On the Science of Coloring: Adriatic Influences and Reflections in the Treatise De’ veri precetti della pittura BY Giovanni Battista Armenini (Ravenna 1587).
Barbara TRAMELLI | Free University of Bozen-Bolzano
The IX cycle of seminars on Adriatic Humanism was inaugurated by Prof. Barbara Tramelli, who, in her speech, analyzed the treatise De’ veri precetti della pittura by Giovanni Battista Armenini (1587), along with its historical and literary context.
Reviewing the extensive body of work on color theory that developed in 16th-century Italy, she illustrated the intellectual atmosphere that must have influenced the painter and author from Faenza during a crucial period in which painting was recognized as a liberal art. The main texts mentioned include the chapter De’ colori che risultano dalla mistione d’altri colori by Leonardo da Vinci, Dialogo di pittura by Paolo Pino (1548), Due dialogi by M. Giovanni Andrea Gilio da Fabriano (1564), Osservazioni nella pittura by Cristoforo Sorte (1580), and the third book of Trattato dell’arte de la pittura by Giovanni Lomazzo (1584).
Unlike other treatises, Armenini does not provide a list of colors, moving beyond the need for inventories to focus on the final result. The only, rather traditional, distinction between natural and artificial colors is accompanied by a practical reflection on white and black, which he considers the «condimento di tutti», essential for any mixture. His pragmatic approach is directed toward the effects of what he defines as the science of coloring. The technical advice and precepts, characterized by a specific and detailed terminology that had not yet fully developed, emphasize the importance of harmony and color balance. Among the suggestions provided by the author are the books that a painter should be familiar with. While the theoretical component is predominant, it serves as a prerequisite for practice, as the rules had to be systematically studied.
Thank you all for your participation, and see you on March 25.