Giovanni Bellini

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Giovanni Bellini is being published for the first time since 1901. Originally popular, Roger Fry's monograph played a crucial role in reviving Bellini's reputation by reinterpreting his art for a new audience. Fry provides a definitive overview of Bellini's career, employing "scientific" connoisseurship to analyze individual works and their chronology. He highlights Bellini's innovative use of semi-transparent oil glazes, the psychological depth of his subjects, and his sensitivity to nature. As a painter, Fry approached Bellini's work with a unique understanding of aesthetic challenges. A champion of modernism, Fry was part of the Bloomsbury Group, founded the Omega Workshops, and authored significant studies on Cezanne and Matisse. His career began within a competitive circle of critics dedicated to clarifying Italian Renaissance art, with Bernard Berenson as his mentor. This monograph, Fry's first, is now available again after nearly a century, offering an original perspective on the Venetian Renaissance master and a deeper understanding of Roger Fry's own artistic journey.