Portrait of a Young Man 1629-1630 Gian Lorenzo Bernini Buy Art Prints Now
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Tom Gurney BSc (Hons) is an art history expert with over 20 years experience
Published on June 19, 2020 / Updated on October 14, 2023
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Gian Lorenzo Bernini adds yet another piece of great painting to his ‘portrait of a young man’ collection. To prevent any confusion, it was named portrait of a young man (1629-1630).

The highly celebrated artist had a talent like no other. He was among the very few people that could deliver amazing portraits that had enough details to look real. With numerous paintings and a huge number of amazing sculptures, Gian Lorenzo proved that he could indeed fit in any medium and still deliver amazing work. This portrait of a young man is dated back in circa 1929 to circa 1930. He was still a young enthusiastic man with all the energy needed to deliver great paintings.

Just like the contemporary painting of self-portrait of a young man. He used oil on canvas to come up with this painting. The style used to paint this picture is borough. With this painting, he was able to confirm that he indeed possesses the painting skills and other numerous skills just like his predecessors Michelangelo and Leonardo Da Vinci.

Everything about this painting is amazing. It feels like a quick work with brilliant finishes. Like usual, Gian Lorenzo Bernini never used to put all his focus on the background of his paintings as Leonardo da Vinci did. He seemed more comfortable with a plain background and a detailed face which made them exceptional. The same concept is applied to this portrait of a young man that was developed between 1929 and 1930. He goes ahead to paint the young man’s garments as though he was in a hurry. There are no details whatsoever just plain paint with funny strokes all over. Just like his usual style, he then spends more time on the face making the painting unbelievably good.

The hair is a bit blurry though you can see everything including the hairline. He gives it a great shade that blends well with the man’s complexion. To make the painting more unique, he paints the subject facing away from the picture. This technique is very unique and could be seen being used by Titian who painted the pope staring into space. The young man’s ear is detailed enough making it look very real. His eyes look like those of the self-portrait young man. The eyebrows have exactly what is needed to blend with the young man’s facial expression.

The nose and the mouth have some form of symmetry giving the man a real look. They are the main highlights of the painting. They bring forth the uniqueness needed to attract a bigger audience and make it better than others. He paints the cheeks creatively bring amplify the personality of the young man and finishes up with a couple of strokes on the neck. This painting is a classic with familiar looks that are seen on his other paintings. The current location of the painting is in not known. There are no records of who commissioned as well as records showing the original location of the painting.