Giovanni Pietro Bellori facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Giovanni Pietro Bellori
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Gian Pietro Bellori, portrait by Carlo Maratta
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| Born | January 15, 1613 |
| Died | February 19, 1696 (aged 83) |
| Occupation | Biographer, painter, librarian, art historian, historian, archaeologist |
| Known for | Lives of the Artists |
| Parent(s) | Giacomo Bellori and Artemetia Bellori (née Giannotti) |
| Academic background | |
| Influences | |
| Academic work | |
| Discipline | Classical archaeology, art history, aesthetics |
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Giovanni Pietro Bellori (born January 15, 1613 – died February 19, 1696) was an Italian art expert, painter, and collector of old things. He is most famous for his book Lives of the Artists. This book is like the 17th-century version of Vasari's famous book about artists.
Bellori's book, published in 1672, helped to spread ideas about "classical idealism" in art. This means he believed art should show perfect beauty, like ancient Greek and Roman art. He preferred artists who followed this style. He sometimes left out famous artists of his time who painted in the more dramatic Baroque style.
Contents
Bellori's Early Life and Education
Giovanni Pietro Bellori was born in Rome, Italy, on January 15, 1613. His father was a farmer. He was raised by his uncle, Francesco Angeloni. His uncle was an antiquarian, which means he collected and studied old objects. Angeloni also collected coins and artworks by famous painters like Titian.
Angeloni taught Bellori to love collecting and understanding old things. This interest was very important for Bellori's whole career. When his uncle died in 1652, Bellori inherited his house in Rome.
Becoming an Artist and Art Expert
Bellori loved art from a young age. He took art lessons from the painter Domenichino. People who visited him noted that he was good at drawing and painting landscapes. Later in his life, he was even listed as a painter when he joined the French Academy.
By 1652, Bellori became a member of the Accademia di San Luca, a famous art academy. He was also good friends with many artists, including Nicolas Poussin and Carlo Maratta.
In 1661, he traveled through Southern Italy. In 1689, he became a member of the French Academy.
Bellori's Important Roles
Bellori held several important positions. On May 31, 1670, Pope Clement X made him the Commissario delle Antichità. This job meant he was in charge of ancient artifacts in Rome.
From 1677 to 1689, Bellori worked as a librarian and antiquarian for Queen Christina of Sweden. During this time, he met other important art writers.
Bellori became very ill in 1695. He died on February 19, 1696, and was buried in the Church of S. Isidoro in Rome.
His Art Collection
Bellori lived on the Pincian Hill in Rome. He rebuilt his uncle's art collection there. Visitors wrote in their diaries that Bellori had a small but very good art gallery. It included works by artists like Titian, Tintoretto, and Van Dyck. After he died, his collection was bought by kings in Prussia and Saxony. His collection of ancient gems and medals helped shape the ideas of later art historians.
Bellori's Writings and Views on Art
In 1664, Bellori gave an important speech about the "Ideal in Art." In 1672, he published this speech as the introduction to his famous book, Le vite de’ pittori, scultori et architetti moderni (The lives of the modern painters, sculptors, and architects). This book is considered one of the first clear statements about the rules of Classicism in art.
His Book: Lives of the Artists
Bellori's Lives of the Artists included biographies of many important artists. Some of these were the brothers Annibale Carracci and Agostino Carracci, Caravaggio, Rubens, and Nicolas Poussin. He also planned to write about artists from Bologna, but he only finished entries for Guido Reni, Andrea Sacchi, and Carlo Maratta.
His Artistic Beliefs
Bellori believed that the ideal style of the Renaissance had been saved by artists who followed Annibale Carracci. He thought these artists brought back the "classical" way of painting. Bellori preferred idealism in art. This means he liked art that showed perfect forms and beauty, rather than art that was very realistic or natural.
Because of this, Bellori greatly admired Annibale Carracci's paintings. He did not like the style of Caravaggio, who was known for his dramatic realism. In his book, Bellori praised artists like Domenichino and Nicolas Poussin. He also admired the sculptor Alessandro Algardi. However, he did not mention famous artists like Gian Lorenzo Bernini or Pietro da Cortona.
Bellori's ideas about art were influenced by thinkers like Aristotle and earlier art writers like Vasari. He believed that good art came from an artist making wise choices, which he called "prudence." He thought that artists who chose to paint ideal beauty were making prudent choices, while those who focused only on realism were not.
Bellori's Work in Archaeology
In the late 1660s, Bellori helped Leonardo Agostini with his job as the papal Commissario delle Antichità. In 1670, Bellori took over this important role himself. For the next 24 years, he worked on many publications about ancient artifacts.
He published works about the Severan Marble Plan (a map of ancient Rome) and a cardinal's coin collection. He also cataloged rare coins for Queen Christina of Sweden.
Bellori worked with a printer and an engraver to create many successful books. These books included prints of ancient carvings, the Column of Marcus Aurelius, paintings from ancient tombs, and Roman triumphal arches. He also published books about ancient lamps and burials.
Bellori was an amazing antiquarian. Unlike many others at the time, he published a lot of his research. His work helped people learn much more about ancient history and art.
List of Bellori's Works
- Giovanni Pietro Bellori, Icones et segmenta illustrium e marmore tabularum quae Romae adhuc extant a Francisco Perrier delineata..., Paris, 1645.
- Giovanni Pietro Bellori, Il Bonino, ovvero avvertimenti al Tristano intorno agli errori nelle medaglie del primo tomo de' suoi Commentari historici, c. 1649.
- Giovanni Pietro Bellori, Notae in numismata tum Ephesia, tum aliarum urbium apibus insignita, Rome, 1658.
- Giovanni Pietro Bellori and Pietro Santi Bartoli, Columna Antoniniana Marci Aurelii Antonini Augusti Rebus Gestis Insignis: Germanis Simul, Et Sarmatis, Gemino Bello Devictis Ex S. C. Romae In Antonini Foro, Ad Via[m] Flaminia[m], Erecta, Ac Utriusqve Belli Imaginibus Anaglyphice Insculpta, Rome, 1675.
- Imagines veterum philosophorum (Rome, 1685).
- Pietro Santi Bartoli, Giovanni Pietro Bellori, Gli antichi sepolcri overo mausolei romani... trovati in... Roma... Rome: Antonio de Rossi, 1699.
Images for kids
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Columna Cochlis M. Aurelio Antonino Augusto dicata, Rome 1704.
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See also
In Spanish: Giovanni Pietro Bellori para niños
