Barna da siena biography of barack

1. Barna: A Mysterious Figure in Sienese Art
2. Identity and Attribution
3. Legacy and Controversy

Barna: A Mysterious Figure in Sienese Art

Barna, an Italian artist who lived and worked in the mid-14th century, is mentioned in the first volume of Giorgio Vasari's "Lives of the Most Eminent Painters, Sculptors, and Architects." Vasari attributes works to Barna, notably frescoes in the Collegiata church in San Gimignano.

According to this new evidence, the frescoes in the Collegiata church in San Gimignano date to the 1330s, not the 1380s, and were executed by craftsmen from Simone Martini's workshop, led by Lippo Memmi.

Legacy and Controversy

Despite the uncertainty surrounding his existence, Barna's name continues to be associated with certain works in museums.

It is suggested, based on the works of biographer Giorgio Vasari, that the master working in the Collegiata di San Gimignano was named Bernardo Bertini. The Art Bulletin. In the second edition of the Vite (1568) Vasari only connected the artist with the New Testament scenes in that church, dating them to the very end of Barna’s life, apparently to 1381.

Because of the wide variations in style and quality in the New Testament paintings in San Gimignano it is believed that they were the work of three or four distinct painters.

Documents show that in 1355 he was either absent from Siena or dead.[2] This supports the notion that Barna, the master of San Gimignano, died fairly young, somewhere around 1360. " Barna." Grove Art Online. Giorgio Vasari, in the first edition of his Vite (1550), listed a number of works by the Sienese painter 'Berna', including frescoed Old Testament scenes in the 'Pieve' of San Gimignano, but in the second edition (1568) he referred only to New Testament scenes in that church, dating them to the very end of Barna's life, apparently to 1381.

The question of Barna's true identity and the exact extent of his contributions to Sienese art remains a subject of debate and research.

Biography

Barna (or Berna) da Siena, Italian painter. The Art Bulletin. Bernardo was notably taken prisoner in 1335 during a skirmish with the Luccans.

While painting in the church, Barna allegedly fell from a scaffold and died two days later, incurring "great loss to art." Vasari notes that Barna worked around 1381.

Identity and Attribution

Some scholars have attempted to identify Vasari's Barna with Berna Bertini, mentioned in documents from 1348.

Web. 25 Feb. 2016
Faison, S. L. Jr (Dec 1932). Barna seemingly ignores the Gothic formulae exemplified by Simone Martini and his disciples.[4] Instead his figures feature a sense of volume and emotionalism, reminiscent of Lorenzetti and other Florentine painters, further strengthening the claim that Barna was not a native of Siena, but more likely hailed from Florence.

References

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This conclusion has generated various theories on the authorship of the San Gimignano frescoes. He later went to Siena and studied in Simone Martini's workshop. According to I commentari, written by Lorenzo Ghiberti towards the end of his life, a Sienese painter named Barna painted several works in Tuscany, including many stories from the Old Testament in San Gimignano.

It is believed that his pupil Giovanni d'Asciano assisted him on the frescoes and finished the left-over portions after Barna reportedly fell from a scaffolding and died supposedly at a young age. However, according to recent studies, Barna probably never existed, and the San Gimignano frescoes are probably from the 1330s.