A 500 Year Old Publicity Stunt

Photo (c) Lesley Powell

For a number of years, I was lucky enough to visit Venice every spring. My husband and I used to go at just about this time of year--right before Easter. I love the whole of Venice, which is a visual feast, if ever there was one. Magnificent architecture, charming canals, a sweeping lagoon--and the art! Venetian artists gave a whole new meaning to color. One of my favorites is Jacopo Tintoretto. This year marks the 500th anniversary of Tintoretto's birth. In celebration, the National Gallery in Washington, D.C., is mounting the first ever American retrospective of his work. It opens this week--March 24th, 2019.

Self Portrait
Oil on Canvas
Jacopo Tintoretto, 1547

One of the marvels of Venetian art is how much of it was commissioned for particular spaces in public buildings, and how much of it remains in its original location--hundreds of years later~! Both religious and secular buildings are filled with glorious artwork. As you might imagine, there was fierce
competition among painters to earn commissions for these buildings. And Tintoretto was an energetic and ambitions competitor. 

St. Roch in Glory
Jacopo Tintoretto

In 1560, The Scuola Grande de San Rocco invited artists to submit preliminary designs for the ceiling in one of its grand rooms. In what has been called "one of the most notorious episodes in the history of art", Tintoretto tricked all of his competitors. Instead of providing a drawing, as requested, Tintoretto executed a fully completed painting. Then he secretly installed it in the ceiling of the Scuola. When the judges gathered, Tintoretto unveiled the painting in its full glory (pictured above). He offered it as a donation to the Scuola--knowing that the Scuola's rules prohibited it from refusing of a charitable gift. And so the deed was done. Quite a stunt to get your work shown in a prominent place! The photo below shows the entire Salle Superiore, replete with art.

I have read that the other artists objected to Tintoretto's sneaky trick. But Tintoretto knew the rules, and his painting stayed. Ultimately, Tintoretto furnished most of the paintings to decorate the entire Scuola building. And they are still there today, almost 500 years later. An amazing sight.

Another room at the Scoula San Rocco,
featuring paintings by Tintoretto

If you can't make it to the exhibit, you can see a wonderful video here. It's narrated by Stanley Tucci. Just watching the video will feel make you feel like you've been on a tour of Venice--and taken a short course on Tintoretto's work. I highly recommend it!

Photo (c) Lesley Powell