Jacopo BASSANO - The animals enter the ark (about 1590)

 

The animals enter the ark

about 1590
Oil painting on canvas (207x265 cm)
Prado Museum, Madrid

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We all know the story of Noah and his family who at dawn bring up a couple of animals of each species.

For Bassano, the ark is not of crucial importance in the story, so much so that it is a simple presence painted only in part. Without a doubt, the painter wants our attention to fall on the animals, which seem to be the real protagonists of the story; they are so realistic that at times they seem to be alive and have even come out of the canvas for so long that they have been alive.

In order to paint such a wide range of animal species with such precision, Bassano must have performed many preparatory studies and carefully studied them live.

An in-depth study of Bassano's works showed that his painting technique also included the use of colored chalks to delineate the figures more, infusing them with greater realism.

His works became a sophisticated synthesis of Venetian colourism, a movement that includes among others Francesco Salviati, Tintoretto and Veronese.

Comparing artists: Hicks, Salviati, Savery, Tintoretto, Veronese