Scuola Grande di San Rocco in Venice: Rivalries between painters

Tintoretto, Moses gushing water from the rock, Scuola Grande San Rocco in Venice

Moses gushing water It would take 18 years to decide to start interior decorating: rivalries between painters...

As early as 1546 the Scuola di San Rocco had voted to have the Sala dell'Albergo decorated, without any follow-up.

In September 1553, Titian proposed creating a large canvas that would cover the entire wall facing the entrance to the Albergo hall; this proposal, initially accepted unanimously, also remained unfulfilled, and it was not until January 1557 that the firm and definitive decision was taken to undertake the decoration of the Albergo, setting aside 200 ducats a year for this purpose.

Tintoretto, The Ladder or Jacob's Vision, Scuola Grande San Rocco in Venice

Jacob's Vision In May 1564, 37 councillors of the Banca di San Rocco finally agreed to cover the cost of the first canvas intended to occupy the centre of the ceiling...

During the meeting one of them personally offered a contribution of 15 ducats, on condition that the work was not entrusted to the Tintoretto!

On 31 May 1564, San Rocco decided to open a sketching competition in which the greatest Venetian painters were to take part: G. Salviati, F. Zuccari, A. Schiavone, Paul Veronese.

Yet it was the famous Jacopo Robusti, nicknamed “il Tintoretto” because he was the son of a dyer, who would do everything to be able to decorate the Scuola, knowing how to convince and seduce the members of the Brotherhood with his talents as a painter and negotiator.

Jacob's Vision Not only was he able to catch the other competitors off guard by presenting his painting before they did, but he did not hesitate to lower his prices at the time of the competitions, going so far as to offer to paint “in the style” of the other artists for a lower price...

The Tintoretto took his competitors by storm by presenting a finished work!!!!

Instead of preparing his works with sketches on paper, Tintoretto preferred to work directly on canvas by drawing a few sketches of his figures and fixing his idea with a few graphic landmarks.

Then he painted: painting and drawing were one and the same in his mind.

Tintoretto, The Adoration of the Shepherds, Scuola Grande San Rocco in Venice

The Adoration of the Shepherds His creative power gave him that great freedom and extraordinary speed of execution that characterises artistic genius.

Thus, as early as 22 June 1564, with his Saint Roch in Glory completed before the competition, he managed to have it installed on the ceiling of the Albergo.

To appease certain San Rocco officials who saw this as a way of presenting them with a fait accompli, he made a gift of it to the Scuola as a sign of devotion to the Saint!

And he painted the other 16 canvases on the ceiling of the Albergo, whose main themes were morality and religion, free of charge during the summer and autumn of 1564!

Tintoretto, The Multiplication of Bread and Fish, Scuola Grande San Rocco in Venice

Multiplication of Bread and Fish It shows the Vertues of Faith, Hope, Truth and Goodness, as well as allegories of the other five Scuole Grande that practise them: San Giovanni Evangelista, the Misericordia, San Marco, San Teodoro, and the Scuola della Carità represented by a beautiful young woman flying to the rescue of two children whom she affectionately carries in her arms.

The Two Female Figures, their hands piously crossed over their chests, seem to be strolling freely between the clouds in complete serenity.

Tintoretto, The Probatic Pool, Scuola Grande San Rocco in Venice

The Probatic Pool And Happiness is represented by... a woman calmly seated with her legs slightly bent and her left arm outstretched, in an attitude close to that of Faith, which is holding a chalice that radiates her with its light.

Truth, more restless, turns her torso, uncovering her breast, as if in search of a more comfortable position; while Hope, with her arms slightly spread along her body, her whole being floats in ecstasy before the object of her contemplation.

Tintoretto elected a member of the Confraternity of San Rocco