Girolamo Romani
Encyclopedia
Italian Renaissance
The Italian Renaissance began the opening phase of the Renaissance, a period of great cultural change and achievement in Europe that spanned the period from the end of the 13th century to about 1600, marking the transition between Medieval and Early Modern Europe...
painter active in the Veneto
Veneto
Veneto is one of the 20 regions of Italy. Its population is about 5 million, ranking 5th in Italy.Veneto had been for more than a millennium an independent state, the Republic of Venice, until it was eventually annexed by Italy in 1866 after brief Austrian and French rule...
and Lombardy
Lombardy
Lombardy is one of the 20 regions of Italy. The capital is Milan. One-sixth of Italy's population lives in Lombardy and about one fifth of Italy's GDP is produced in this region, making it the most populous and richest region in the country and one of the richest in the whole of Europe...
, near Brescia
Brescia
Brescia is a city and comune in the region of Lombardy in northern Italy. It is situated at the foot of the Alps, between the Mella and the Naviglio, with a population of around 197,000. It is the second largest city in Lombardy, after the capital, Milan...
. His long career brought forth different styles.
Biography
Romani was born in BresciaBrescia
Brescia is a city and comune in the region of Lombardy in northern Italy. It is situated at the foot of the Alps, between the Mella and the Naviglio, with a population of around 197,000. It is the second largest city in Lombardy, after the capital, Milan...
. His early training and life are not well documented.
A Quattrocento
Quattrocento
The cultural and artistic events of 15th century Italy are collectively referred to as the Quattrocento...
-esque Pietà, painted for the church of San Lorenzo of Brescia, dated from 1510, is exhibited in the Accademia
Accademia
The Accademia is a museum gallery of pre-19th century art in Venice, northern Italy. Situated on the south bank of the Grand Canal, within the sestiere of Dorsoduro, it gives its name to one of the three bridges across the canal, the Ponte dell'Accademia, and to the boat landing station for the...
. He took up residence in Venice in his twenties, at the latest by 1513. He was commissioned to complete a Madonna enthroned with four saints for the church of Santa Giustina in Padua
Padua
Padua is a city and comune in the Veneto, northern Italy. It is the capital of the province of Padua and the economic and communications hub of the area. Padua's population is 212,500 . The city is sometimes included, with Venice and Treviso, in the Padua-Treviso-Venice Metropolitan Area, having...
in 1513. The coloration of the painting is of Venetian style, but the duller visage
Visage
Visage are a British New Wave rock band. Formed in 1978, the band became closely linked to the burgeoning New Romantic fashion movement of the early 1980s, and are best known for their 1980 hit "Fade to Grey".-New Wave years :...
s in bejeweled setting recalls styles of previous generations.
Romanino completed four frescoes in the nave
Nave
In Romanesque and Gothic Christian abbey, cathedral basilica and church architecture, the nave is the central approach to the high altar, the main body of the church. "Nave" was probably suggested by the keel shape of its vaulting...
of the cathedral of Cremona in 1519-1520 depicting stories of the Passion of Christ. His paintings have eclectic influences using Venetian coloration with Florentine-Lombard modeling. In the Cremona frescoes, the Lombard influence of Altobello Melone
Altobello Melone
Altobello Melone was an Italian painter of the Renaissance.-Biography:He was born in Cremona. His style merges Lombard with Mannerist styles. In Cremona, he encountered the elder Girolamo Romanino. He was commissioned in December of 1516 to fresco the Cathedral of Cremona, work which continued...
is strong, in the narrative and decorative elements of the fresco. By 1521, Romanino was replaced by Il Pordenone
Il Pordenone
Il Pordenone, byname of Giovanni Antonio de' Sacchis , was an Italian painter of the Venetian school, active during the Renaissance. Vasari, his main biographer, identifies him as Giovanni Antonio Licinio.-Biography:...
in the decoration of the church.
He then returned to Brescia
Brescia
Brescia is a city and comune in the region of Lombardy in northern Italy. It is situated at the foot of the Alps, between the Mella and the Naviglio, with a population of around 197,000. It is the second largest city in Lombardy, after the capital, Milan...
to work (1521–1524) with Alessandro Bonvicino
Alessandro Bonvicino
Alessandro Bonvicino , more commonly known as Il Moretto da Brescia, was an Italian Renaissance painter of Brescia and Venice.-Biography:...
in the decoration of the "Cappella del Sacramento" in San Giovanni Evangelista. His St. Matthew and the Angel depicts the apostle at work under candlelight, and represents one of the first such nocturnes in Italian painting, a device which Correggio
Antonio da Correggio
Antonio Allegri da Correggio , usually known as Correggio, was the foremost painter of the Parma school of the Italian Renaissance, who was responsible for some of the most vigorous and sensuous works of the 16th century...
and Cambiaso would soon pursue. He also helped decorate the Palazzo Averoldi. A series of frescoes in the Castle of Malpaga, near Bergamo
Bergamo
Bergamo is a town and comune in Lombardy, Italy, about 40 km northeast of Milan. The comune is home to over 120,000 inhabitants. It is served by the Orio al Serio Airport, which also serves the Province of Bergamo, and to a lesser extent the metropolitan area of Milan...
(1520-1530s), celebrating the life of Bartolomeo Colleoni
Bartolomeo Colleoni
Bartolomeo Colleoni was a Venetian condottiero, who became Captain-General of the republic of Venice, where there is a famous statue showing him on horseback.-Biography:...
, is attributed to him.
In 1531 to 1532, he worked with Dosso Dossi
Dosso Dossi
Dosso Dossi , real name Giovanni di Niccolò de Luteri, was an Italian Renaissance painter who belonged to the Ferrara School of Painting.-Biography:Dossi was born in San Giovanni del Dosso a village in the province of Mantua...
in fresco decoration of Castello del Buoncosiglio in Trento
Trento
Trento is an Italian city located in the Adige River valley in Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol. It is the capital of Trentino...
. He completed organ shutters for the church of Asola on Augustus and the sibyl, and Sacrifice of Isaac. He died between 1559-1561. His main pupils were his son-in-law Lattanzio Gambara
Lattanzio Gambara
Lattanzio Gambara was an Italian painter, active in a Renaissance and Mannerist styles.-Biography:Born in Brescia, as a 15 year old he initially apprenticed with Giulio Campi in Cremona, by 1549, he is working alongside Girolamo Romanino, who became his father-in-law. An altarpiece of S. Maria in...
, Girolamo Muziano
Girolamo Muziano
Girolamo Muziano , was an Italian painter, active in a late-Renaissance or Mannerism style. He was born in Acquafredda, near Brescia, but active mainly in Rome....
, and Stefano Rosa. He is also known to have influenced artists such as Giulio Campi
Giulio Campi
thumb|250px|Portrait of Alessandro Farnese.Giulio Campi was an Italian painter and architect. His brothers Vincenzo Campi and Antonio Campi were also renowned painters.-Biography:...