Giovanni Bellini
Ritratto d'Uomo
1490-1495
oil on panel
32,8 x 25,5 cm
Musée du Louvre, Paris
It’s been quite a while since my last visit to the Louvre Museum in Paris, but one visit stays with me; the first time I saw Bellini’s etherial Portrait of a Man. Although small in scale, the work leaves a strong, even monumental presence, in my mind.
The man’s eyes gaze off into space, away from the viewer, thus giving the portrait a sense of turning inward and a spiritual and mysterious aura.
The composition, while very literally a portrait, feels abstract. The dark silhouette that makes up the hair, hat and chest, are the stacking of groups of cut out flat organic shapes, enclosing the lighter colored and more detailed rendered face. There is also a wonderful interaction between the portrayed man in the foreground and the playful movement of clouds in the background. Despite this tight, almost claustrophobic composition, Bellini creates enormous depth and space through very minimal means.
This movement of larger flatter forms interacting with smaller ones and the use of minimal elements to suggest space and depth, are qualities I explore in my own painting.
Over 500 hundred years later, there are concepts and techniques that are still relevant today. While I don’t work with literal, figurative forms I feel that I have a spiritual connection to this work. The bridge between the 15th Century and today inspires me and my 21st Century paintings.
Marc Van Cauwenbergh, 2020
