around 1498 -1554 · Brescia and Lombardo-Venetian Renaissance

Silver light, silent dignity and Lombard naturalism make Moretto da Brescia one of the great religious masters and portraitists of northern Italy.

Alessandro Bonvicino, called Moretto da Brescia, was born around 1498 and died in 1554. With Romanino, he dominated painting in Brescia at a time when the city belonged to the Venetian political and artistic space. Moretto assimilates the atmospheric color of Giorgione and Titian while retaining naturalism, gravity and attention to materials specific to Lombardy. The majority of his works are large altar paintings intended for the churches of Brescia and its surroundings. The majority of his works are large altar paintings intended for the churches of Brescia and its surroundings. The majority of his works are large altar paintings intended for the churches of Brescia and its surroundings. The Annunciation transforms the interior into a space of silence: architecture, cold light and restrained gestures give the event an intimate solemnity. In Christ Blessing Saint John the Baptist, around 1520 -1523, a rare episode takes place on the banks of a river; the landscape and bodies have an almost daily simplicity. The portraits, fewer in number, are among his most innovative creations. The Portrait of a Man is considered by the National Gallery to be the oldest life-size Italian portrait, full-length, preserved on canvas or panel. The Portrait of Fortunato Martinengo combines fur, antique currency and bronze lamp to present the young nobleman as a humanist as well as a man of rank. Moretto transmits this attention to portraiture to his student Giovanni Battista Moroni. His silvery light, his muted whites and his collected poses give both saints and saints secular models a lasting and unemphasized presence. The "Moretto da Brescia" selection notably compares Annunciation and Christ Blessing Saint John the Baptist. His reading favors movement.

Moretto paints dignity without forced brilliance: cold light, clear fabric and a restrained gesture are enough to make the presence monumental.