Whilst researching my doctorate on the Brothers Luini (Cambridge 2014), I continually found myself drawn back to Lomazzoâs writings and to Roberto Paolo Ciardiâs extraordinarily erudite critical edition of his treatises. Although this appears to be perfectly logical to me now, I was then astonished to see that Aurelio Luini seemed to follow closely Lomazzoâs theory from foundational principlesâe.g. the importance of drawing in the creative process, the role of the grotesque as supreme manifestation of the invenzione, and the urge to study the art of the seven governors of paintingâdown to the representation of iconographical details.
I developed these thoughts in my dissertation (they are elaborated here in my essay âLomazzo vs. Luini: Comparative Aestheticsâ) and I concluded that the theoretical congruence of the two artists was significant enough to merit discussion with the expanding community of Lomazzo scholars. Thus, sprang the idea of organising a multi-panel conference session at the Renaissance Society of Americaâs Annual Meeting (Boston 2016) entitled From Theory to Practice: Lomazzoâs Aesthetic Principles Reflected in the Art of his Time. The purpose of this initiative was to explore whether other artists working around Lomazzo shared a similar rapport with the charismatic abbot of the Accademia della Val di Blenio. Stemming from that session, this volume includes two studies focusing on Lomazzo himself: a penetrating study of his reflections on Gaudenzio Ferrari; and a long overdue analysis on Lomazzoâs painted oeuvre. From these core essays, the present volume extends to an analysis of Lomazzo as the master-theorist of Milanese art and his influence on the dynamic cohort of artists working in his orbit, both within and beyond the Duchy of Milan: Giovanni Ambrogio Brambilla in printmaking, Aurelio Luini in painting and drawing, and Caterina Cantoni and her magnificent embroideries or âpaintings with the needleâ. Lomazzoâs direct impact on his pupils, Giovanni Ambrogio Figino and Girolamo Ciocca, and Lomazzoâs influence in sculpture beyond Northern Italy are also studied. The novelties presented in these essays are summarised and critically discussed by Jean Julia Chai in her Introduction, which also provides a clear and profound reflection on Lomazzoâs fortuna critica.
The present volume does not pretend to exhaust the vast and intricate theme of Lomazzoâs influence on his contemporaries. Indeed, a comparable analysis may be extended to other members of the Blenio Academy, in primis the sculptor Annibale Fontana, who famously authored the portrait medal of Lomazzo and beyond. Rather, this book aims to bridge the scholarship on Lomazzo-theorist with that on Lomazzo-artist, hitherto disjoined in the context of the art of his time.
Annibale Fontana, Bust of Giovanni Paolo Lomazzo, ca. 1560. Bronze. Samuel H. Kress Collection, National Gallery of Art, Washington.
Photo: courtesy of the National Gallery of Art, Washington
Throughout the genesis of this project, I have consolidated my friendship with the co-editor of this volume, Rebecca Norris, a scholar of North-Italian Renaissance art and a former Cambridge colleague, with whom I also co-organised the Lomazzo conference session. We are very fortunate that numerous Italian colleagues kindly accepted the challenge of anglicising their work. Indeed, one of the main purposes of the conference session, and of this publication, is to expand and, as it were, internationalise the debate on Lomazzo, a pivotal figure in the history of sixteenth-century art theory who has yet to enjoy the level of critical acclaim that he deserves.
In this light, it is particularly meaningful that we are able to include the contributions of Jean Julia Chai and Alexander Marr, two eminent scholars who, in their respective work on the Idea and Richard Haydockeâs Tracte (in preparation), continue admirably the tradition of enlightened studies on Lomazzo inaugurated by Robert Klein and Roberto Paolo Ciardi, who graciously consented to supply our Foreword.