The History of Painting in Italy, Vol. 5 (of 6) From the Period of the Revival of the Fine Arts to the End of the Eighteenth Century — A Closer Reading

Lanzi's Critical Eye on Technique and Decay

Lanzi does not merely chronicle artists; he evaluates their methods with a connoisseur's precision. In the excerpt on Crespi, he describes a shift from a 'solid style' to a more lucrative but 'less excellent' method: 'few colours, selected chiefly for effect, and very common and oily; gums applied ... as other artists use them for a veil, or varnish; few strokes, employed indeed with judgment, but too superficial and without strength or body.' This technical observation is grounded in material evidence—the paintings themselves have decayed, their tints 'having decayed or disappeared, so as to require them to be newly copied by another hand.' Lanzi even notes that Crespi's own son did not conceal this fault, though he tried to excuse it. Such passages reveal Lanzi's dual role as historian and critic, attentive to the physical longevity of artworks.

The Carracci Legacy and the Problem of Imitation

Lanzi's narrative is shaped by the Carracci as a turning point. He notes that after the Carracci, artists were 'compelled, as an imitator of nature, to become, likewise, an imitator of the best masters.' This double bind—nature and the masters—defines the Bolognese school's later trajectory. The excerpts show Lanzi tracing how subsequent artists, like Crespi, sought novelty but fell into mannerism. Crespi's 'turn for novelty at length led his fine genius astray,' a judgment Lanzi supports by citing Mengs's lament. Yet Lanzi also records Crespi's successes: the 'bold coruscations and contrasts which dazzle the eye' in his series of the Seven Sacraments. The tension between originality and tradition is a recurring theme, and Lanzi's treatment of it is nuanced, acknowledging both the achievements and the pitfalls.

Movement Between Schools and the Role of Academies

The volume's structure emphasizes movement: from Bologna to Ferrara, Genoa, and Piedmont, each school borrowing styles from its neighbors. Lanzi notes that Ferrarese artists 'borrow different styles from the Bolognese school,' and that Genoese art is 're-invigorated by the works of Paggi and some foreigners.' This geographical flow is mirrored by institutional shifts. The establishment of academies—the Clementine Academy in Bologna, the academy in Genoa, and later in Piedmont—marks epochs of consolidation and decline. Lanzi's epochs are defined not by political events but by stylistic phases and the founding of these institutions. The excerpts show him tracking how academies both preserve and stifle innovation, as when he describes the 'restoration of the academy' in Piedmont under Beaumont.

Recurring Images: Light, Color, and the 'Vivid Light'

Lanzi frequently returns to visual effects: the 'various play and picturesque reflections of the vivid light,' the 'bold coruscations and contrasts' in Crespi's work, and the 'method of colouring' that decays over time. These recurring images tie his criticism to sensory experience. He describes Crespi's compositions as 'teem[ing] with these novelties,' and his 'shortenings also are as singular; so that he often places a number of figures in a small space.' The emphasis on light and color is not merely descriptive; it serves as evidence for Lanzi's judgments about quality and durability. When he notes that Crespi's later method used 'gums applied ... as other artists use them for a veil, or varnish,' he is linking technique to outcome: the paintings 'are no longer to be seen.' This attention to materiality grounds Lanzi's history in the physical reality of the artworks.

Readers approaching this volume should attend to Lanzi's method: he moves from specific technical observations to broader judgments about schools and epochs. The excerpts offer a window into his critical vocabulary—words like 'mannerism,' 'coruscations,' and 'solid style' carry precise meanings. Lanzi's history is not a neutral chronicle but an argument about artistic value, shaped by his belief that the best art balances imitation of nature and the masters with judicious novelty. The volume rewards those who read with an eye for these evaluative threads.

That rainy afternoon, Lanzi’s account of Crespi’s deliberate mannerism lingered, how imitation can quietly harden into habit. Later, flipping pages, I found myself wondering whether Spain’s cathedrals suffered a similar fate—stone mimicking older stone until the original fervor faded. So I set down Vol. 5 and reached for Some Account of Gothic Architecture in Spain — Key Ideas to Explore, letting the drizzle decide my next step.