Early Life

The house where Tintoretto lived in Venice

Tintoretto, born Jacopo Comin in Venice in 1518, is considered one of the greatest painters of the Venetian School. Tintoretto's father, who was a dyer, noticed his son's aptitude for paiting early on and brought his son to study under Titian, born Tiziano Vecellio. Tintoretto did not study longer under Titian, who was said to have sent the young artist home after only 10 days due to Titian's jealousy of Tintoretto's natural talent.

After his dealings with Titian, Tintoretto studied on his own and focused on improving his art. Inspired by Michelangelo, Tintoretto became skilled at sculpture, employing both wax and clay as mediums. Tintoretto also practiced his painting skills, often assisting young Venitian painter Schiavone with murals for free.

Career

A ceiling painting by Tintoretto at the Scuola Grande di San Rocco, Venice

By 1546, Tintoretto had begun painting on commission. Three famous ceiling paintings by Tintoretto exist in the church of the Madonna dell' Orto, although they have since been re-painted. Following this, he was commissioned to paint in the Scuola di S. Marco (also know as the Scuola di S. Rocco), where he worked for most of the rest of his professional career.

Tintoretto's last major work, "Paradise", on which he began work in 1588, was an oil painting that measured 74' x 30'.

Paradise painting

Death

In 1594, Tintoretto suffered from intense fever and stomach problems, and on May 31st of the year, he passed away. At the time of his death, Tintoretto was 75 years old.

References

http://www.cbc.ca/arts/artdesign/story/2007/01/21/tintoretto-name.html?ref=rss
http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Catholic_Encyclopedia_(1913)/Il_Tintoretto
http://www.1911encyclopedia.org/Jacopo_Robusti_Tintoretto