Artist of the Day, July 21, 2025 : Lorenzo Lotto, an Italian painter [Renaissance] (#2336)

Lorenzo Lotto (1480 – 1556/57) was a highly regarded Italian Renaissance painter known for his distinctive style, characterized by rich colors, intricate details, and a focus on psychological depth in his portraits. He was a prominent figure in the Venetian school, working in various cities throughout northern Italy, including Venice, Treviso, Bergamo, and the Marche region. Lotto's career spanned the High Renaissance and the early Mannerist period, with his style evolving throughout his life. 

He likely trained under Giovanni Bellini, a leading Venetian painter, and was also influenced by Giorgione. His early works show the influence of Bellini's style. 

Bergamo Period :  His time in Bergamo (1513-1525) is considered a period of great artistic maturity, with notable altarpieces in San Bernardino and Santo Spirito churches. 
Venetian Return :  Lotto returned to Venice (1525-1533) and became a prominent figure alongside Titian and Pordenone. 
Later Years : The last two decades of his career were spent between Venice and the Marche region, with a final period spent as a lay brother at the monastery in Loreto. 

Lotto painted numerous altarpieces and devotional works, often infused with a deep spirituality and psychological insight. He was also a celebrated portraitist, known for capturing the inner feelings and personalities of his subjects with a sense of realism and psychological depth. 

While rooted in the Venetian tradition, Lotto developed a highly individual style, characterized by nervous energy, expressive figures, and a dramatic use of light and color. After his death, Lotto's work was largely forgotten, with his paintings attributed to other artists. He was rediscovered in the late 19th century by art historian Bernard Berenson, and his reputation has since grown. 

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Lorenzo Lotto presumably self portrait

Allegory of Virtue and Vice, circa 1505

Portrait of a Young Man with a Lamp, circa 1508

Transfiguration, circa 1510-12

The Entombment of Christ, circa 1513-16

Martinengo Altarpiece, circa 1516

Susanna and the Elders, circa 1517

Christ Taking Leave of his Mother, circa 1521

San Bernardino Altarpiece, circa 1521

Madonna and Child with Saint Roch and Saint Sebastian, circa 1522

Adoration of the Christ Child, circa 1523

Mystical Marriage of St Catherine of Alexandria with Niccoló Bonghi, circa 1523

Portrait of Marsilio Cassotti and His Bride Faustina, circa 1523

Venus and Cupid, circa 1525

Madonna and Child with Two Donors, circa 1525-30

Portrait of Andrea Odoni, circa 1527

The Angel of the Annunciation, circa 1527

Saint Nicholas in Glory, circa 1527-29

Christ and the Adulteress, circa 1528

Portrait of a Young Man, circa 1530

Triumph of Chastity, circa 1530

Crucifixion, circa 1531

Portrait of Andrea Odoni, circa 1532

Holy Family with St Jerome and St Anne, circa 1534

Recanati Annunciation, circa 1534

Portrait of an Old Man with Gloves, circa 1543

Portrait of Laura da Pola, wife of Febo da Brescia,circa 1543

Portrait of Febo da Brescia, circa 1544

San Giacomo dell'Orio Altarpiece, circa 1546

Portrait of Brother Gregorio Belo of Vicenza, circa 1547

Portrait of Giovanni della Volta with his Wife and Children, circa 1547

Presentation in the Temple, circa 1556

The Mystic Marriage of St Catherine of Alexandria, circa 1562-69