Minerva

One of the most eminent Venetian painters of the second half of the sixteenth century was Paolo Cagliari, called Veronese. He was born in Verona, but lived in Venice from 1555. The author of monumental painting, subject compositions and portraits, Veronese is represented in the museum by a small sketch of Minerva executed as part of a series for a private individual. The sketch is a fine illustration of the artist’s mastery. The figure of the Roman goddess of wisdom is painted with a light brush. The colours are applied in transparent strokes, virtually dry, and the texture of the canvas is included in the painting, which gives the whole picture a material, tangible quality. At the same time Veronese’s colours shine with a surface light, while the overall cool silvery tone of the painting and the enigmatic mood of the goddess lend the sketch a certain aloofness, on the one hand, yet associate the figure more closely with its surroundings.

c. 1570

Oil on canvas

28.0 x 16.0cm

2666

Images and text © The Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts, 2017