Mannerist Paintings of Italian Artist Giorgione

Painting has played an integral part in permitting the public to comprehend society from a different point of view. Landscape paintings, in particular, are a way to immerse the viewer in the world around them. For centuries painters have used landscape art to understand the world they live in. "Landscape painting made its appearance very late in Christian art, and for a long time, it played but a minor part." It was not until the Renaissance that artists began to become more interested in nature itself and used it as the main subject rather than just being a background for the main subject.

This interest in landscape art would flourish and refine in the years to come. Giorgione Vincent Van Gogh and are three celebrated artists who used landscape paintings to interact with their environments. Each one of these artists helped further enhance landscape paintings in their lifetimes. They all lived in different time periods, and each experienced diverse social, economic, and personal upheavals in their time.

Giorgione (Giorgio Barbarelli da Castelfranco; c. 1475 –1510) lived in Venice in the late fifteenth century when it was budding into a center for artistic movement during the high Renaissance. He is something of an enigma; not much is known about him or his life. We do know, however, that he trained under the esteemed Giovanni Bellini and that he was popular during his time. In fact, Giorgione influenced not only his cohorts like Titian but even Giovanni himself. He painted in a style that today is called Mannerism. Mannerist paintings are concerned with artificiality and eliciting intense emotions. Giorgione pioneered new innovations during his brief career. One of the unique styles of his works is poetic paintings. "…That was one of Giorgione's innovations, to paint pictures of sheer loveliness with no concern with either scripture or history, and this is one of his loveliest."

His work has often caused much ire among scholars today because the subjects of his landscape paintings continue to elude a decisive meaning. The Tempest is one of Giorgione's most gripping pieces. This image gives a sense of atmosphere by telling a story, though that story is often unclear. It is associated with a "scientific" mentality by representing weather conditions, such as the gathering storm that looms over the horizon giving the feeling of foreboding. The scenery is lush and green, and the colors are subdued and dark. Giorgione's use of various shades of greens and blues—applied using Leonardo's technique of sfumato—creates a feeling of unrest.

In the background, heavy masonry suggests a cityscape. While this painting contains two human figures, they are not the focal points of it. In the foreground, to the right, a nude woman is seen nursing her baby under trees and shrubbery. Her nudity, though, does not appear sensual but rather maternally. Her secretive gaze is cemented toward the viewer. Across the stream stands a man who is stylishly dressed; he has paused to look in the direction of the woman. Giorgione developed a style of softness and harmony that showcased a deep emotion for people and the world around them.

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