The table above is not filled with fine glassware or flatware. There is no glint of silver here and there. Nor is the food being consumed anything but the most ordinary – beans, in fact. The items on the table are rather non-descript, bread, wine, and the main course, those beans. While one may not be able to place the clothing in time, it is certain that this is the garb of a working man, someone with his sleeves rolled up. His crumpled hat was obviously meant to protect his head, though his face shows the ruddiness of hours in the sun. His thick wrist and heavy fingered hands, complete with dirt under his nails, indicate a sturdy body accustomed to working the fields. He looks up in the direction of the viewers as if he suddenly notices us, so suddenly that he tilts his next mouthful of beans so that some of the juices fall from the spoon back toward the bowl. It is almost like a snapshot captured in paint rather than by a photograph.
I have a question for you, just for the sake of comparison. Look at the dates for The Bean Eater, and tell me if you think it looks like the painting of the 1500s? Probably the first answer would be, “No.” The paintings of that time were all of Bible stories, crucifixions, and saints. Or perhaps in your museum visits, you have seen portraits of various kings, queens, and other notables in their stiff, but beautifully detailed finery. An example might be Bronzino’s representation of the key figures around Cosimo de Medici the First, Duke of Tuscany. The subjects of that type of painting were of times gone by or of levels of society far beyond that of the ordinary person. The easily recognizable activities of daily life seemed to be of no import. Then along came Annibale Carracci, and the art began to look different.
In the painting here. a shop boy takes a break and guzzles down a glass of wine. The pose, if you can call it that, again is a snapshot in painting of a particular unguarded moment. The way the head is tilted back to show the inside of the nostrils and the eyes looking into the emptied glass to make sure to get every last drop, would not be one to write home about. However, it presents interesting angles, great possibilities for subtle color changes, and speaks of a gesture that everyone can recognize. Even the stain on the shirt fits in with the idea of a worker taking a short break. It is a painting of the everyday life of an ordinary person, yet done in a style that doesn’t look much like the 1500s. It broke the mold, and that was part of what made Carracci so famous.
Sebastian Smee in his recent article for the Washington Post, “This Simple Painting Revolutionized Art,” gives the credit to Annibale Carracci’s Boy Drinking as the painting that broke away from the style of the time, called Mannerism. It is a name created later that I argue does not do justice to a lot of the art of the period any more than Gothic (which suggests barbaric) does justice to the beauty of the art of the Middle Ages. (More on all that is to come.) However, the key thing here is that things changed, and the reasons for that change are quite interesting.
First let’s get some idea of who the principle player in this story was. The two portraits above, both self-portraits of the respective artists, are perfect representations of both the men and their times. On the left is Agostino Carracci, the slightly older brother of Annibale (Agostino, 1557-1602 and Annibale 1560-1609). While both brothers and their cousin Ludovico worked on projects together, Agostino shows himself in the formal manner, appropriate for a painter and poet who worked for the upper echelons of society. In this picture he represents himself, complete with ruffled collar and a garment with satiny sleeves, as a watchmaker, or a keeper of time, which in some ways is what a painter does by capturing the spirit of an age. Annibale, on the other hand, shows mostly his face and the burning light in his eyes, all emphasized by the cropped aspect of the painting and the dark browns of his non-descript cloak and floppy old hat. Simply put, with no artifice, you can tell by the portrait that the guy can paint. What more do you need to know?
Annibale Carracci is the most notable of the three Carracci’s who were painting at the time, and it is because of his move away from the stylized and highly intellectualized paintings of the Mannerist period that he is the most famous. The 16th century was the second part of the Renaissance and was much involved with pleasing royal patrons who used art to demonstrate their power and wealth in a time when things were in fact quite precarious.
A good idea of the rigors of court life in those dangerous times comes from a book called The Book of the Courtier by the man represented here in a painting by Raphael (c.1514). His name was Baldassare Castiglione. Castiglione was known as the supreme courtier, who created a special term, sprezzatura, to describe the way that a courtier should behave. The idea was to make any demand by the ruler (king, duke, prince, etc.) seem as though it could be done as easily as breathing air, regardless of the difficulty.
The result of all this intellectualized “refinement” in behavior had a definite effect on the art, producing art that was highly symbolic, dealing with classical rather than biblical themes, and which often went far ahead of where society in the 1500s actually was. One good example is the work of Giulio Romano, Raphael’s second-in-command, who in 1527 traveled to Mantua to paint the interior of the Palazzo di Te in huge almost cartoon-like figures of gods and goddesses cavorting through the many tales of their misdeeds. The feeling is one of walking through an animated movie or perhaps a graphic novel.
This movement away from art related to religion played into the hands of the Catholic Church that wanted to bring art back to realism and to art that could be easily understood through common culture and Church doctrine, as opposed to references to ancient, classical myths and legends. In a way, some of this had happened in Florence in the 1490s when the monk Savonarola had railed against the vanities and had people like Botticelli, famous for many paintings of classical themes, throwing some of his works into the bonfires. This time the move away from classical themes and intellectualized treatments of such fit in with the Counter-Reformation. The art became known as Baroque, and the emphasis was on realism and not on these “odd” artistic ideas like Romano’s caryatides that support the entrance to a court of justice in Mantua and look almost like figures from the Belle Epoch in the late 1800s.
