• Biography

    Antonio Carneo (Concordia Sagittaria, Italy 1637 - Portogruaro, Italy 1692)

    Born in Concordia Sagittaria in the province of Venice in 1637, Carneo spent his early years in Portogruaro, before moving to Cordovado, where his presence is documented between 1658 and 1667. 

     

    There is little information on his life and work, including his artistic training, which probably took place with select key figures in Venetian painting, such as Palma il Giovane and Padovanino, Tintoretto and Jacopo da Ponte, known as Bassano 

     

    In 1667, he moved to Udine to a house owned by Count Leonardo Caiselli, who provided him with protection, room and board in exchange for his paintings.  

     

    Now a mature painter with a refined pictorial language, his work was dominated by chiaroscuro and a fascination for the marked faces of simple people, the general population, whose expressions were captured and emphasised with great skill, in the style of Caravaggio. 

     

    An established painter, Carneo attracted many private, public and ecclesiastical commissions, which allowed him to explore a broad variety of evolving references, pushing the boundaries of experimentation, making him one of the most prominent figures of the Venetian Baroque. 

     

    He spent the last years of his life in Portogruaro, where he died in 1692.


    Photo UniCredit Group (Sebastiano Pellion di Persano)

  • Works
    • An oil painting illustrating the biblical passage in which a woman accused of adultery—an offence punishable by death in Mosaic law—is brought before Christ. Christ reaches from the lower left-hand side of the canvas across the crowd of men and points at an older man in orange while a woman in white clutches another figure. Christ declares that all those who even briefly consider the idea of adultery but do not act on it are as guilty as the woman, whom he dismissed, telling her not to sin again.
      Cristo e l’adultera, c.1650-1700
    • An oil painting of Jesus Christ. The title of the work "Il redentore", translates as "The Redeemer", a Christian reference because they believe he is said to have brought them redemption from sin. Rendered in soft brush strokes with golden chestnut hair and beard, in a light pink garment adorned by a blue cloak.
      Il Redentore, c.1650-1700
    • An oil painting of the Holy Family, the Child Jesus, the Virgin Mary and Saint Joseph, set in a natural landscape.
      La Sacra Famiglia, c.1650-1700
    • An oil painting of a sleeping menade. In Greek mythology, maenads were the female followers of Dionysus. One figure lays sleeping while another leans over, placing a hand on their shoulder.
      Menade addormentata, c.1650-1700
    • An oil painting of the Greek mythology story of Arachne. A group of women gather around Arachne, who is in the centre of the painting, weaving a tapestry. All figures are facing right while an older female with a cane faces against them.
      Aracne tesse la tela (o l’Indovina), 1660
    • An oil painting shows an older and younger woman in conversation. The image illustrates an old fable using summer as a metaphor for beauty. Summer draws closer to its end, and beauty, along with life, is fleeting.
      La buona ventura (La seduzione), 1660
    • Antonio Carneo, Vecchia con conocchia e giovane con spighe, 1660
      Vecchia con conocchia e giovane con spighe, 1660