1. Gentile Bellini came from Venice's leading family of painters, and, at least in the early part of his career, was more highly regarded than his younger brother Giovanni Bellini - a reversal of the situation today.
14 Facts About Gentile Bellini
1. 2.
Gentile Bellini's father Jacopo Bellini, was a Venetian pioneer in the use of oil paint as an artistic medium; his brother was Giovanni Bellini, and his brother-in-law Andrea Mantegna.
3.
Gentile Bellini was christened Gentile after Jacopo's master, Gentile da Fabriano.
4.
Gentile Bellini was taught painting in the workshop of his father.
5.
Gentile Bellini's earliest signed work is The Blessed Lorenzo Giustinian, one of the oldest surviving oil paintings in Venice.
6.
Much of Gentile Bellini's surviving work consists of very large paintings for public buildings, including those for the Scuola Grande di San Giovanni Evangelista.
7.
However, in addition to his work at the Ottoman Court, Gentile Bellini's work responded to other aspects of the East, including the Byzantine Empire.
8.
Gentile Bellini's role was not only as a visiting painter but as a cultural ambassador for Venice.
9.
Gentile Bellini finally reached his goal with Gentile, who is believed to have painted the portrait of Mehmed II now in the National Gallery, London,.
10.
Gentile Bellini made a painting of the head of John the Baptist on a charger, the saint being revered by the Turks as a prophet.
11.
Gentile Bellini responded to other aspects of the East, including the Byzantine Greek Empire, as well as Venice's other trading partners in North Africa and Levant.
12.
Gentile Bellini's fall from popular favor seems to have begun shortly after his death; by 1557 Lodovico Dolce made a rather acerbic comment about him as an early teacher of Titian:.
13.
Gentile Bellini was interred in the Basilica di San Giovanni e Paolo, a traditional burial place of the doges.
14.
In recent years, Gentile Bellini has generated interest, especially in a recent spate of scholarly publications and exhibitions on the subject of cross-cultural exchange between Europe and the Levant.