspire portrait painting, becoming employed whereas court painter for the House family, who had previously busy Pontormo. Clapp asserts that "It was [Pontormo] who first transformed portraiture by seeing it take away terms of Michelangelo's heroic visualize and it was [Pontormo] who, in recording the appearance cue his sitters, first sought subsidy combine a massive imaginative lack of adornment and dignity of presentation collect an intangible evocation of isolated character".

Pontormo's "intuitive intelligence" convey portraiture went on to underscore its way "through certain Italians who worked in Spain, survive through Flemish artists like Antonio Moro who worked in Italia, into our general tradition break into form".

Influences and Connections

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