Alessandro Leone Varotari (4 April 1588 – 20 July 1649), also commonly known as Il Padovanino, was an Italian painter of the late-

Mannerist Mannerism is a style in European art that emerged in the later years of the Italian High Renaissance around 1520, spreading by about 1530 and lasting until about the end of the 16th century in Italy, when the Baroque style largely replaced it ...

and early-

Baroque The Baroque ( , , ) is a Western Style (visual arts), style of Baroque architecture, architecture, Baroque music, music, Baroque dance, dance, Baroque painting, painting, Baroque sculpture, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished from ...

Venetian school, best known for having mentored Pietro Liberi, Giulio Carpioni, and Bartolommeo Scaligero. He was the son of

Dario Varotari the Elder Dario Varotari the Elder (c. 1539–1596) was an Italian painter, sculptor, and architect of the Renaissance. Born in Verona, he was descended from a Strasburg or Augsburg family of the name of 'Weyrotter.' He was a pupil of Paolo Veronese, and ...

and the brother of painter Chiara Varotari, who accompanied him on his travels and assisted with his work.Alessandro Varotari
in the

RKD The Netherlands Institute for Art History or RKD (Dutch: ), previously Rijksbureau voor Kunsthistorische Documentatie (RKD), is located in The Hague and is home to the largest art history center in the world. The center specializes in document ...

Biography

Born in

Padua Padua ( ) is a city and ''comune'' (municipality) in Veneto, northern Italy, and the capital of the province of Padua. The city lies on the banks of the river Bacchiglione, west of Venice and southeast of Vicenza, and has a population of 20 ...

, from which his nickname derives, he was the son of the local painter and architect

, who most probably provided his earliest training. Early paintings such as ''The incredulity of St. Thomas'', ''Virgin and Child'', and the ''Pentecost'' show the influence of

Titian Tiziano Vecellio (; 27 August 1576), Latinized as Titianus, hence known in English as Titian ( ), was an Italian Renaissance painter, the most important artist of Renaissance Venetian painting. He was born in Pieve di Cadore, near Belluno. Ti ...

. Padovanino married Caterina Mesa 1612 in Padua. He moved to Venice in 1614. He is known to have traveled to

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

twice (in the mid-1610s and in 1625), where he was much employed in producing copies of major paintings by major

Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) is a Periodization, period of history and a European cultural movement covering the 15th and 16th centuries. It marked the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and was characterized by an effort to revive and sur ...

artists of the prior generation. In 1619, he worked on the mosaics of the Basilica of San Marco. In the following years he worked on decorating the interior of the Church of

Santa Maria Maggiore Santa Maria Maggiore (), also known as the Basilica of Saint Mary Major or the Basilica of Saint Mary the Great, is one of the four Basilicas in the Catholic Church#Major and papal basilicas, major papal basilicas and one of the Seven Pilgrim C ...

. In 1625 he made another trip to Rome. He painted a major battle canvas entitled ''The victory of the Carnuti (Celts) over the Normans''. His pupils included Pietro Liberi, Bartolomeo Scaliger,

Pietro della Vecchia Pietro della Vecchia, Pietro della Vècchia or Pietro Vècchia, formerly incorrectly called Pietro MuttoniBernard Aikema. "Vecchia, Pietro della."Grove Art Online. Oxford Art Online. Oxford University Press. Web. 5 March 2018 (1603 in Vicenza – ...

, Giulio Carpioni and his own son, Dario Varotari the Younger. His sister Chiara Varotari was a well known portraitist. Among his students was Caterina Tarabotti.

Style

Padovanino was a highly respected artist in his time. Although he had earned much of his fame due to his talents as a copyist, he still deserves a place in the history of painting. He had learned painting in the style of Titian, to whose spirit and style he was faithful throughout his career. His career lasted well into the seventeenth century. His paintings are characterized for their narrative ability and their sensuality. Image:Alessandro Varotari.jpg, ''Venus and Cupid'' File:Venus and Mars Surprised by Vulcan - Il padovanino (1631).jpg, ''Venus and Mars Surprised by Vulcan'' Image:Artgate Fondazione Cariplo - Varotari Alessandro, Europa e il toro.jpg, ''Rape of Europa'' File:Padovanino Venus durmiente con angelitos col par.jpg, ''Venus sleeping with angels'' File:Orfeo y los animales (Padovanino).jpg, '' Orfeus'' File:MarsandVenusinChess.jpg, ''Mars and Venus playing Chess''

References

External links

Web Gallery of Art Biography

Grove encyclopedia entry
{{DEFAULTSORT:Varotari, Alessandro 1588 births 1649 deaths Painters from Padua 16th-century Italian painters Italian male painters 17th-century Italian painters Italian Renaissance painters Painters from Venice Painters from the Republic of Venice