Copyright © 2008 National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC
When he was only twenty-five years of age, Lorenzo Lotto was described as
"a most famous painter." But later in life (c. 1480-1556/1557) he was
overshadowed by his towering contemporary, Titian, and afterward, Lotto was
all but forgotten. Although he was born in Venice, Lotto pursued an
independent career elsewhere in northern and central Italy that placed him
outside the mainstream of Venetian art. Working in the cities and towns of
the Venetian republic, the Marches along the Adriatic coast, and briefly in
Rome, he developed an idiosyncratic style bordering on the bizarre. His
inventiveness and quirky sense of humor are evident in the obscure symbols,
visual puns, and curious details in many of his paintings. Only on reaching
his mid-forties did Lotto return to Venice, where he worked for less than a
decade before leaving once again for the
Marches. Deeply religious, he spent his last years as a lay brother in
the Marian sanctuary of Loreto.
Lotto's wanderings must have been prompted by his search for patrons and commissions. His letters and carefully annotated account book also reveal a restless spirit unwilling or unable to lead a settled life. This restlessness seems reflected in the emotional intensity and vivid, even dissonant colors of his paintings. Lotto's altarpieces and devotional pictures abound with nervous rhythms created by flickering light and the expressive gestures of his saints. Many of his portraits project a sense of brooding introspection unlike the self-possessed character of the sitters Titian portrayed. This disquiet has struck a chord with modern viewers, leading to a reassessment of Lotto as one of the most original and compelling Renaissance masters.
The Early Years: Treviso and the Marches
Lorenzo Lotto trained in Venice, probably with Giovanni Bellini, who in the early 1500s was considered "very old, but still the best in painting." By 1503, Lotto had moved to Treviso, within the domain of the Venetian republic. With some ten thousand inhabitants, Treviso was then a relatively large city that prospered from its location on the main trade route from Venice to Germany. There, a painter embarking on his career could find artistic patrons in a less competitive atmosphere than in Venice. Lotto soon came to the attention of the local bishop, Bernardo de' Rossi, who promoted the young artist's career and commissioned several paintings himself. Lotto's portrait of the bishop is reunited here with its painted allegorical cover for the first time in centuries.
Despite his success, Lotto remained in Treviso for only three years. In 1506, he moved to the city of Recanati in the Marches, on the Adriatic coast, to paint a major altarpiece for a Dominican church there. Lotto may also have hoped that the proximity of Recanati to Loreto, a pilgrimage site favored by Pope Julius II, would lead to even greater opportunities. Indeed, Lotto was called to Rome in 1508 to paint frescoes in the Vatican Palace, but they were destroyed soon after their completion. After his brief Roman sojourn, Lotto returned to the Marches before settling in Bergamo in 1513.