Circle of Leandro Bassano (1557 - 1622), Allegory of Winter

Circle of Leandro Bassano (1557 - 1622) Allegory of Winter Oil on canvas, 78.5 x 93.5 cm - with frame, 86 x 102 cm Collectively known as Bassano from the name of their city of origin, Bassano del Grappa, the designation was established by art criticism during the modern era; that of the "Da Ponte" was an ante litteram, family-run business enterprise, active for about a century and a half. Begun by Francesco the Elder, in the early 1500s, it achieved great appreciation throughout northern Italy with the personality of Jacopo, starting from the second half of the fourth decade, and his brothers Giambattista and Gianfrancesco. After him, his sons Francesco the Younger, Giambattista, Leandro, and Gerolamo would interpret the family tradition. The compositions derive from a series conceived by Jacopo Bassano (1510-1592), and the stylistic characteristics suggest attributing the execution to his school, whose epigones were active throughout the 17th century. This is a work from the early youth of Leandro Bassano, who we know was active in his father's workshop until his move to Venice in 1584 or, at the latest, in 1588. In that year, Leandro is indeed registered in the Fraglia dei pittori veneziani; in Venice, where he had been with his father in 1577-78, he began a prolific career as a painter of portraits and altarpieces, without, however, refraining from repeatedly revisiting his father's inventions. The activities of the figures refer to those typical of the winter season, also well highlighted by the bare trees and the snowy landscape in the background, which is separated scenically from the foreground. In other versions of the work, an isolated biblical scene is also visible, namely Christ carrying the cross, which is absent in this last one, where details related to everyday peasant life are maintained: gathering wood, the family around the fire, the animals that tie together the various parts of the painting, and the snow-dusted panorama on the horizon. A characteristic found in the young Leandro is the accentuation of shadows in contrast to the vibrancy of colors and highlights, which stand out in the dark environment of the winter night. The tonal richness, the luminous contrasts, the biblical-pastoral subject, the rustic setting fit perfectly into the context of Bassano school painting.