Where to See Vincenzo Campi

Vincenzo Campi's paintings can be found in several European museums and churches. His earliest dated works, from 1569, include the *Deposition* in Foppone and the *Portrait of Giulio Boccamallon* at the Gallerie dell'Accademia Carrara, Bergamo. In 1573, Campi frescoed ten roundels depicting prophets in the choir of Cremona's cathedral. Other religious paintings from the 1570s include *Christ Supported by Angels* in Bordolano; *Christ About to Be Crucified* (1575) at the Certosa di Pavia; *Christ Nailed to the Cross* (1577) at the Prado; and *Virgin and Saint Anne* (1577) in Santa Maria Maddalena, Cremona. Paintings similar to his series for Hans Fugger (1580-81) can be seen at the Brera, Milan; in Lyons; and in Modena. He also collaborated with his brother Antonio on decorating the vault of San Paolo, Milan; it features *The Ascension of Christ* and *The Assumption of the Virgin*. Many drawings by artists of this period are held at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, and other museums listed.

Vincenzo Campi, born in Cremona around 1530, came from a family of painters. His brothers Giulio and Antonio were also artists; Vincenzo likely trained in Giulio's workshop. Though primarily a painter, Vincenzo's artistic milieu included printmaking. His brother Antonio, for example, produced a series of chiaroscuro prints, taking Parmigianino as his model. Furthermore, Agostino Carracci created prints after Antonio's designs for Antonio's book on the history of Cremona, published in 1585. Vincenzo Campi's interest in prints extended to his appreciation of other artists' work. He owned architectural views and figurative works by Annibale Carracci, Claude, and others. Campi admired artists like Polidoro da Caravaggio and Antonio Tempesta for their skill in chiaroscuro and printmaking, even while noting their limitations in oil painting. Tempesta even decorated the courtyard at Bassano with chiaroscuro designs.

Vincenzo Campi, born in Cremona around 1530, was part of a family of painters; his brothers Giulio and Antonio were also artists. Vincenzo trained in Giulio's workshop. His importance lies in his fusion of Cremonese Mannerism with Lombard naturalism and Flemish influences. His earliest paintings, such as the Deposition (Foppone) and the Portrait of Giulio Boccamallon (Gallerie dell'Accademia Carrara, Bergamo), both from 1569, display these elements. Campi's activity in territories controlled by the Farnese family was significant. He created frescoes in Piacenza, specifically in the choir of San Sisto, and in Busseto. In Parma, he had the opportunity to study Correggio's frescoes, and Joachim Beuckelaer's genre paintings. His genre scenes, including fruit vendors and cooks, influenced Annibale Carracci. A series commissioned by Hans Fugger in 1580-81, located at Kirchheim castle in Bavaria, stands out among these. His final project, completed in 1588 with assistance from Antonio, involved decorating the vault of San Paolo, Milan, with depictions of The Ascension of Christ and The Assumption of the Virgin. Campi died in 1591.

Venice was a major centre for dyes and pigments. Mineral pigments came from northern Europe; Germany and Hungary supplied azurite blue, Poland provided carmine red, and the Netherlands supplied verdigris green. Natural ultramarine blue was imported from what today is Afghanistan. Shops specialising in art supplies surfaced in Venice around 1500, offering pigments, canvases, solvents, and other materials. Venetian painters favoured canvas supports over fresco and panel painting, using linen, hemp, and jute, sometimes in blended fabrics. For large works, thicker twill and herringbone canvases were often chosen for their durability. The Venetians laid out thin gesso grounds to keep them flexible for transport. This created a rough, textured surface. Underdrawing played a more active role in Venice than previously thought. Titian studied mosaic, which requires precise measurements in design. Venetian artists used three-dimensional models, particularly scaled-down wax, plaster, and bronze reproductions of antique statues.

Vincenzo Campi's work, particularly his genre paintings featuring fruit, fish vendors, and cooks, influenced Annibale Carracci. Campi's paintings from this period, along with those of Bartolomeo Passarotti, helped shape Carracci's artistic direction. Campi, born in Cremona around 1530, came from a family of painters. He likely trained in the workshop of his brother Giulio, and his early works reveal Cremonese Mannerism and Lombard naturalism, later combined with Flemish influences. By 1573, he was creating frescoes in Cremona Cathedral. His time in the Farnese territories, including Piacenza and Busseto, allowed him to study Correggio's frescoes. He also saw genre paintings by Joachim Beuckelaer, sent to Parma by Alessandro Farnese. A series of paintings commissioned by Hans Fugger in 1580-81 are among Campi's most notable works. Campi's last major project, completed in 1588 with assistance from his brother Antonio, was the decoration of the vault of San Paolo, Milan. He died in 1591.

Vincenzo Campi, born in Cremona around 1530, came from a family of artists. He likely received his initial training in the workshop of his brother Giulio, alongside his other brother Antonio. His early works, such as the Deposition (1569) and the Portrait of Giulio Boccamallon (1569), demonstrate two stylistic elements: the Mannerism of Cremona and an interest in Lombard naturalism. Flemish influences also became part of his style. Like his brother Antonio, Vincenzo's work shows an increasing naturalism derived from Brescian painting. While working in Piacenza and Busseto, Vincenzo had the opportunity to study Correggio's frescoes. He was also exposed to genre paintings by Joachim Beuckelaer; these depictions of everyday scenes, along with those of Bartolomeo Passarotti, later influenced Annibale Carracci.

It is difficult to name one single work as Vincenzo Campi's most famous. He produced paintings on both religious and secular themes, and he is regarded as an important, if somewhat uneven, figure in late-sixteenth-century Lombard painting. Campi came from a family of artists; his brothers Giulio and Antonio were also painters. Vincenzo is known for his contributions to the development of still life and genre painting, and for a naturalistic style influenced by Flemish art. He produced a number of paintings featuring market and kitchen scenes, such as *The Fruit Seller* and *Kitchen Scene with Fish*. These works display an interest in everyday life, and they also incorporate symbolic elements. Campi also painted religious subjects, including altarpieces for churches in Cremona and other cities in Lombardy.

Vincenzo Campi was active during the Mannerist period, a style that emerged in Italy in the 1520s. Mannerism can be seen as a reaction against the High Renaissance ideals of balance and naturalism, which had dominated Italian art for much of the 16th century. The term 'Mannerism' derives from the Italian word 'maniera', meaning 'style' or 'manner'. Mannerist artists deliberately revealed the constructed nature of art, in contrast to Renaissance artists, who strove to conceal artifice through devices like perspective and shading. This self-conscious display of artifice often resulted in imbalanced compositions, visual and conceptual complexities, ambiguous space and unique presentations of traditional themes. The religious and political turmoil of the period, including the Protestant Reformation and the French invasion of Italy, contributed to the development of Mannerism. Where Renaissance art sought balance, Mannerism embraced imbalance, reflecting a world filled with uncertainty.