Cima da Conegliano

CIMA DA CONEGLIANO. - Painter, b. at Conegliano between 1459 and 1460 and d. there in 1517-18. In 1492 he settled in Venice, where he remained for almost all the rest of his life. Certain aspects of his way of understanding the problem of light bring him close to Montagna. In C. the line suggests volume, availing itself of the pictorial chiaroscuro that does not destroy color but makes it vibrate even in shadow. And with the soft chiaroscuro the gentle expression of the figures is in harmony, animated by a candid and profound piety. Also noteworthy is the ingenuous love of nature, which induces the painter often to place the sacred scenes against the background of gardens and trellises.

Among the most important works of C. are cited: the Madonna between Sts. James and Jerome, in the gallery of Vicenza; the Glorification of the Baptist, in the Madonna dell'Orto in Venice; the Baptism of Christ, in S. Giovanni in Bragora in Venice; the Madonna of the Orange Tree, in the gallery of Venice, a rustic scene that well shows the country painter's predilection for free nature; the St. Peter Martyr in the Brera picture gallery; the Presentation in the Temple in the Dresden picture gallery, one of the most beautiful paintings for its landscape background; the Nativity in the church of the Carmine in Venice.

Vincenzo Golzio