There are many artists and time periods as well as art genres represented and displayed at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. This is one of the most famous and respected art museums in the world and it is a pride of the city. The throngs of tourist that stay in a New York City five star hotel every year are frequently attracted to the museum and consider a visit an essential aspect of their stay. The permanent collection is incredible and extensive and the featured exhibits are some of the most famous and sought after across the world.
Paolo Veronese, also known as Paolo Caliari was a sixteenth century Italian painter who is included in the museum’s permanent collection. He was painting during the Italian Renaissance and most of his work is representative of this style and time period. He is well known for his amazing use of colors and much of his work deals with narrative cycles and is full of vibrant images, pageantry and glorious architecture.
He lived from 1528 to 1588 and was painting in what is considered to be the late Renaissance. He is known for having painted one of the largest canvases from the sixteenth century. This work is titled The Feast in the House of Levi and was completed in 1573. It measures an incredible 219 inches by 504 inches. It is a work done in oil on canvas and demonstrates his amazing use of color and spectacle. This painting was so powerful that it led to an official investigation by the Roman Catholic Inquisition and Veronese was questioned extensively. The response was that he was forced to change the name of the painting, which was originally titled Lord’s Last Supper. The Church considered this to be a derogatory comparison to the Bible’s story of the last supper.