Vasari: Albrecht Dürer
Vasari's feelings on Albrecht Dürer are interestingly vexed. On the one hand, he thinks the Italian neo-classical manner is the one and only proper way to make art, and that the Germano-Flemish manner is too bizarre and stylized. On the other hand, he has to admit that Dürer was a really, really good artist.
(For the record, I've come to realize that, overall, my favorite paintings are more often by Flemings than Italians. So why did I read a 2000-page book on Italian artists? I ask myself that very question...)
Vasari didn't give Dürer his own Life and treats his fellow Italian Marc' Antonio Bolognese as "the father of engraving", even though he doesn't conceal the fact that Dürer's engravings preceded, and were shamelessly imitated by, Bolognese.
Ultimately, he disapproves on principle of Dürer's style, but is constantly qualifying this disapproval with high praise for his individual works. In fact, none of his works, that I recall, ever do earn Vasari's specific condemnation. And yet Vasari's general dislike remains.
Incidentally, Titian elicits a similar reaction from Vasari, who hates that he paints so fast and sloppily, yet has to admit that the results are beautiful.
(Sidebar: I have similar feelings for The Decemberists. On principle, I hate Colin Meloy's man-child vocals and think his lyrics are excessively literary. But in practice, I have to admit that they have some really good songs, and can't actually point to any I hate. Not that I've heard very many.)
But enough digressions. Here are five quotes in which you can see Vasari's commitment to neo-classicism at war with his grudging admiration for Dürer's work.
Always nice to find a famous work:Vol. II, p. 77, Marc' Antonio Bolognese and others: [Dürer] set himself to make an engraving, for printing on a sheet of half-folio, of a figure of Melancholy, with all the instruments that reduce those who use them, or rather, all mankind, to a melancholy humour; and in this he succeeded so well, that it would not be possible to do more delicate engraving with the burin.
Praise for Dürer as a painter, too:Vol. II, pp. 136 - 7, Giulio Romano: Among the many rare things that [Giulio Romano] had in his house was the portrait from life of Albrecht Dürer on a piece of fine Rheims cloth, by the hand of Albrecht himself, who sent it ... as a present to Raffaello da Urbino. This portrait was an exquisite thing, for it had been coloured in gouache with much diligence with water-colours, and Albrecht had executed it without using lead-white, availing himself in its stead of the white of the cloth, with the delicate threads of which he had so well rendered the hairs of the beard, that it was a thing scarcely possible to imagine, much less to do; and when held up to the light it showed through on either side. This portrait, which was very dear to Giulio, he showed to me himself as a miracle, when I went during his lifetime to Mantua ...
Imitation is the highest form of flattery:Vol. II, pp. 78 - 9, Marc' Antonio Bolognese and others: Marc' Antonio ... began to copy those engravings by Albrecht Dürer ... [H]e added to these the signature that Albrecht used for all his works, which was "A.D.", and they proved to be so similar in manner, that, no one knowing that they had been executed by Marc' Antonio, they were ascribed to Albrecht and were bought and sold as works by his hand. News of this was sent in writing to Albrecht, who was in Flanders, together with one of the counterfeit [engravings] executed by Marc' Antonio; at which he flew into such a rage that he left Flanders and went to Venice, where he appeared before the Signoria and laid a complaint against Marc' Antonio. But he could obtain no other satisfaction but this, that Marc' Antonio should no longer use the name or the above-mentioned signature of Albrecht on his works.
And now for the disapproval:Vol. II, p. 355 - 6, Jacopo da Pontormo: Setting himself therefore to imitate [Dürer's] manner ... [Pontormo] caught it so thoroughly, that the charm of his own early manner, which had been given to him by nature, all full of sweetness and grace, suffered a great change from that new study and labour, and was so impaired through his stumbling on that German manner, that in all these works, although they are all beautiful, there is but a sorry remnant to be seen of that excellence and grace that he had given up to that time to all his figures.
... [Pontormo] painted Christ in the Garden ... Not far away is Judas leading the Jews, likewise with a countenance so strange, even as the features of all those soldiers are depicted in the German manner with bizarre expressions, that it moves him who beholds it to pity for the simplicity of the man, who sought with such patience to learn that which others avoid and seek to lose, and all to lose the manner that surpassed all others in excellence and gave infinite pleasure to everyone. Did not Pontormo know, then, that the Germans and Flemings came to these parts to learn the Italian manner, which he with such effort sought to abandon as if it were bad?
... This scene, either because he was warned by his friends, or perhaps because Jacopo himself at last became aware, although tardily, of the harm that had been done to his own sweet manner by the study of the German, proved to be much better than the others executed in the same place ... although the same German manner may be seen constantly maintained in the work as a whole.
Vol. II, p. 862, Of Divers Flemings: ... [There were] many others, who, for the reason that they never went forth from their own country, always adhered to the Flemish manner. And if Albrecht Dürer, of whom we have spoken at some length, did once come to Italy, nevertheless he kept always to one and the same manner; although he was spirited and vivacious, particularly in his heads, as is well known to all Europe.
And now to close with a bizarre and even racist explanation for why Dürer didn't draw people in the correct neo-classical manner:Vol. II, p. 76, Marc' Antonio Bolognese and others: I am willing, indeed, to believe that Albrecht [Dürer] was perhaps not able to do better because, not having any better models, he drew, when he had to make nudes, from one or other of his assistants, who must have had bad figures, as Germans generally have naked, although one sees many from those parts who are fine men when in their clothes.
