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Paolo Caliari (1528-1588) was born in Verona, Italy, hence his name Veronese. He was the son of a stone cutter. He began his art career studying at the studio of Antonio Badile. Later in his life, he would marry Badile's daughter and they would have two children: Gabriele (born 1568) and Carletto (born 1570). At 25, in 1553, he moved to Venice, already a master painter.
In his earlier works he combined Mannerism with the High Renaissance style. Mannerism was comprised of 'the alteration of volume and space and the twisting of the figures giving a harmonious unity to the compositions.' In 1560, he traveled to Rome. When he returned, he began to concentrate on fresco decoration in the Villa Barbaro at Maser. Later in his career, his style leaned towards a quieter classical style and offered more appealing, complimentary colors (The Finding of Moses).
Veronese was influenced by Titian. His subjects were narrative biblical, allegorical, or historical scenes. Most of all he enjoyed painting feast scenes like The Feast in the House of Levi. Although his works were biblical, they lacked religious feeling. Instead he concentrated on other affects. For example, he liked his paintings to stand out - by adding rich landscapes or architecture to the background - and to be full of figures. He would also often add irrelevant details such as monkeys or cats, which got him into trouble when he was supposed to be creating respectable religious works. More than anything his paintings were always full of rich, luminous colors (Supper at Emmaus). Veronese is thought to be one of the premier colorists of his time. He died in Venice on April 19, 1588.
We painters take the same liberties as poets and madmen.
-Paolo Caliari Veronese, evidence before the Inquisition, 1573. He had been accused of irreverence in his Feast in the House of Levi.
His ability to create a harmony through a skilful distribution of light and shade and local colours without any single dominant tone is conspicuous.
-Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Italian Journey (1786-1788; trans. Auden, 1962)
[After viewing Veronese's Queen of Sheba in Turin in 1858] Quite overwhelmed sense of his God-given power.
-John Ruskin, in Fors Clavigera, 1877. Ruskin claims that it was this experience that turned him from evangelical Protestantism.
The Marriage at Cana
1563
Musée du Louvre, Paris
Allegory of Love: Unfaithfulness
1570
National Gallery, London
Feast in the House of Levi
1573
Gallerie dell'Accademia, Venice
The Finding of Moses
1570-1575
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