Veronese

A vivid portrait of Paolo Caliari—better known as Veronese—opens with a playful probe of the painter’s paradoxical genius. The author argues that Veronese’s disregard for strict historical accuracy and conventional logic was a deliberate artistic licence, allowing him to drape ancient scenes in the sumptuous fabrics and bright hues of 16th‑century Venice. By treating each biblical or mythological tableau as an excuse for colour, texture and theatricality, he created works that pulse with life and joyous excess.

The volume follows the master’s early years in Verona, his migration to the luminous canals of Venice, and the way the city itself became the backdrop for his most celebrated commissions. Richly reproduced plates let listeners picture his dazzling ceilings, opulent feasts, and the exotic details—silks, brocades, exotic animals—that populated his canvases. Through lively narration, the book reveals how Veronese’s singular blend of imagination and indulgence secured his place as the beloved “most absurd and most adorable” of the great painters.