European Art, 1600 to the Present: Biographies

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Bellori, Giovanni Pietro

The Oxford Dictionary of Art | 2004 | | Copyright

Bellori, Giovanni Pietro (b Rome, 15 Jan. 1613; d Rome, 19 Feb. 1696). Italian biographer, art theorist, antiquarian, and collector. His most important work—a basic source for the history of 17th-century art—is Le vite de' pittori, scultori et architetti moderni (1672), in the preparation of which he was helped by his friend Poussin. In contrast to most authors of biographical compilations, Bellori was highly selective in the artists he discussed, limiting himself to twelve subjects—Algardi, Barocci, Caravaggio, Agostino and Annibale Carracci, Domenichino, François Duquesnoy, van Dyck, the architect Domenico Fontana, Lanfranco, Poussin, and Rubens. The preface to the work (originally delivered as a lecture at the Accademia di S. Luca, Rome, in 1664) became the classic statement of the concept of ideal art. It had a decisive influence on French academic theory and later became the theoretical basis of the Neoclassicism preached by Winckelmann. Bellori planned a sequel to his Lives, for which he wrote biographies of Maratta, Reni, and Sacchi. The life of Maratta was published in 1732 and the three biographies together, edited from his manuscript, in 1942.

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IAN CHILVERS. "Bellori, Giovanni Pietro." The Oxford Dictionary of Art. 2004. Retrieved May 28, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O2-BelloriGiovanniPietro.html

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Bellori, Giovanni Pietro

The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Art and Artists | 2003 | | Copyright

Bellori, Giovanni Pietro (1613–96). Italian biographer, art theorist, antiquarian, and collector. His most important work—a basic source for the history of 17th-century art—is Le vite de' pittori, scultori et architetti moderni (1672), in the preparation of which he was helped by his friend Poussin. In contrast to former biographers, he concentrated on artists selected for their importance, limiting himself to only twelve subjects. The preface to the work (originally delivered as a lecture at the Accademia di S. Luca, Rome, in 1664) became the classic statement of the concept of ideal art. It had a decisive influence on French academic theory and later became the theoretical basis of the Neoclassicism preached by Winckelmann.

Cite this article
Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography.

MLA
Chicago
APA

IAN CHILVERS. "Bellori, Giovanni Pietro." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Art and Artists. 2003. Encyclopedia.com. 28 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

IAN CHILVERS. "Bellori, Giovanni Pietro." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Art and Artists. 2003. Encyclopedia.com. (May 28, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O3-BelloriGiovanniPietro.html

IAN CHILVERS. "Bellori, Giovanni Pietro." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Art and Artists. 2003. Retrieved May 28, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O3-BelloriGiovanniPietro.html

Learn more about citation styles

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