Sebastiano del Piombo. Ein Venezianer in Rom

by Kia Vahland

Sebastiano del Piombo (um 1485 bis 1547) galt zu Lebzeiten zunächst als größte Hoffnung der venezianischen Malerei neben Giorgione, dann als schärfster Konkurrent Raffaels in Rom. Als einziger Renaissancekünstler vermittelte er zwischen der venezianischen und der mittelitalienischen Schule. Giorgiones, Leonardos und Michelangelos Ideen entwickelte er zu einem eindringlichen, farbintensiven und klassischen Stil weiter.Der einfallsreiche Venezianer entdeckte als erster eine Technik, um in Öl auf Stein zu malen. Darüber kam es zum Streit mit seinem engen Freund Michelangelo, der meinte, diese Technik sei nur etwas für "Frauen und Faulpelze wie Sebastiano". Deswegen denunzierte Giorgio Vasari Sebastiano in seinen Viten posthum als faul, was eine jahrhundertlange Missachtung von del Piombos Werk zur Folge hatte. Eine Neuentdeckung des einzigartigen Porträtisten ist überfällig. Die Veröffentlichung will einen Beitrag dazu leisten.

96 pages, Hardcover

First published June 4, 2008

Reviews

[Arthur · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wanted to know more about this guy, because he was a link between Giorgione and Michelangelo. I was curious about the nature of his relationship and cooperation with both masters. Of course, he's a master in his own right, but I've never really warmed up to his work. I only really like his passionate depictions of Jesus.

This book hasn't changed my opinion. It's part of a series called Art to Read. (Well, I think it's a series, so far I haven't seen any other volumes.) The idea behind it seems to be: regular art books are great to flip though, but they're too unwieldy to actually read––so let's make art books that have that coffee table flipping appeal but are inviting to read as well.

I like the idea, and I must say that this is a pretty cool looking tome (extra star for looks). But for it to work I think you'll have to have the reproduction values of the larger art books, which IMO they haven't, I think the pictures are too dark. And if you're giving the text a better part, it should be special enough to deserve that role. IMO, it isn't.

Vahland's writing is uninspired and often wooden (perhaps due to the translation). The text seems cobbled together from earlier (OP) books on Sebastiano, supplemented with mere flashes of personal interest (mostly regarding the female portraits). My confidence in her scholarship received a small blow when, in the foreword, I read: "There he took on Raphael in an artistic duel, the biggest public contest to have ever occurred between any artists of the Renaissance."

Since when has that title been taken from Leonardo and Michelangelo's showdown at the Salone dei Cinquecento?