Carlo Crivelli
Born – Venice, Italy c.1430
Died – c.1495
Despite training in Venice, Crivelli remained at a distance from the developing Vatican tradition, living in Ascoli, Ancona and other towns of the Marches. Crivelli always signed himself as a Venetian painter, though he never actually returned to Venice. His work suggests little knowledge of the developing Renaissance art in Tuscany, or the startling work being produced in Umbria by Piero della Francesa. Crivelli’s style shows a number of diverse influences. In his decorative handling of gold as well as in the stiff, linear quality to his figures, he owes much to the International Gothic style. He was also influenced by the sculptural qualities he discovered in the paintings of Mantegna. Combining such different elements, Crivelli’s religious paintings have a concentration and a dramatic intensity that can be quite clearly seen in The Annunciation, with St Emidus. In rendering the grand decorative façade the contemporary science of foreshortening. Patterned carpets, a peacock’s tail and strategically placed fruit indicate Crivelli’s mastery of ornamentation and trompe I’oeil.
Masterpieces:
- Madonna and Child
- La Madonna Della Rondine
Text: The A-Z of Art, Nicola Hodge and Libby Anson.