The Beginnings of Painting in Bergamo
Despite its proximity to Milan, Bergamo as a town fell under the cultural and political influence of Venice. From the 16th Century, great artists there (Lotto, Moroni) established a tradition of aristocratic portraits, at once sumptuous and realistic. Caravaggio came from a small town nearby and his works show the influence of the Bergamask painters' attention to detail. Carlo Ceresa (1609-1679), the immediate predecessor of Fra'Galgario in Bergamo, created a type of portrait which linked strength and absolute simplicity. His contemporary, Evaristo Baschenis (1617-1677), a great specialist in still lifes with musical instruments, also painted several extremely intense portraits. This was the environment in which Fra'Galgario spent his formative years. No portrait of this era can as yet be attributed to him with certainty. Portraits of clergymen might have been his first orders, variations of grey on black, showing a lovely austerity.
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