Art Essay Example: Gentile Bellini

Assess and discuss the role of Gentile Bellini as an artistic mediator between Venice and Ottoman Istanbul Gentile Bellini remains one of the chief protagonists when it comes to Europe oriental mode of paintings especially in Venice. Venice was a place that was open to different cultures from scientific, religious, philosophical and literary texts which were evident throughout the renaissance period. Gentile Bellini rose from a family of artistic painters in Italy, a son to Jacopo Bellini and brother to Giovanni Bellini who was both painters. Some of his famous paintings are St. Mark Preaching in Alexandria, Processions in St. Marks Square, Sultan Mehmet II just to mention a few.  Gentile Bellini visit to Ottoman Empire exposed him to Ottoman lifestyle and culture, a visit that had a huge impact in his painting career as well as the relationship between the religious background of Venice and Islamic cultures of ancient Turkey. Despite Venice being portrayed as a Christian religion city, the 15th and 16th century saw the incorporation of Muslim figures in their paintings in places such as altarpieces and chapels. Gentile Bellini visit to Ottoman is said to have enhanced and played a huge role in artistic mediation between Ottoman Istanbul and Venice.

Ottoman Istanbul was a place enjoying ethnic and religious diversity during the late 15th century. Its nature of diversity coupled with commerce and trade made it irresistible for people from all over Mediterranean to visit the Ottoman capital at that particular time. Among the subjects who visited the capital were artists among them being Gentile Bellini who was invited by Mehmet II. With a number of artists visiting Ottoman Istanbul, most artists before and after Gentile Bellini began having paintings that depicted whatever they encountered. Amazingly, the paintings made depicted Venetian style of paintings that are similar to those used in Bellinis shop. Some of the objects depicted by Venetian painters in their work were things such as ceramics, Islamic decorative and architectural arts, blazons and lamps. Gentile also incorporated elements of Islamic paintings on already painted Christian works.

The visit by Gentile Bellini comes after the Fall of Constantinople in the year 1423, a period that affected Merchants in Venice badly. There had been the loss of trading privileges that prior existed during the era of the Byzantines (Christians) between Turkey and Venice. Immediately things calmed down and people were back in business The Ottoman Empire decided to enter into negotiations with Venice in 1479. The negotiations were to restore the previous existing relationships and trading opportunities with Venice by signing a treaty with Mehmet. Part of the treaty was that a Venetian painter should paint an art of an image portraying the Sultan. He stayed in Ottoman Istanbul for a period of two years painting the portrait of Mehmet. He did a good job normalizing the relationship between the Ottoman Empire and the Italian Merchant Republics. Despite Giovanni being the most famous brother, he was not deemed good enough to be used as an artistic mediator but Gentile Bellini accomplished.

Back at home, Gentile Bellini made major innovations in the world of art during the renaissance period across Europe. He contributed to a decision that was meant to put commercial interests of the Italian Merchant society before any religious or political conflicts. Gentile Bellini work contributed to an intimate knowledge when it comes to Near Eastern Costumes. From his experience derived in Istanbul when working on Sultan Mehmet II portrait and figures depicting men and women from different social groups, same style of painting was witnessed back home. Bellini and his students work is extremely a thorough representation of Muslim Ottoman dresses and turbans. Bellini's work was a foundation of a new style of art in Europe during the late 1500s that passed an artistic message of a multicultural relationship seen in Europe. Among the Venetian Renaissance painters, paintings with Muslim drawings and figures became prized possessions that were passed down generations after generations. The change in artistic work is attributed to the Mamluk-Venetian diplomatic relationship.

According to Carboni and Stefano, Gentile Bellinis visit to Ottoman changed his view on how different artists viewed the works of others. Bellini had viewed works of other Italian artists prior to his visit who viewed Sultan Mehmet as a muscular former soldier seen in medals as portrayed by other artists. However, his stay in Ottoman for 18 months living as a resident in Sultans court. His work depicts Sultan Mehmet as a friendly person. Through his portrait of Sultan, Mehmet is brought out as a nobleman with an aquiline nose, thin face and a well-groomed hair and very different from what other painters portrayed him.

A few years after the departure of Gentile Bellini from Ottoman Istanbul back to Venice, other famous painters such as Leonardo Da Vinci and Michelangelo were also invited to Istanbul. Even though the visit had little impact compared to Gentile Bellinis visit, the thought that the two regions maintained a healthy trade union among themselves at that time was the thought that counted. Collection of Islamic art can be traced back from late 1500 to date. Diplomats and Merchants from Venice came to develop a taste of Islamic merchandise such as textiles, ceramics, metalwork, arms, and armor just to mention a few. Some of this merchandise was displayed in their homes as works of art alongside arts from other places. Gentile Bellini is seen as a mediator or a negotiator who can be described as an artist that opened relationships between the Christian Europeans from the West and the Muslim from the East.

The fifteenth century saw the social and cultural diversity affecting the works of art during that period. Gentile Bellini works of art in this period came at a time when Venice and the East relationship at a crossroad. Gentile Bellini is considered an artist who contributed to the mending of the relationship of Venice Eastward after years of increased pressure due to change of regime. Venice was considered the only window to the East and thus Gentile Bellini was seen as a peace offering that happened to end the long war. Despite old masters in painting traveling, Gentile Bellini is seen as an artist who crossed both continents and cultures in his work. His piece of art reflects propaganda and patronage, east and west and also a brilliant period in art history.

Bibliography

Campbell, Caroline, and Alan Chong. Bellini and the East. Yale University Press, 2005.

Carboni, Stefano, ed. Venice and the Islamic world, 828-1797. Yale University Press, 2007.

Cumming, Laura. 2017. "Art: Bellini and The East". The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2006/apr/16/art.

Raby, J. Pride and Prejudice: Mehmet the Conqueror and the Italian Portrait Medal. Studies in the History, (1987), pp. 171-194

Rodini, Elizabeth. "The sultans true face? Gentile Bellini, Mehmet II, and the values of verisimilitude." The Turk and Islam in the Western Eye, 14501750: Visual Imagery before Orientalism (2017): 21-40.