Leseprobe

19 Italian School In the new hang, each of the three main Italian galleries is dedi­ cated to a prominent aspect of the collection of Italian masters. One gallery is devoted to Renaissance altarpieces and features Raphael’s Sistine Madonna , one of the most iconic paintings of the period. His canvas is joined by four altarpieces by Correggio, as well as others. Another entire gallery is dedicated to Venetian painting of the 16th century, where visitors can see Giorgione’s Sleeping Venus alongside masterpieces by Titian, Tintoretto, and Veronese. The last major gallery, the Baroque Gallery, features the emotionally charged canvases of ‘the long 17th century’, starting with Annibale Carracci and ending with Sebastiano Conca. Branching off these three main exhibition rooms, the cabinet galleries present a chronological survey of the history of Italian art, starting with panel paintings on gold grounds from the 14th century. Works by Renaissance artists such as Antonello da Messina and Botticelli exemplify the newly discovered laws of perspective and formal innovations in the articulation of the figure. The stress Renaissance artists placed on harmony is coun­ tered by Mannerism, as typified by Parmigianino’s Madonna of the Rose, with its more dynamic vernacular and figural concep­ tions. Completing the display are magnificent examples of Baroque art, featuring, for the first time, a cabinet show of genre scenes and still lifes. Two additional cabinet galleries trace the evolution of the devotional image and the portrait in Italian art. The exhibition continues on the second floor with works from the 18th century. The central gallery is dedicated to Bernardo Bellotto (called Canaletto) and his famous views of Dresden and nearby Pirna. The five side galleries on this upper floor bring to­ gether works of the late Baroque and Rococo, representing the schools of Venice, Bologna, Rome, and Naples, including many by the then-living artists particularly appreciated by Friedrich August II. Rosalba Carriera occupies a prominent position in the Pastel Cabinet, as the Saxon elector owned the largest collec­ tion of works by the celebrated female artist. | ah