Barnaba da Modena facts for kids
Barnaba da Modena (born around 1328, died around 1386) was an Italian painter from the 1300s. He painted in a style called Byzantine art, which was very old and popular at the time. Barnaba is known as the first important painter from a region in Italy called Lombardy. He worked in different parts of Italy, including Lombardy, Piedmont, and Pisa in Tuscany.
Life: Barnaba's Journey as an Artist
Barnaba was born in a city called Modena, which is how he got his name. We first find records of him in 1361 and 1362. By then, he was already a citizen of Genoa and was hiring helpers from Tuscany.
His earliest paintings that have dates show he was working in Genoa. In 1364, he created paintings for the Doge's Palace in Genoa. One of his first known works is a large painting with many panels, called a polyptych. It shows the Virgin and Child with Saints and is now in the Palazzo Bianco in Genoa. This painting mixes the Gothic style from Tuscany with designs from his home region, Emilia.
Another painting, a 
(now in the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston), shows that he was influenced by painters from the Sienese School. You can see this in the round faces and the golden lines on Mary's cloak.
Barnaba was also active in Turin in 1370. A painting he made in 1377 was recorded in a church in Alba. Barnaba probably spent some time in Pisa around 1380.
Work: Barnaba's Painting Style
Barnaba was a very busy artist and created about 50 known works. He was very successful in Genoa because he stuck to the older Byzantine painting style. This style was still very popular in the city. This explains why his paintings often have special designs, use gold highlights, and have golden backgrounds. These are all typical features of Byzantine art.
Barnaba was an artist who didn't always follow the newest art trends of the 1300s. However, he was still able to show deep feelings in his early works because of his skilled technique. Barnaba was a leading painter in Genoa in the late 1300s, and possibly in Pisa too. His student, Nicolò da Voltri, continued to use Barnaba's style and images in the Liguria region until about 1420.
See also
In Spanish: Bernabé de Módena para niños
