Venice Renaissance Art Tour (3 Hours)

During this three-hour Venice art tour, we'll dive into the high Renaissance in the city and examine the work of Titian, Tintoretto, and other masters as they reflect this pivotal period in Venetian art. Along the way we'll visit two major monuments in Venice—the Scuola di San Rocco and the Basilica dei Frari. This is an excellent, in-depth tour for art lovers.

Part of the beauty of Venice is its wealth of art still in-situ—in place—rather than displayed in a museum. This allows us the opportunity to more fully understand the role and purpose of original works, starting with the churches and scuole of the San Polo sestiere. The great scuole of Venice dominated public life, participating in lavish processions to proclaim the glory of the republic and decorate their meeting halls with works by Venetian masters. The Scuola of San Rocco is no exception, with over fifty canvases painted by the sixteenth century master Tintoretto. His distinct style, most notable for his dramatic use of light, sets him apart from many other Italian artists. We will spend a significant amount of time examining the art of Tintoretto, both in terms of style and in the context of the confraternity.Not just satisfied to expound the glory of Venice through art, confraternities were also essential in performing charitable works, especially in times of plague. The Scuola of San Giovanni Evangelist, the second oldest confraternity in Venice, provides an architectural contrast to that of San Rocco, and one can still view a plaque describing the plague of 1348.

Proceeding just next door on our Venice art tour, the Chiesa dei Frari, built by the Franciscans, again reminds us of the importance of artistic commissions in the life of Renaissance Venetians and provides a microcosm of Venetian art and history from the fourteenth century onwards. The two important altarpieces by Titian contained in this church, The Assumption of Mary and the Madonna of Ca' Pesaro, would be reason enough to explore, but its further works by Bellini and Donatello only add to its value. Here we will be able to compare and contrast the work of Titian to his forefather, Giovanni Bellini, with his successor, keeping in mind the work of Tintoretto.