In the Age of Giorgione

Fabulous exhibition at the Royal Academy looking at the work of Giorgione and his contemporaries in Venice.

I am a great Giorgione fan already and was aware that there aren’t many that still exist and that there is often a lot of controversy over their attribution. However this show had some which I had not come across before so I had a real sense of discovery.

The first room looked at the art world in Venice which would have influenced him and included a lovely portrait of a German merchant by Durer.

My favourite room was the room of portraits with the walls hung with either beautiful languid poets with beautifully coiffured bobbed hair or more robust solders. There was a marked absence of women but they turned up in the last room which looked at allegorical portraits.

Obviously the Uffizi was not going to let The Tempest travel but there was a picture called The Sunrise which I’d not come across before but from shape, style and strange subject matter I felt could be a companion piece.

I definitely want to go to see this show again and take the audio tour as I felt there was more to learn about Giorgione’s patrons and about the other artists on show.

Closes on 5 June 2016.

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