Portrait of a Gentleman in Black

Giovanni Battista Moroni was one of the few Italian Renaissance painters who restricted his work primarily to portraits.  He was the pupil of Moretto da Brescia, the artist often credited with introducing the independent, full-length portrait to Italy.  Moroni was also greatly influenced by the great Venetian master Titian (1485-1576) who was known for his ability to capture not only the appearance, but the psychological mood of his sitters.

During his early career, Moroni, like most of his contemporaries, created religious paintings and altarpieces, but later turned to the portrayal of the lesser nobles and middle class patrons from his hometown of Albino and nearby Bergamo.  The Portrait of a Gentleman in Black typifies the artist's late style. Although the identity of the bearded young man is unknown, the painting reveals the sitter's sense of melancholy and aloofness through the expressive eyes and closed mouth.