Bartolomeo Montagna
[6] Because of the lack of formal documentation of his birth and confusion on the age of legal adulthood in Vicenza at that time, there is much debate as to his actual birthdate.
[3] For most of his life through his death he was a resident of Vicenza and lived in a house he purchased directly across from the Church of San Lorenzo in 1484.
The paintings were contracted to depict the Deluge (flood myth) and another scene from Genesis, however their final status is unknown as they were destroyed in a fire in 1485.
[5] A small work intended for private use, it depicts the figures in a marble enclosure with a Vicentine landscape in the background.
[3] In 1490 he painted an altarpiece for the Certosa di Pavia showing the Virgin and Child Enthroned with Saint John the Baptist and Jerome.
[5] In 1491 he painted the altarpiece, the semi-dome, and other wall frescos for the oratory dedicated to St. Blaise at the church of Santi Nazaro e Celso in Verona.
[7] His early works are generally characterized by the use of trachyte marble architecture and a particular positioning of the Virgin's hand, showing the middle and ring-finger touching and widely separated from the index and pinky finger.
[3] An altarpiece in San Michele at Vicenza (Virgin and Child with Four Saints and Music-making Angels) from 1499 is considered by many art historians to be a turning point in Montagna's style.
[5] Around this time he also completed another Bellinesque altarpiece for San Bartolomeo in Vicenza, Madonna and Child with Saint Monica and Mary.
This features dull color and the use continuous lines as a compositional element, a growing trend in renaissance paintings.
[3] In 1504 Montagna travelled to Verona to complete frescos for the choir and vaults of the Cappella di San Biagio depicting many scenes of St. Blaise.
Due to the success of this work, in 1507 he was commissioned to do the altarpiece for the Church of San Sebastiano in Verona, depicting the Virgin and Child Enthroned with St. Sebastian and St. Jerome.
[3] After returning to Vicenza, Montagna completed a painting of Madonna between Saint Anthony and John the Evangelists for San Lorenzo.
[5] His paintings frequently featured bright colors, decorative architecture, detailed drapery, and sharp angles.
[5] His style was noticeably different in the years he spent in Padua (1509-1514), showing more landscapes, sunsets and warm colors incorporated with his signature architecture look.
[3] It is generally agreed on that Montagna was influenced by Giovanni Bellini, Antonello da Messina, and Alvise Vivarni.
It is generally accepted that Bellini had the most prolific influence on Montagna's works,[5] but to whether he was actually a pupil of any of these artists and in what order is highly debated.
