With a birthplace like Milan and a lifespan converging with Leonardo da Vinci, it seems unlikely the two artists did not meet; however, Bramantino’s shows no influence by the well-known Leonardo.
Numerous art historians dispute Bartolomelo Suardi’s family background and early years due to lack of verifiable documentation and substantial evidence to provide a reasonably solid biography. We do know, under the tutelage of Donato Bramante who brought Renaissance architecture to Milan, he took the diminutive name of “Bramantino”. The Master’s influence on the painter significantly impacted what has become known as the “Bramantino style” of painting.
Several years ago, during a visit to the Museo Nacional Thyssen-Bornmesza Madrid, I had my first encounter with the work of Bramantino. There I viewed the painting, Ecce Homo (also called The Risen Christ), painted in 1495. It offers a surprisingly gaunt and striking interpretation of Christ which boldly proclaims the artist’s comfort in an entirely new style of painting.
Eight years later, Bramantino painted the Madonna and Child, ca. 1508. The artist uses a rough, almost primitive style in this early work. The stiff posture of both Madonna and child and the lack of anatomical details imply the story of the painting, rather than the moment ‘in reality’ when Mary held fruit, a symbol of her purity, for her son.
Rosso Fiorentino, sometimes called the “Father of Mannerist style” worked in Italy at the same time as Bramantino and may have also influenced Barmantino’s work. Bramantino, along with Rosso, were early leaders of this style. The Mannerists sought to both startle the viewer and present an image which encouraged an impression of a moment, giving the viewer permission to interpret the artist’s intent beyond the story on the canvas. The use of vibrant colors, elongated physical attributes in figures, a greater freedom for the artist to express themselves freely all typify the Mannerist style.
The Madonna Enthroned with Saint Ambrose and Saint Michael, part of the collection at the Veneranda Biblioteca Ambrosiana in Milan, represents a stunning example of how far Bramantino’s work developed. Only three years separate the Madonna and Child, above, and this work. Bramantino’s clearly refined skill is evident, as well as the influence of perspective, depth and geometrical structure, surely a result of the influence of his Master, Bramante.
The foreshortening of the body of Arius (a symbol of the church’s turning away from the doctrine of Arianism) and the body of a frog (a symbol of the death of Malignity) show remarkable understanding of perspective. The further use of perspective in the buildings, with a vanishing point centered on the feet of the Christ child, further demonstrates the artist’s capabilities in designing the scene.
Bramantino’s impact on the Renaissance painting movement, from the classical to the Mannerist has been widely ignored. As you study the work of this incredibly talented artist, please always keep in mind that for every da Vinci or Fiorentino, many others contributed to the fascinating history of Italian art.