Paolo Caliari (Veronese)

Paolo Caliari was born in Verona in 1528, the son of a stonecutter; he took the name Veronese after his native city. He was trained locally, but his exceptional talent was evident from the start. His style in fact changed relatively little over his career — nor did it need to, since his craftsmanship showed itself early. Veronese belongs to the Venetian school, whose members sought to awaken the senses through mood, colour and texture. Like the Venetians, Veronese and his companions loved splendour and grandeur. This was not confined to religious works; they painted secular subjects just as specially, with magical colours. Veronese created many frescoes on secular subjects, including landscapes and architectural works. The artist won fame with his monumental works, but mixing religious and luxurious secular elements brought him before the notorious Inquisition in 1573, because he had painted clowns, (presumably Protestant) Germans and other figures considered vulgar into a scene of the Last Supper. He had committed the sin of “lack of decorum”. Veronese tried to defend his work: “we painters take the same liberties as poets and madmen”. He was asked to repaint the work, but he only changed its title, so the picture is now known as The Feast in the House of Levi (pictured). Veronese died in Venice in 1588.

From the page of The Wedding Feast at Cana