Bernardino di Benedetto (Betto) di Biagio was born in
Perugia around 1460 it was not until he was at least 20 years old that he finally enrolled in the guild of Artists and Painters.
His scornful contemporaries and colleagues were quick to give him the name ‘Pintoricchio’, considering him “small and unprepossessing”, but more significantly, a number two, a lesser, toned down version of the “divine painter” Perugino.
Vasari spoke of him in merciless terms saying, “ he has a name more important than his works deserve”.
In the monographic exhibition that will open in Perugia and Spello, nearly all of the transportable works of Pintoricchio will be on display, together with an important selection of works from the same period; some of these pieces have not been seen in Italy for centuries. It will finally be possible to admire the genius of this Umbrian artist, who was often unjustly regarded as being in the Koiné of Perugino, and to recognise his leading role in the creation of magnificent works of art during the Renaissance in Central Italy.
It all began in Perugia and the extraordinary artistic period during the 1400s. The presence in the city of the century’s greatest artists – from Gentile da Fabriano to Beato Angelico, Giovanni Boccati to Domenico Veneziano – and the constant relationship with Florence, favoured the formation of a figurative culture at the forefront of the most pioneering works of that period.
The charm and beauty of the altar pieces that show the story of San Bernardino from 1473, of which it is still not clear who was its author (or authors), is just one demonstration of the refined quality of Perugian painting in the 1400s. Bartolomeo Caporali, Sante di Apollonio, Fiorenzo di Lorenzo, the young Perugino and the same Pintoricchio, in the early years shared the creative ‘paternity’ of a long series of paintings of extremely high quality, nearly all of which are present in the exhibition.
The triumph of this extraordinary and unique cultural period can be seen in the decorations on the walls of the Cappella Sistina, a location in which Umbrians and Tuscans competed with one another to create the iconography requested by Pope Sisto IV delle Rovere. The leading artists of the period were present: Botticelli and Ghirlandaio, Cosimo Rosselli, Biagio d’Antonio and above all, Perugino, who was assisted by Luca Signorelli, Piermatteo d’Amelia and the young Pintoricchio – whose work can be recognized in parts of the representations of the landscapes and nature, where the illustrations become rich in detail and resplendent in style, betraying the artist’s early instruction in the skills of the miniaturist.
It is exactly these depictions of nature and landscape, plus the extraordinary sensitivity to the tricks of the light that illuminate each object, that, at times, evokes Nordic painting: these characteristic traits came to represent the unique way in which Pintoricchio interpreted the Renaissance.
Perugino was to leave for Florence, while Pintoricchio remained in Rome; the artistic scene in the capital grew to become a great and constant tribute to his painting. Among notable collaborators in his bottega were Baldassarre Peruzzi, Piermatteo d’Amelia and later, following the turn of the century, Jacopo Ripanda; all continued to follow the style of the frescoes of the Umbrian Painter; notable examples of which were to be found in the Cappella Bufalini in Santa Maria in Aracoeli. Examples of this impressive production are on display throughout the exhibition, with a series of paintings and drawings of exceptional significance, including loans of works from the most prestigious collections around the world.
The years at the turn of the two centuries are characterized by a continuous series of masterpieces, from the exceptional Pala di Santa Maria dei Fossi in the Galleria Nazionale dell’Umbria, to the Capella Bella painted for the Baglioni family in Spello (the location of a special section in the exhibition that will provide visitors with the unique opportunity to enter into the painted space to marvel at the harmonious relationship between the frescoes and the architecture). It is, arguably, in this place where we can most fully comprehend the true greatness of Pintoricchio. Perhaps even Raffaello would not have been able to conceive the decorations for the rooms in the Vatican, had he not earlier worked with Bernardino, learning from the great works in Spello and the Piccolomini library in Siena: the same might also be said of a long line of numerous artists and painters that were all touched in some way by the influential works of the Umbrian painter.
A section dedicated to the relationship between Bernardino di Betto and Raffaello Sanzio, much closer than one would expect, will also be illustrated in the exhibition. In another section the detailed story of the fortunes of Pintoricchio and his contemporaries, paying deserved tribute to the true importance of the painter in Umbrian artistic circles: his presence acted as a guide for an entire generation of artists, in the same way as the ethereal beauty of Perugino
THE NATIONAL GALLERY OF UMBRIA AND THE PALAZZO DEI PRIORI
Facing the Piazza IV Novembre, dominated by the magnificent Pisano fountain, the Palazzo dei Priori is one of the striking symbols of the city of Perugia and one of the most interesting examples of civil architecture from the medieval period.
Construction began at the end of the XIII century and it was enlarged during the 1400s, including the addition of the Capella dei Priori, decorated with frescoes by Benedetto Bonfigli. Today, it is the prestigious location of the Galleria Nazionale dell’Umbria.
The origins of the museum can be traced back to the Academy of Arts of Perugia that was founded in 1573; many of the works exhibited today were once part of the Academy’s collection. Following the incorporation of numerous works belonging to ecclesiastical institutions in 1863, the collection became one of the most important in all of Italy in terms of both quantity and quality. A few years later, the inadequate space available in the Pinacoteca dell’ Academia led to the transfer of the artworks to the upper floors of the Palazzo dei Priori, where the collection’s new home was inaugurated in 1907.
Ceded to the State in 1918, the collection assumed the name Regia Galleria Vannucci, which later became the
Galleria Nazionale dell’ Umbria. At the end of 2006, following a significant period of reconstruction and renovation, the second floor of the Palazzo dei Priori was refurbished in order to allow the exhibition of a large proportion of works that had previously been in storage in the deposits.
The great Sala Podiana and the adjoining rooms, where the Pintoricchio exhibition is being held, have been equipped for temporary events.
Information about cultural events that will be taking place during the period of the Pintoricchio exhibition, can be found on the website:
www.comune.perugia.it
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