Bernardino Luini

Bernardino Luini , c.1480-1532, b. Luino, Italian painter, son of Giovanni Lutero. Among the extant works of his early years (before 1510) are a Pietà (Santa Maria della Passione, Milan) and Madonna and Child with St. John (National Gall., London), in the manner of the Lombard school. He soon came under the influence of Leonardo da Vinci, whose style he echoed for the rest of his life. Thus his paintings, particularly of the Madonna, are characterized by a serenity and grace distilled from his master. Panels of the Madonna and Child are in the Brera, Milan; the Cincinnati Art Museum; and the Louvre. He executed many large works in towns near Milan: the altarpiece for the church at Legnano; frescoes for Santa Maria Miracoli at Saronno; the Crucifixion in Santa Maria degli Angioli, Lugano; and works in the cathedral at Como. These paintings are marked by an inventive quality, with enchanting landscape backgrounds filled with delightful details. Other works include Modesty and Vanity (San Diego) and a portrait and several mythological paintings (National Gall. of Art, Washington, D.C.).

Luini, Bernardino (c.1480–1532). Milanese painter, one of the most prominent of Leonardo's followers in Lombardy. Little is known of his life, but his prolific output indicates that he must have enjoyed a successful career (he was unusual among Leonardo's followers in that he painted numerous frescos as well as easel pictures). His work is well represented in the Brera in Milan and many of his frescos and altarpieces are in Lombard churches. He also painted mythological subjects (Cephalus and Procris, c.1522, NG, Washington). Luini sentimentalized Leonardo's style, and this helped to win him great popularity with the Victorians. His best work is of high quality, but he ran a busy workshop and some of his followers and copyists vulgarized his style into almost a parody of Leonardo, with sickly smirks and exaggerated chiaroscuro.