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The Religious Art of Jacopo Bassano: Painting as Visual Exegesis (Cambridge Studies in New Art History and Criticism)

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The work of Bassano never ceased to be popular. It retains a degree of natural beauty few of his contemporaries shared. As with most great artists it was not until later centuries that his work gained wide ranging popularity.

This author provides hard facts and enlightening insights into why Bassano painted his chosen subject, the way he did. Bassano and his equally talented brothers, lived at a time when church (the main funding source for big art projects) placed more importance on material wealth. The use and depiction of gold and precious stones was therefore encouraged. Therefore at that time, society disregarded the abilities and richness of true artists. Even more than his father, who was also a famous painter, Jacopo initiated a change in the way art was to be perceived.

Bassano's masterpieces are reviewed in detail here, but the real gem is the renewed understanding of the artist's work.