Accademia Carrara Explores Rare Art of Painting on Stone

The Accademia Carrara in Bergamo presents 'Arte e Natura. Pittura su pietra tra Cinque e Seicento', an exhibition curated by Patrizia Cavazzini with Maria Luisa Pacelli, exploring the little-known practice of painting directly on stone slabs. The show traces the technique from its origins to Baroque variations, featuring about sixty works. It opens with Lorenzo Lotto's 'Ritratto di giovane' (late 1490s), displayed with its verso visible for the first time, revealing an imitation of stone. Early examples include Sebastiano del Piombo's 'Ritratto di Clemente VII' (c. 1531), considered the initiator of the technique, and Francesco Bassano's 'Orazione nell'orto' (1580-1590) on dark stone. Paolo Veronese's 'Crocifissione' (c. 1582-1584) on black marble uses the stone's surface to simulate apocalyptic darkness. A section on documents and materials features the 18th-century Litoteca del cardinale Riminaldi. Later sections showcase works on 'paesine' and jaspers by Antonio Tempesta and Stefano Della Bella, and on precious stones like lapis lazuli by Orazio Gentileschi ('Davide in contemplazione della testa di Golia', c. 1612). The exhibition concludes with the decline of the practice as ornate frames overshadowed the painting. Concurrently, Paolo Chiasera's project 'Orti tintori' presents 'I giardini di Sardegna, Cipro, Gerusalemme e Bergamo', a 26-meter oil painting installed in a room, hosting historical works from the Carrara collection.