Wedding at Cana, Paolo Veronese

The painter of this massive piece, Paolo Veronese, lived from 1528 to 1588 and was a prolific Italian artist in the late years of the Venetian School. Characterizing both the school’s and his focus was light and color. His quite early life, beginning at age 14, involved apprenticeship with and influence by great artists of the time, and by 1553 he was studying in Venice and discovering his signature style–namely, wide varieties of color which filled the entire painting. In the following years, he worked extensively on frescoes, altar pieces, and large groups of figures in Renaissance architecture. The Marriage at Cana was painted 1562-1563, and featured dilated space and a large, complex crowd. Another famous painting, Feast in the House of Levi, was subjected to inquisition, during which Veronese defended creative liberty of artists. Toward the end of his life, his paintings became more somber and meditative, in sharp contrast with his earlier works; he died of illness in 1588. The more loved of his styles were those filled with light and color.

As mentioned briefly in the bio, Jesus and Mary are at the center–visually placing what happens between them as the most important part of the text. The vast number of people, too, is illustrated and accented by the people on balconies and clambering over rooftops looking upon the celebration. This is perhaps to accentuate the fact that, in the text, it is only his disciples who are mentioned as coming to believe in Jesus. Of the characters in this painting, only a few near to Jesus look in his direction, presumably his disciples, and despite being in the center from the perspective of the viewer, he is to the rear of the celebration itself, with his back against a wall; during a feast, it may be a prominent place for those sitting at the u-shaped table, but given all that is going on it would be easy to miss him, as a guest. Also of note is the fact that Jesus’ gaze is directed toward the viewer. This draws the viewer’s eyes toward Jesus as much as the burst of color behind his head. There is one other character in the lower left who does this, but analyzing that goes beyond the scope of this project. Whether or not this is before or after the sign he performs influences the interpretation. Give how many of the characters are holding the wine at a distance to examine it, it seems plausible to me this is after, and the people are surprised. The Art Bible page claimed it was based on John 2:8, which is Jesus’ command to the servants. It is said in the reading that only those who drew the wine knew who had done this, so the others’ incredulity makes sense. Only the disciples, then, come to believe, and for now, the rest of the Jews are simply confused. This also highlights how Jesus acts on God’s time, for His own purposes; thus, he will reveal his glory when it is time. Veronese perhaps hints at this again with Jesus’ gaze. It is not directed toward the assembly, but rather aloof; he could be commanding the viewer of the painting to believe in him, and he could at the same time be present in his Father rather than the celebration, as befits John’s spiritual gospel. Veronese’s vivid colors and complex, huge scene (the painting measures 22 x 33 feet), in which Jesus and Mary are relatively drab and toned down in color yet bear “halos” of sorts behind their heads also points toward the spiritual world being greater than the physical one.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

“Marriage at Cana.” Art and the Bible, s.v. “Internet.” Amsterdam: contentecontent. http://www.artbible.info/art/large/707.html (accessed December 9, 2016).

Pallucchini, Rodolfo. “Paolo Veronese.” Encyclopaedia Britannica, s.v. “Internet.” Chicago: Encyclopaedia Britannica, 2006. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Paolo-Veronese (accessed December 9, 2016).

“Venetian School.” Encyclopaedia Britannica, s.v. “Internet.” Chicago: Encyclopaedia Britannica, 2006. https://www.britannica.com/art/Venetian-school (accessed December 9, 2016).

Nicholas Cain, a member of the St. Olaf Class of 2020, comes from an ELCA Lutheran perspective, having been confirmed at Lands Lutheran Church in Zumbrota, Minnesota. He graduated Pine Island High School in Spring of 2016.