https://venice.dahvc.org/fall-2020/files/original/November_20_Galleria_Borghese_or_Pinacoteca_di_Brera/Saint_Mark_Preaching_in_Alexandria/SCALA_ARCHIVES_1039614920.jpg 34c69f5b81cb9a85e214f1b81926da53 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource November 20: Galleria Borghese or Pinacoteca di Brera Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant Galleria Borghese, Rome or Pinacoteca di Brera, Milan, Italy Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource <em>Saint Mark Preaching in Alexandria</em> Description An account of the resource <p>In this painting, we see Saint Mark preaching in Alexandria. Giovanni and Gentile Bellini pull the focus onto the details of the landscape in multiple ways. First, with regards to the composition of the image, Bellini scattered objects of Venetian and Islamic significance throughout the painting in addition to cramming the landscape with people, not giving anything for viewers to focus on and thus forcing to consider the image in its entirety to discover the meaning behind the painting. Second, he used a variety of colors in the painting, which created a scattered feel to the painting and did not add specific contrast for a viewer’s eye to be drawn to. In addition, Bellini did not point to a specific source of light, rather just making the whole painting uniformly light, which is very different from the normal beam of light that either emanates from or shines on central figures in most religious painting and moves the focus away from the saint himself to include the rest of the painting. Finally, Bellini added texture to most of the figures in the foreground as compared to the background of the painting, which increases the viewer’s focus on the foreground and the objects in the foreground; however, there is not any particularly textured area in the foreground, diffusing the focus throughout the foreground.</p> <p>Now, the question becomes why would the Bellinis want to make the entire landscape the focus of the painting rather than Saint Mark himself? First, the painting contains lots of details that have meaning in Venetian and Islamic culture; for example, the building in the background is the Basilica of San Marco from Venice, but it is surrounded by high-walled buildings with minarets, exemplifying the melding of cultures that is portrayed by Saint Mark’s, the patron saint of Venice, arrival in Alexandria [1]. Tiny details like these are scattered throughout the painting, and Bellini would want to bring attention to them, so the viewer would be able to understand the enhanced meaning of the painting In addition, Brahim Alaoui believes that because Saint Mark’s preaching in Alexandria was a less commonly depicted scene, Bellini was able to incorporate more of his artistic vision, such as by including a famous Venetian building in Alexandria, rather than having to stick to the traditional interpretation of the scene in Jacopo da Varagine’s <em>Golden Legend</em> [2]. Bellini’s ability to include his own artistic narrative is especially important for this painting as it allowed him to infuse socio-political commentary into the painting through the smooth incorporation of both Venetian and Islamic symbols, which perpetuated the idea that Venice, a city under the divine protection of Saint Mark, and Alexandria, an Islamic city, could co-exist and peaceful conversions could take place [3]. The inclusion of the many important symbols necessitated the lack of a clear focus on the central figure as it left room for the viewer to individually understand what the meaning of the painting was, playing into the idea of personal interpretations of religion and religious art that became increasingly popular with the advent of the Renaissance.</p> <p>[1] David Carrier, "A Renaissance Fantasy Image of the Islamic World: Gentile and Giovanni Bellini’s "Saint Mark Preaching In Alexandria"," in <em>Source: Notes in the History of Art</em> 28, no. 1 (United States: The University of Chicago Press, 2008), 16-19.</p> <p>[2] Brahim Alaoui, Deke Dusinberre, <em>Venice and the Islamic World, 828-1797</em>  (United Kingdom: Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2007), 128.</p> <p>[3] "St Mark Preaching In Alexandria By Giovanni Bellini" (2020), <em>Giovannibellini.Org</em>, http://www.giovannibellini.org/st-mark-preaching-in-alexandria/.</p> Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Giovanni and Gentile Bellini Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Gentile Bellini and Giovanni Bellini. 1504-c. 1507. <em>Saint Mark Preaching in Alexandria</em>. painting. Place: Pinacoteca di Brera, Milan, Italy. https://library.artstor.org/asset/SCALA_ARCHIVES_1039614920.<br /><br /> <p>Carrier, David. "A Renaissance Fantasy Image of the Islamic World: Gentile and Giovanni Bellini’s "Saint Mark Preaching In Alexandria"." <em>Source: Notes in the History of Art</em> 28, no. 1 (2008): 16-19. Accessed November 18, 2020. http://www.jstor.org/stable/23207968.</p> <p>Alaoui, Brahim., Dusinberre, Deke. <em>Venice and the Islamic World, 828-1797</em>. United Kingdom: Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2007.</p> <p>"St Mark Preaching In Alexandria By Giovanni Bellini". 2020. <em>Giovannibellini.Org</em>. http://www.giovannibellini.org/st-mark-preaching-in-alexandria/.</p> <p> </p> Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Scuola Di San Marco, Gentile Bellini and Giovanni Bellini. 1504-c. 1507. Saint Mark Preaching in Alexandria. painting. Place: Pinacoteca di Brera, Milan, Italy. https://library.artstor.org/asset/SCALA_ARCHIVES_1039614920. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1504-1507 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Rhea Niyyar Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource (c) 2006, SCALA, Florence/ART RESOURCE, N.Y. Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource Oil on canvas, 347 x 770 cm Type The nature or genre of the resource Painting Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant Pinacoteca di Brera, Milan, Italy.