THE ART OF DOMENICO FETI

St/ Stephen

THE ART OF DOMENICO FETI

by Joan K. Yanni

Domenico Feti's St. Stephen (29.61) has come out of storage and is now displayed prominently in the Fountain Court. At first glance, the work seems to be a life-size portrait of a seated Venetian gentleman in a red and gold damask robe--but a closer look reveals unusual details.

In his right hand, the young man is holding a large palm frond, the symbol of a martyr. His right elbow is resting on a large book, perhaps a Bible, open on a nearby table.  The left hand is lying on his right knee, palm up, as though in explanation of his beliefs. There are large stones in his lap. The figure is not that of a wealthy Venetian; the palm frond and stones tell us that it is St. Stephen, the first Christian martyr.

References to Stephen are from the Christian scriptures (Acts of the Apostles, 6: 1-15; 7: 51-60). Because some of the apostles were traveling to distant lands to spread the gospel of Jesus, seven men were chosen to help preach and distribute alms. Stephen, an early convert to Christianity from Judaism, was one of these. His impassioned sermons caused an uproar in Jerusalem that led to a charge of blasphemy, for which he was condemned to death by stoning.

The picture is the work of Domenico Feti (sometimes Fetti), an Italian painter who lived from 1589-1624. Born in Rome, he studied first with his father, Pietro, and later became a pupil of Ludovico Cigoli. Familiar with the bright colors of Titian and Tintoretto as well as the light and shadows of Caravaggio, he bridged the Renaissance and the Baroque. In our painting the large palm frond creates a diagonal in the picture and is echoed by a fold in the saint’s robe and in the arrangement of the stones. Feti’s art has moved from the calm, serene pyramid of the Renaissance to the livelier mood of the Baroque.

In 1611 Ferdinando Gonzaga, then a Cardinal in Rome, commissioned paintings from Feti, and three years later, when Gonzaga became Duke of Mantua, his patronage enabled the artist to take his family to that city.  His father and sister Giustina, who was a painter as well as an Ursuline nun, traveled to Mantua with him. They were followed by his brother Vincenzo, who became a priest and may also have been a painter.

Domenico became a curator of the extensive Gonzaga collection and, influenced by the variety of artistic styles he saw there, his own art matured, broadened by the example of the unfamiliar art in the collection. He was particularly impressed by the color and realistic figures of Rubens, who had preceded him at the Gonzaga court. He was also attracted by the silvery light and landscape backgrounds of Veronese. 

Most of Feti’s work in Mantua consisted of religious subjects: cycles from Biblical themes or portraits of saints.

Around 1617 he painted a melancholy but voluptuous Mary Magdalene, unhappily gazing at a skull.  She is surrounded by objects symbolizing man’s intellectual accomplishments and tangible successes, yet the skull suggests the futility of all worldly achievements. It becomes an allegory of vanities in the manner of the northern European paintings which Feti had seen in the Gonzaga collection.  By blending a variety of influences, he had developed an original style.

Feti was highly valued in the Gonzaga court. In 1620 the Duke presented him with a house, and the following year Feti made his first recorded journey to Venice. Around the same time he received his most demanding commission as a court painter: a series of pictures celebrating the Gonzaga family, with 23 figures interspersed with 18 small putti. Only two historical portraits survive from this project. His last major ducal commission was for a cycle of pictures illustrating the Parables.  Ten of these survive. The paintings are his most original works, showing the parables as events in everyday life. Enriched with lively genre detail, they show a tenderness and humanity in his work. By this time Feti, his work much in demand, had an extensive workshop and similar versions of his paintings exist, some done by the master, others copies by his workshop which included  his sister and father.  In addition to his religious themes, Feti produced sensitive portraits, reviving the Venetian tradition of showing the sitters with objects that they prized.

In 1622 Feti attended a sports event in Mantua with the painter Gabriele Balestrieri. They quarreled violently and Feti left Mantua for Venice. His reputation for excellence followed him to the larger city, where he easily found new patronage. In addition, his brother Vincenzo served as courier, carrying his paintings from Venice back to Mantua.

Though Feti died after only two years in Venice, he was instrumental in reviving painting in the city and is often classed as a member of the Venetian school. 

MAG’s St. Stephen illustrates the interesting oil technique Feti used, learned from advances made by 16^th century Venetian painters. A ruddy brown tone has been spread over the entire canvas. The painter then used oil pigments to broadly sketch the large areas such as architecture, sky and figure. Dark areas were painted very thinly over the dark ground, while thick paint was used on lighter areas to prevent the background from showing through. Once he had outlined his picture, Feti concentrated on refining and detailing his composition. His flesh tones are created by combining complements of red and green.  The harmony of his color, the beauty of the design and the modeling of the figure combine to produce a painting of great aesthetic appeal and importance.  MAG acquired the Feti in 1929, a gift from Mr. and Mrs. George Clark of Rochester. It is still one of the Gallery’s most impressive works. Feti’s paintings can be found in most of the leading museums of Europe.

Source: Grove Art Online, The Bulletin of the Memorial Art Gallery, Vol. I, No. 5, 1929, WEB Gallery of Art;  Clemems Jockle, Encyclopedia of Saints