Carracci’s focus on the ordinary and on realism fit right in with the mood of the times, which was to bring art back into something recognizable by the masses. Carracci, himself, seems to have been more interested in pursuing his craft as a painter than in gaining favor at any royal court. Even so, he painted his share of major works including the ceilings of the Farnese Palazzo in Rome. While he did do religious paintings, he ventured into areas that were to become more popular in the 1600s when Roman painting took a turn toward the landscape. (For more on that see the information on the show, “Rome: Nature and the Ideal, Landscapes 1600-1650” at the Prado in Madrid, museodelprado.es)
Though there is a person on a raft in the middle of this painting, the focus is decidedly on the natural environment. In fact, the man on the raft is partially blocked by a great tree trunk. Carracci’s treatment of the trees and their leaves looks like a precursor to the painting of the 17th century’s Poussin and Claude Lorrain. Carracci’s desire to always improve his craft led him to go to Venice in the 1580s where he spent time in the home of Jacopo Bassano, a painter quite famous for, among other things, his paintings of dogs. Titian’s work was a great influence on Carracci as well, as was the work of the Florentine, Michelangelo.
However, Carracci was an innovator, developing a style of applying paint called broken brushwork, that allows for the rougher textured paint strokes to pick up the light. This innovative attitude may have been the result of his growing up in Bologna, the home of one of the oldest universities in Europe. Whatever the contributing elements were, the Carraccis (brothers and cousin) were among the most famous of the artists in the late 16th century, and along with Caravaggio moved art into a new period that allowed people to understand what they saw without having to be schooled in all of the appropriate classical references. I do still say that La Bella Maniera, a more appropriate name than Mannerism, had its fine points with the artists taking many of the works far ahead of the time in which they lived. However, that story is “TO BE CONTINUED…”
All paintings used in this article are in Public Domain.
Resources used are as follows:
“Great Works. The Bean Eater” by Tom Lubbock independent.co.uk
Heilbrun Timeline of History, “Annabale Carracci (1560-1609)” metmuseum.org
River Landscape artsy.net
“Rome: Nature and the Ideal Landscape 1600-1650” museodelprado.es
“This Simple Painting Revolutionized Art” by Sebastian Smee washingtonpost.com
Marjorie Vernelle is an artist, writer, college professor, and traveler. For more see the Pages at ofartandwine.com or her author page at amazon.com and her art at Vernelle Art Boutique vernellestudio.com.
The Blood of Jove – Sangiovese.
It is said that in ancient times, the Etruscans named this wine for the King of the Gods, Jove or Jupiter, as the later Romans would call him. The rich dark juice that comes from these grapes along with its strong, tannin-rich taste make the name of the grape quite appropriate. In many ways, it is the king of the Tuscan grapes, as it can be the sole grape used in a wine, as in Brunello di Montalcino. Brunello is a supreme Tuscan wine and the most important appellation. It has been called seductive, as it has the flavor of “cherries and chocolate” and aromas of “truffles and tobacco” (eataly.com). Or the grape can be blended to create a wine like the ever popular Chianti, the best of which is from the Chianti Classico Consortium, which produces high quality Chianti, marked with the Black Rooster label (see ofartandwine.com) to distinguish it from some of the more acidic, mass produced types.
Bologna was the home of Annibale Carracci and the city to which he brought fame by his innovated painting style. Bologna and the nearby town of Modena are famous for the wines they produce, many of which include Sangiovese grapes. The area of Italy where they are located is known as Romagna or sometimes as Emilia-Romagna. The countryside surrounding the area and the Sangiovese wines produced here are said to be as “rough, honest and frank” as the inhabitants of the area (travelemiliaromagna.it). That direct, honest characteristic can certainly be seen in the work of Annabale Carracci, just think of The Bean Eater. Modena produces a ruby-red wine that is mainly made from Sangiovese grapes. It is dry and well balanced and known for its beautiful purple reflections.
While the Sangiovese grape seems to have originated in Tuscany, the locals in and around Bologna claim it was born in the village of Santarcangelo di Romagna. Everybody loves to claim a good thing, right? No matter where it originated, it has become one of winemakers favorite grapes, as it blends so well with other grapes and can produce a wide variety of tastes based upon the climate, the terroir, and the winemaking process. This versatility has lead to the creation of wines referred to as Super Tuscans. They are made in non-traditional ways, including blending with other varieties such as cabernet, merlot, and syrah, and being aged in small French oak casques.
The picture above says it all. Sangiovese wines go very well with meat dishes, and pastas with tomato sauces, like the famous Bolognese sauce. Grilled steak goes very well with the wine, but also grilled vegetables have their taste enhanced by the flavor of Sangiovese. The wine also works with the flavors of herbs like oregano, dill, thyme, and basil. A great cheese to serve with Sangiovese wine is Aged Asiago or Aged Pecorino Toscano. The wines are meant to be drunk fairly soon, so do not keep an unopened bottle more than about three years, though some versions that are mixed with cabernet, malbec or merlot can last five-to-seven years. Serve the wine at 60-65 degrees Fahrenheit. Any glass will do, as there is little aroma. Then you are good to go.
Don’t miss this wonderful wine. Try it the next time you fire up the grill for meat dishes and grilled veggies or when you are in the mood for a meaty pasta dish. Enjoy it like Carracci’s Bean Eater dug into his hearty meal, and toast both Tuscany and Romagna for their contribution to the world of wine.
Photo from thespruceeats.com “What is Sangiovese Wine?”
Information gathered on Sangiovese wine comes from the linked websites in the paragraphs above.
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©marjorie vernelle 2021
Coming Soon: The Avant Garde of La Bella Maniera and Wines of Romagna.
Yes, this was done in the early 1500s. It looks like a modern graphic novel illustration of a classical story, but no, it was done by Giulio Romano for his patron Federico Gonzaga of Mantua to decorate his pleasure palace the Palazzo di Te. This rather modern looking illustration of a scene is just one example of how Mannerism, also called La Bella Maniera, allowed artists the freedom to go where their imaginations and their art would take them and thus became a real avant-garde movement before the term was ever coined.