Oil Paint
Oil paint is a slow-drying art medium made with pigment and a drying-oil binder that allows extended working time, smooth blending, and layered application.
Painter
Pontormo
Pontormo was a Florentine Mannerist painter known for emotionally charged religious subjects, unconventional spaces, and intense, sometimes startling color.
Pontormo quick facts
Pontormo was a major early Florentine Mannerist painter. His surviving fresco cycles and his wood-panel Joseph paintings are distinct from his Supper at Emmaus oil painting on canvas. Museum sources differ slightly on the date of his death, variously giving 1556 or 1557.
| Born | 1494 · Pontorme near Empoli, Republic of Florence (now Italy) |
|---|---|
| Died | 1556–1557 · Florence, Duchy of Florence (now Italy) |
| Nationality | Italian (Florentine) |
| Movements | Mannerism |
| Paint types | Oil Paint |
| Painting surfaces | Wood · Canvas · Plaster |
| Painting methods | Oil painting on panel and canvas, vivid unexpected color juxtapositions, twisting figures, unstable depth, and fresco decoration on wet lime plaster |
| Common subjects | Religious narratives, the story of Joseph, devotional images, the Entombment of Christ, portraits, and Biblical figures |
| Notable works | Supper at Emmaus · Joseph with Jacob in Egypt · Pharaoh with his Butler and Baker · The Deposition (Santa Felicità) |
Sources: National Gallery: Joseph with Jacob in Egypt, oil on wood, National Gallery: Pharaoh with his Butler and Baker, oil on wood, Uffizi: Supper at Emmaus, oil on canvas, National Gallery: Pontormo biography and fresco commissions, National Galleries of Scotland: Mannerism and Pontormo.
Paint types used
The National Gallery identifies multiple Joseph cycle paintings as oil on wood, while the Uffizi catalogs Supper at Emmaus as oil on canvas. Fresco uses pigments applied to wet lime plaster and is a separate technique, not oil painting on a wall.
Surface types used
Pontormo worked on wood panels and canvas for portable oil paintings; his surviving fresco commissions used architectural plaster. A Discussion, attributed only to his circle, is not counted as a certain Pontormo painting or evidence of an original canvas support.
Wood
Wood is a natural, porous material with grain patterns and absorbency that vary by species and cut. Its surface may also contain knots, resin, or an existing finish.
Canvas
Canvas is a woven fabric support, commonly cotton or linen, used for painting and sold either raw or prepared with a compatible ground layer.
Plaster
Plaster is a porous mineral wall and ceiling finish that may be based on gypsum, lime, or other binders. Fresh plaster contains significant moisture and can be highly absorbent until fully dry and appropriately sealed.
Painters similar to Pontormo
Parmigianino also distorted proportions for expressive effect. Bronzino trained with Pontormo and developed a more refined court style.
Parmigianino
Parmigianino was an Italian Mannerist painter whose elongated figures, elegant gestures, and unusual perspectives helped define the movement's refined artificiality.
Agnolo Bronzino
Agnolo Bronzino was an Italian Mannerist painter known for finely detailed Medici portraits, cool expressions, and polished, elaborate allegories.