Portrait of an Old Man

Bassano belongs to the generation of the great Venetian painters of the 16th century, such as Giorgione, Titian and Tintoretto. Together with his three sons, painters, they created a number of altarpieces for churches in Venice. Portraiture was not Bassano’s domain - the more valuable is this portrait of an old man, painted with an effort to represent the physiognomy as faithfully as can be, including the signs of old age, such as wrinkles or thinning hair. The face of the man, whose identity is unknown, is painted with short brushstrokes. Even Bassano’s biographers described his original style based on naturalism, and they also appreciated his nocturnal scenes. A certain parallel of his works can be seen in the production of El Greco - this is why their works used to be confused in the past.