Giovanni Bellini

The Doge Leonardo Loredan

Giovanni Bellini (c.1430-1516), Venetian painter, is probably the best known of the Bellini family of painters; his father was Jacopo Bellini and his brother was Gentile Bellini.

His focus was on religious subjects, rather than the increasing popular classical subject matter. His work shows the influence of Andrea Mantegna, who became his brother-in-law in 1454. His most important contribution to art lay in his experimentation with the use of color and atmosphere in oil painting. He is considered to have revolutionized Venetian painting, moving it towards a more "sensuous and colouristic style". Through the use of clear, slow-drying oil paints, Giovanni created deep, rich colors and detailed shadings. His sumptuous coloring and fluent, atmospheric landscapes had agreat effect on Venetian painting school, especially on his pupils. When he died, he was chief painter to the state of Venice.

His work includes the Altarpiece with St Vincent Ferrar (1464), decoration of the Scuola Grande di San Marco (1470s) in conjunction with his brother Gentile, the portrait of Doge Leonardo Loredan (c.1501), S. Zaccaria Altarpiece (1505) and The Feast of the Gods (c.1514) painted for the study of Alfonso d'Este.

His most famous pupils were Giorgione and Titian.