Gian Paolo Lomazzo (26 April 1538 – 27 January 1592; his first name is sometimes also given as "Giovan" or "Giovanni") was an

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

artist and writer on art. Praised as a painter, Lomazzo wrote about artistic practice and

art theory Aesthetics, or esthetics, is a branch of philosophy that deals with the nature of beauty and taste, as well as the philosophy of art (its own area of philosophy that comes out of aesthetics). It examines aesthetic values, often expressed t ...

after blindness compelled him to pursue a different professional path by 1571. Lomazzo's written works were especially influential to second generation

Mannerism Mannerism, which may also be known as Late Renaissance, 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 Ital ...

in Italian art and architecture.

Early life

Annibale fontana, giovanni paolo lomazzo, 1559

Gian Paolo Lomazzo was born in

Milan Milan ( , , Lombard: ; it, Milano ) is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of about 1.4 million, while its metropolitan city ...

from a family who had emigrated from the town of

Lomazzo Lomazzo (Western Lombard: ) is a town and '' comune'' in the province of Como, in the Italian region of Lombardy. It is situated halfway between Como and Milan. The ancient historical center of the town was founded on the top of a hill situated i ...

. His early training was with

Giovan Battista della Cerva Giovan Battista della Cerva (c. 1515–1580) was an Italian painter. Born in Novara, he was a pupil of Gaudenzio Ferrari, of whom he became the main assistant and collaborator during the last stage of his career. Works entirely by della Cerva inc ...

in Milan. He painted a large ''Allegory of the Lenten Feast'' for ''San Agostino'' in

Piacenza Piacenza (; egl, label= Piacentino, Piaṡëinsa ; ) is a city and in the Emilia-Romagna region of northern Italy, and the capital of the eponymous province. As of 2022, Piacenza is the ninth largest city in the region by population, with over ...

(1567). Other works by his hand include an elaborate dome with ''Glory of Angels'' for the Capella Foppa in

San Marco San Marco is one of the six sestieri of Venice, lying in the heart of the city as the main place of Venice. San Marco also includes the island of San Giorgio Maggiore. Although the district includes Saint Mark's Square, that was never admin ...

in Milan, and the ''Fall of Simon Magus'' in the wall of the chapel. Lomazzo was depicted on a ca. 1560 medal by

Annibale Fontana Annibale Fontana (1540–1587) was an Italian sculptor, medallist and crystal-worker. Fontana was born in Milan. His first known work is a crystal case, now in the ''Schatzkammer '' of Munich, for Albert V of Bavaria (c. 1560-1570). In 1570–15 ...

that described him as having been introduced by Mercury to Fortune (commercial success).

Writings on art theory and criticism

Lomazzo became blind in 1571 and turned to writing, producing two complex treatises that are milestones in the development of

art criticism Art criticism is the discussion or evaluation of visual art. Art critics usually criticize art in the context of aesthetics or the theory of beauty. A goal of art criticism is the pursuit of a rational basis for art appreciation but it is que ...

. His first work, ''Trattato dell'arte della pittura, scoltura et architettura'' (1584), is divided into seven books: Proportion, Motion, Color, Light, Perspective, Practice, History, and iconography related to classical and Christian subjects. Lomazzo offered a systematic codification of

aesthetics Aesthetics, or esthetics, is a branch of philosophy that deals with the nature of beauty and taste, as well as the philosophy of art (its own area of philosophy that comes out of aesthetics). It examines aesthetic values, often expressed t ...

was central to the development of Italian mannerist theories of art. Lomazzo's first treatise was translated into English by British physician Richard Haydocke and published in 1596 as ''A Tracte Containing the Artes of Curious Paintinge, Carvinge & Buildinge (1596),'' which ''i''ncluded new details about British artists. Lomazzo's more abstract
Idea del tempio della pittura
' ("The ideal temple of painting", 1590) describes the "

four temperaments The four temperament theory is a proto-psychological theory which suggests that there are four fundamental personality types: sanguine, choleric, melancholic, and phlegmatic. Most formulations include the possibility of mixtures among the types w ...