Exactly how many naked Germans have you seen, Giorgio...?
(For the record, I've come to realize that, overall, my favorite paintings are more often by Flemings than Italians. So why did I read a 2000-page book on Italian artists? I ask myself that very question...)
Vasari didn't give Dürer his own Life and treats his fellow Italian Marc' Antonio Bolognese as "the father of engraving", even though he doesn't conceal the fact that Dürer's engravings preceded, and were shamelessly imitated by, Bolognese.
Ultimately, he disapproves on principle of Dürer's style, but is constantly qualifying this disapproval with high praise for his individual works. In fact, none of his works, that I recall, ever do earn Vasari's specific condemnation. And yet Vasari's general dislike remains.
Incidentally, Titian elicits a similar reaction from Vasari, who hates that he paints so fast and sloppily, yet has to admit that the results are beautiful.
(Sidebar: I have similar feelings for The Decemberists. On principle, I hate Colin Meloy's man-child vocals and think his lyrics are excessively literary. But in practice, I have to admit that they have some really good songs, and can't actually point to any I hate. Not that I've heard very many.)
But enough digressions. Here are five quotes in which you can see Vasari's commitment to neo-classicism at war with his grudging admiration for Dürer's work.
Always nice to find a famous work:Vol. II, p. 77, Marc' Antonio Bolognese and others: [Dürer] set himself to make an engraving, for printing on a sheet of half-folio, of a figure of Melancholy, with all the instruments that reduce those who use them, or rather, all mankind, to a melancholy humour; and in this he succeeded so well, that it would not be possible to do more delicate engraving with the burin.
Praise for Dürer as a painter, too:Vol. II, pp. 136 - 7, Giulio Romano: Among the many rare things that [Giulio Romano] had in his house was the portrait from life of Albrecht Dürer on a piece of fine Rheims cloth, by the hand of Albrecht himself, who sent it ... as a present to Raffaello da Urbino. This portrait was an exquisite thing, for it had been coloured in gouache with much diligence with water-colours, and Albrecht had executed it without using lead-white, availing himself in its stead of the white of the cloth, with the delicate threads of which he had so well rendered the hairs of the beard, that it was a thing scarcely possible to imagine, much less to do; and when held up to the light it showed through on either side. This portrait, which was very dear to Giulio, he showed to me himself as a miracle, when I went during his lifetime to Mantua ...
Imitation is the highest form of flattery:Vol. II, pp. 78 - 9, Marc' Antonio Bolognese and others: Marc' Antonio ... began to copy those engravings by Albrecht Dürer ... [H]e added to these the signature that Albrecht used for all his works, which was "A.D.", and they proved to be so similar in manner, that, no one knowing that they had been executed by Marc' Antonio, they were ascribed to Albrecht and were bought and sold as works by his hand. News of this was sent in writing to Albrecht, who was in Flanders, together with one of the counterfeit [engravings] executed by Marc' Antonio; at which he flew into such a rage that he left Flanders and went to Venice, where he appeared before the Signoria and laid a complaint against Marc' Antonio. But he could obtain no other satisfaction but this, that Marc' Antonio should no longer use the name or the above-mentioned signature of Albrecht on his works.
And now for the disapproval:Vol. II, p. 355 - 6, Jacopo da Pontormo: Setting himself therefore to imitate [Dürer's] manner ... [Pontormo] caught it so thoroughly, that the charm of his own early manner, which had been given to him by nature, all full of sweetness and grace, suffered a great change from that new study and labour, and was so impaired through his stumbling on that German manner, that in all these works, although they are all beautiful, there is but a sorry remnant to be seen of that excellence and grace that he had given up to that time to all his figures.
... [Pontormo] painted Christ in the Garden ... Not far away is Judas leading the Jews, likewise with a countenance so strange, even as the features of all those soldiers are depicted in the German manner with bizarre expressions, that it moves him who beholds it to pity for the simplicity of the man, who sought with such patience to learn that which others avoid and seek to lose, and all to lose the manner that surpassed all others in excellence and gave infinite pleasure to everyone. Did not Pontormo know, then, that the Germans and Flemings came to these parts to learn the Italian manner, which he with such effort sought to abandon as if it were bad?
... This scene, either because he was warned by his friends, or perhaps because Jacopo himself at last became aware, although tardily, of the harm that had been done to his own sweet manner by the study of the German, proved to be much better than the others executed in the same place ... although the same German manner may be seen constantly maintained in the work as a whole.
Vol. II, p. 862, Of Divers Flemings: ... [There were] many others, who, for the reason that they never went forth from their own country, always adhered to the Flemish manner. And if Albrecht Dürer, of whom we have spoken at some length, did once come to Italy, nevertheless he kept always to one and the same manner; although he was spirited and vivacious, particularly in his heads, as is well known to all Europe.
And now to close with a bizarre and even racist explanation for why Dürer didn't draw people in the correct neo-classical manner:Vol. II, p. 76, Marc' Antonio Bolognese and others: I am willing, indeed, to believe that Albrecht [Dürer] was perhaps not able to do better because, not having any better models, he drew, when he had to make nudes, from one or other of his assistants, who must have had bad figures, as Germans generally have naked, although one sees many from those parts who are fine men when in their clothes.
Exactly how many naked Germans have you seen, Giorgio...?