The last exposition of Vittore Carpaccio in Venice
Vittore Carpaccio and Venice, the Venetian painter had a deep connection with his city, but the last exhibition of Vittore Carpaccio in the Doge’s palace in Venice was held in 1963. It was the first monographic exhibition dedicated to the Venetian painter and was curated by Pietro Zampetti.
Pietro Zampetti, who was also Soprintendente in the Marche Region, professor at the University of Cà Foscari, director of the Academy of Fine Art in Venice, organized some of the first great monographic expositions dedicated to some Venetian painters or theme: Vittore Carpaccio, Lorenzo Lotto, Giannantonio Guardi, Carlo Crivelli, La pittura del Seicento a Venezia ( Seventeenth centuries painting).
The core of the exhibition was a series of paintings that had never left Venice (some of them are in this moment -2022- exposed in Washington): the Saint Ursula series, the Miracles of the Cross, the best of the canvas of San Giorgio degli Schiavoni, the Salvador Mundi from the Contini Bonacossi collection, The meditation on the passion from the Metropolitan Museum of New York, The presentation to the temple of the Gallerie dell’Accademia, The young knight, togheter with some other masterpieces like the Madonna enthroned with Saint from Vicenza, The Saint Paul from Chioggia, and other paintings from the Museum Correr and from Milan, Stuttgard, Udine and Zara.
The exhibition was an opportunity to answer the question of whether Carpaccio should be considered as important an artist as other contemporary artists, such as Giovanni Bellini, and to take note of his influence on some other contemporary artists
Vittore Carpaccio is, in fact, a unique example in the Italian Renaissance Art: his narrative, his vivid construction of the space, his observation of the interior and the architectures are detailed and original.
Today there is no doubt that Vittore Carpaccio can be considered a great master of the past, so the research can give us new perspectives of the work and life of the Venetian master.
Carpaccio Vittore and Benedetto from Venice to Istria
The exposition that was held in 2015 and was dedicated to Vittore and Benedetto Carpaccio, curated by Giandomenico Romanelli in Conegliano gave us, in fact, the possibility to admire some less known works of the painter and his son Benedetto at the end of the career.
Carpaccio was one of the most celebrated interpreters of the Venetian world between the end of the 15th and the early the 16th century.
When a new generation of geniuses, like Giorgione, Titian, Pordenone, Lotto and Sebastiano del Piombo appear on the Venetian artistic scene, there was a change and a development in Carpaccio painting language: the painter made a critical review of his language with important effects.
Vittore Carpaccio worked finally for clients on the Venetian mainland, for Cadore, Istria and Dalmatia, but also for Venetian patricians.
Also the political, cultural and religious events of the early 15th and 16th century probably pushed Vittore Carpaccio towards a change at the conclusion of his career when he created paintings marked by bright colors and precious enlightenments.
In the exhibition there were also works by his son Benedetto who inherited his father’s workshop and continued to work in Istria.
Vittore Carpaccio, Master storyteller of Renaissance in Venice
The exhibition Vittore Carpaccio, Master storyteller of Renaissance in Venice will be on view at the National Gallery of Art in Washington from November 2022 to February 2023. The exhibition includes 45 paintings and 30 drawings and is organized by the National Gallery and the Fondazione Musei Civici di Venezia. This exhibition is curated by Peter Humphrey, Andrea Bellieni and Gretchen Hirtschaen and it is announced to take place also in Venice, in the Doge’s Palace, from March to June 2023 under the title: Vittore Carpaccio paintings and designs.
The Carpaccio exhibition in Washington and then at the Doge’s Palace in Venice is also an opportunity to admire some of Vittore Carpaccio’s paintings, recently restored by Save Venice. These include St. Augustine in his studio and St. George and the Dragon in the Scuola degli Schiavoni, where the restoration work has revealed the colours and made it possible to interpret new details of the paintings.
Carpaccio in Venice – updated December 2024
The restoration of the exterior of the building of the Confraternity of the Schiavoni (Slavonian) in Venice funded by Save Venice, has been completed. The skillful restoration has also continued inside the Scuola, and has returned to us the great legibility of Vittore Carpaccio’s paintings, with their colours and depth of image that we had not yet seen. I am posting photos of the cycles of St. George, St. Tryphon and St. Jerome so you can compare the paintings I saw today with the old photos at the top of the page.
The dragon bleeds from his throat, which has been threaded by St George. This is a somewhat crude depiction, as are the pictures of the shredded bodies surrounding the two in the duel. Not all dragons ‘dance’ in an unreal atmosphere like Paolo Uccello’s. Some dragons bleed profusely before they die, pierced.
Now, compare the painting of St. George and the dragon before restoration in the foot of the page with how it looks today. What do you think?
If you desire to discover Vittore Carpaccio in Venice or some hidden gems of Venetian Art, you can contact me .
FIORELLA PAGOTTO — I am an art historian and a writer, author of essays on art history and biographies of artists. I also deal with the history of architecture and the history of architectural restoration. I have been a guide to the city of Venice and the Veneto villas since 2012, when I passed the Veneto Region exam.
Vittore Carpaccio, Hunting in the lagoon, Getty Museum-Venetian Ladies, Museo Correr, Venice.