" theory of human nature and personality and contains explanations about of the role of individuality in judgment and artistic invention. Lomazzo's writings about art took into account three aspects of art criticism: ''doctrina'', the record of discoveries— such as perspective— that artists had made in the course of history; ''prattica'', the personal preferences and ''maniera'' of the artist, and

iconography Iconography, as a branch of art history, studies the identification, description and interpretation of the content of images: the subjects depicted, the particular compositions and details used to do so, and other elements that are distinct fro ...

, the literary element in arts. Lomazzo's contribution to art criticism was his systematic extraction of abstract concepts from art, not merely a recounting of the marvels of verisimilitude and technique and anecdotes of the works' reception among contemporaries of the type that

Giorgio Vasari Giorgio Vasari (, also , ; 30 July 1511 – 27 June 1574) was an Italian Renaissance Master, who worked as a painter, architect, engineer, writer, and historian, who is best known for his work '' The Lives of the Most Excellent Painters, Sculp ...

had reported in the previous generation. David Piper quotes his influential views on portraiture: :“Emperors above all other Kings and Princes should be endowed with majesty, and have a noble and grave air which conforms to their station in life … even though they be not so naturally in life.”

Giovanni Ambrogio Figino Giovanni Ambrogio Figino (1548/1551 – 11 October 1608) was an Italian Renaissance painter from Milan. Biography An important representative of the Lombard school of painting, he had been taught by Gian Paolo Lomazzo. Best known as a draf ...

Cristoforo Ciocca Cristoforo Ciocca (1462–1542) was an Italian painter of the late-Renaissance, active in Milan. Little biographical information is known, except that he was the pupil of Gian Paolo Lomazzo Gian Paolo Lomazzo (26 April 1538 – 27 Januar ...

, and Girolamo Ciocca were his pupils.

Notes

References

*Kemp, M.:'' 'Equal Excellences': Lomazzo And The Explanation of Individual Style in the Visual Arts,'' in ''Renaissance Studies'' vol 1.1, March 1987. *Lomazzo, Gian Paolo: ''Trattato dell'arte della pittura, scoltura et architettura'' ilano 1584in ''Scritti sulle arti'' Vol. II, Roberto Paolo Ciardi, Florence 1974. *Romano, G., ''Giovan paolo Lomazzo'', in ''Gaudenzio Ferrari e la sua scuola: i cartoni cinquecenteschi dell'Accademia Albertina'', Torino 1982 *J. Lynch, ''Giovanni Paolo Lomazzo’s self portrait in the Brera'', in «Gazette des Beaux Arts», LXIV, 1964, pp. 189 ss. *Manegold, C.:
Wahrnehmung - Bild - Gedächtnis. Studien zur Rezeption der aristotelischen Gedächnistheorie in den kunsttheoretischen Schriften des Giovanni Paolo Lomazzo
'' Ph.D. thesis. Published as ''Studien zur Kunstgeschichte vol. 158;'' Olms 2004. . In German. *Lomazzo, G. P. ''Rabisch'', edited by D. Isella, Torino 1993 *Rabisch. ''Il grottesco nell’arte del Cinquecento. L’Accademia della Val di Blenio, Lomazzo e l’ambiente milanese'', edited by M. Kahn-Rossi and F. Porzio, Milano 1998 *Isella, D., ''Lombardia stravagante'', Torino 2005

External links

''Vita'' of Gian Paolo Lomazzo

Brief description
(in Italian).

(in Italian).
Lomazzo, ''Christ in the Garden of Gethsemane'' (Biblioteca Ambrosiana)
An exercise in dramatic lighting of a nocturnal subject. (description in Italian).
Gian Paolo Lomazzo, "The composition of grotesques"
Chapter 48 of the sixth book of ''Treatise on Painting, Sculpture, and Architecture'' (''Trattato dell'arte della pittura, scoltura, et architettura''). Milan, 1585.
Leonardo da Vinci, Master Draftsman
an exhibition catalog from The Metropolitan Museum of Art (fully available online as PDF), which contains material on Lomazzo (see index)
Painters of reality: the legacy of Leonardo and Caravaggio in Lombardy
an exhibition catalog from The Metropolitan Museum of Art (fully available online as PDF), which contains material on Lomazzo (see index) {{DEFAULTSORT:Lomazzo, Giovanni Paolo 1538 births 1592 deaths 16th-century Italian painters Italian male painters Painters from Milan Italian Mannerist painters Artist authors Blind academics