Giovanni Girolamo Savoldo, Shepherd with flute, c. 1525 by Atelier Liesjes

About "Giovanni Girolamo Savoldo, Shepherd with flute, c. 1525"

by Atelier Liesjes

About the artwork

This painter is known for his skill in painting twilight scenes such as this one, in which a large figure of a shepherd stands against a dark sky, gazing wearily at the viewer. Resting his left arm on a staff, seemingly weary from daily work, the shepherd loosely holds a flute. With his right hand, he gestures toward a farmhouse in the background, behind which imaginary ancient ruins loom. Although better known for religious subjects, Salvoldo here presents a genre scene, perhaps influenced by contemporary Flemish artists.

The figure of the shepherd is clearly delineated against his surroundings and appears almost luminous in the evening light. Savoldo's use of deep, rich colors and expressive textures shows the influence of contemporary Venetian painters, such as Titian (1485-1576) and Lorenzo Lotto (1480-1556). The musical shepherd may have been intended to idealize and celebrate the charms of pastoral life for a sophisticated urban audience. Such paintings became popular in Venice in the early sixteenth century, when interest in pastoral poetry and drama also began to flourish.

Giovanni Girolamo Savoldo, also called Girolamo da Brescia (c. 1480-1485 - after 1548), was an Italian painter of the High Renaissance who was especially active in Venice. He is known for his subtle use of color and chiaroscuro, and for the austere realism of his works.