• Ajman 1972.  Tintoretto:  Vulcan surprises Venus and Mars.  Oil painting c. 1551, belonging to Die Alte Pinakothek, Munich, Germany. 
• Paraguay 1972.  Tintoretto:  Self Portrait.  The painting belongs to the State Museum in Asuncion.

Tintoretto was born Jacopo Robusti. His nickname, which means “little dyer,” is an allusion to his father's profession. As a young man he studied briefly with Venetian master Titian, who soon discharged him from his studio. The animosity between the two painters lasted throughout their careers. Unlike Titian, who worked and traveled throughout Italy, Tintoretto lived and worked exclusively in Venice. His output was earmarked for the churches, religious organizations, and rulers of the city, and for the Venetian republic.

Throughout historical time men have used different means for self-promotion to demonstrate their power, social status and wealth.  Today, as well as in earlier times, such self-promotion took priority to the historical facts.  A splendid example of this is the "Gonzaga-Cycle", currently displayed at Die Alte Pinakothek in Munich (Germany), painted by Tintoretto on the order of Guglielmo Gonzaga (1528-1587), the third duke of Mantua between 1558 and 1580, whose family at that time was among the most influential in Italy. The cycle consists of 8 large paintings, each well over 2 x 3 meters, telling about the rise of the Gonzaga-family beginning in the 15th century and reaching its peak by the end of the 16th century.  As well as these paintings show the self-promotion of the Gonzaga's, they also show the creativity of Tintoretto's mind by developing new ways of describing historical- and war events of the time which followed in the keel water of the Italian renaissance. 

The first painting in the cycle describes how Giovanni Francesco Gonzaga in 1433 was awarded the noble title of Margrave by Emperor Sigismund.  History confirms that Giovanni paid the Emperor not less than 12.000 Fiorini for the right to bear the title.  X-rays of these paintings reveal the artistic techniques Tintoretto applied in his works, showing for example that he first made nude studies of his figures on canvas before he clad them in colours. He applied this technique throughout his whole career. (see also the Rubens-painting of Francesco IV Gonzaga, son of Vincenzo Gonzaga). 

"Ludovico II Gonzaga defeats the Venetians on the Adige River, Legnano, 1439" is the impressive title of the cycle's second painting, which also proves falsification of history for the benefit of the glorification of the family.  During his reign Ludovico had no military victories, and this is why he was painted as the conqueror of a battle won by his father !  

The painting shown is typical for Tintoretto. He has painted the leading figures in strong colours, while the rest are blurred out, and painted nearly only in grey-white, as if he was too lazy to paint them properly, or even couldn't afford to buy the expensive colour pigments.  

This was a new style for his time and was very much criticized by his contemporaries, but has made the posterity ask the question whether Tintoretto was really the first modern painter? 

Over time, Tintoretto's style intensified without essentially changing, and the large number of commissions he received attests to its enthusiastic reception. Despite his skill he could not cope with the resulting workload, and he was increasingly aided by a sizable corps of assistants. Notable among them were his daughter Marietta and his son Domenico, whose contributions are often difficult to distinguish from Tintoretto's own. 

There is a large number of modern stamps depicting Tintoretto's paintings, issued by various post offices world wide, but most of such stamps were issued by less serious postal administrations located in Africa, South America and elsewhere. For your viewing pleasure here are those issued by Italy and The Vatican, which seem "natural" in the context. 

• Italy 1994. 400th death anniversary of Tintoretto: Venus and Bacchus.  Oil painting c. 1576, belonging to the Museum of the Ducal Palace, Venice, Italy. 

• The Vatican 1994. Se-tenant set of Christmas stamps showing "Nativity", each of the stamps with a face value of 1000 lire. 

• The Vatican 1994. Single Christmas stamp, face value 700 lire, showing a detail of the painting "Nativity". Please notice the different format from the se-tenant set of the same stamp (middle).  

As a mature artist, Tintoretto tended progressively to rely on contrasts of brilliant light and cavernous dark that rendered color relatively insignificant, on eccentric viewpoints and extreme foreshortenings, and on flamboyantly choreographic groupings to heighten the drama of the events portrayed. 

Tintoretto's preference for diagonal compositions that plunge or zigzag into deep space, the commanding theatricality of his lighting, and the overall dynamism and expansiveness of his style were emulated by such pioneers of the baroque style as Flemish painter Peter Paul Rubens and members of the Italian Carracci family. His effect on Venetian painting was still greater, but after his death in 1594, Venetian painting declined precipitously. 

Sources and links: 

• Microsoft Encarta 2002. 

• E.H. Gombrich: "Story of the Art" (Danish Edition, ISBN 87-01-79921-5). 

• Volker Reinhardt, Die grossen Familien Italiens (Kröner Verlag 1992). 

• Exhibition Catalogue from "Jacopo Tintoretto, Der Gonzaga-Zyklus", Alte Pinakothek, München. 

Other Renaissance Artists on this site: 

Giuseppe Arcimboldi  Botticelli Leonardo Raphael  Titian  El Greco

Michelangelo  Bruegel (The Elder)  Durer  Tapestry Lady with Unicorn

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