Carlo Crivelli lived in Italy at the end of the 15th century as a painter with an extremely individual style for the understanding of art at that time. The Venetian artist was able to give a personal touch to the civilized style of the Renaissance, which seemed unusually expressionistic for a person of his time. A famous work by the Italian is "The Virgin enthroned with Child and Saints" from 1491, which today belongs to the Stiftung Preußisches Kulturgut (Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation) and can be seen in the Gemäldegalerie in Berlin.
Crivelli was the son of a painter: his love of painting was thus already in his cradle. His teachers Jacopo Bellini and the brothers Antonio and Bartolomeo Vivarini had a decisive influence on his painting style. Their paintings were characterized by soft, rounded figures, clear models, realistic details and rough ornaments. Later Carlo Crivelli became acquainted with the linearism of the Paduan tradition. It is possible that he was familiar with the works of the most famous artist Andrea Mantegna, also an important painter of the 15th century. Artists of linearism placed particular emphasis on a precise linear definition of form, which can also be seen in Crivelli's works. The Italian artist was also ahead of his time in private matters: it is documented that in 1457 Crivelli had to serve a prison sentence in Venice for having an affair with a married woman. This prompted him to leave the city, which in his eyes was backward, forever, especially since he no longer had a good reputation there due to his misdemeanor. As a result, he mainly worked in the cities of the Provincia di Ancona south of Venice and, due to the provincial seclusion, had little contact with important artistic movements.
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Crivelli's works were exclusively religious in content. His classical, realistic figures and his symmetrical compositions followed the artistic conventions of Renaissance painting. The extraordinary thing about his art is that Crivelli was able to give his works a personal expression that is very sensual. He painted the figures and their clothing with an almost unbelievable obsession for detail. Tightly packed, magnificent ornaments nevertheless leave room for a unique use of sharp contours around each form. In addition, the excessive paleness and flawlessness of the skin lend Crivelli's works an almost three-dimensional intensity. Mostly the characters appear thoughtful and dreamy or full of sorrow and worry. The eccentric religious intensity of Crivelli's work can be felt right down to the gestures of his slender hands and fingers.
Carlo Crivelli lived in Italy at the end of the 15th century as a painter with an extremely individual style for the understanding of art at that time. The Venetian artist was able to give a personal touch to the civilized style of the Renaissance, which seemed unusually expressionistic for a person of his time. A famous work by the Italian is "The Virgin enthroned with Child and Saints" from 1491, which today belongs to the Stiftung Preußisches Kulturgut (Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation) and can be seen in the Gemäldegalerie in Berlin.
Crivelli was the son of a painter: his love of painting was thus already in his cradle. His teachers Jacopo Bellini and the brothers Antonio and Bartolomeo Vivarini had a decisive influence on his painting style. Their paintings were characterized by soft, rounded figures, clear models, realistic details and rough ornaments. Later Carlo Crivelli became acquainted with the linearism of the Paduan tradition. It is possible that he was familiar with the works of the most famous artist Andrea Mantegna, also an important painter of the 15th century. Artists of linearism placed particular emphasis on a precise linear definition of form, which can also be seen in Crivelli's works. The Italian artist was also ahead of his time in private matters: it is documented that in 1457 Crivelli had to serve a prison sentence in Venice for having an affair with a married woman. This prompted him to leave the city, which in his eyes was backward, forever, especially since he no longer had a good reputation there due to his misdemeanor. As a result, he mainly worked in the cities of the Provincia di Ancona south of Venice and, due to the provincial seclusion, had little contact with important artistic movements.
Br/>
Crivelli's works were exclusively religious in content. His classical, realistic figures and his symmetrical compositions followed the artistic conventions of Renaissance painting. The extraordinary thing about his art is that Crivelli was able to give his works a personal expression that is very sensual. He painted the figures and their clothing with an almost unbelievable obsession for detail. Tightly packed, magnificent ornaments nevertheless leave room for a unique use of sharp contours around each form. In addition, the excessive paleness and flawlessness of the skin lend Crivelli's works an almost three-dimensional intensity. Mostly the characters appear thoughtful and dreamy or full of sorrow and worry. The eccentric religious intensity of Crivelli's work can be felt right down to the gestures of his slender hands and fingers.
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