Villa Godi Malinverni - Venetian Villa in Lugo di Vicenza |
In his Four Books on Architecture Palladio mentions the names of the artists who worked inside the Villa: Gualtiero Padovano (Padova, 1510 - 1552), Battista
Del Moro (Verona, 1514 - 1575) Battista
Zelotti (Verona, 1526 - Mantova, 1578).
The interior of the Villa is frescoed by two different schools of painting, very different in style, in their subjects and their use of colour.
The frescoes by Battista del Moro and Gianbattista Zelotti on the façade of the villa, in the main hall and the entire left wing were painted using the techniques of the classical school of painting. False windows are beautifully painted with gods and Greek landscapes. Strong and virile men are depicted and female figures recalling abundance and fertility; carytides and epic tales complete the decorations. The colours of the frescoes are subtle because the classical school taught them to use antique rose, sapphire blue and yellow ochre.
After the restoration of the right wing it is still possible to see the frescoes done by Gualtiero Padovano using the mystical style of painting. The artist often uses symmetries where satyrs are depicted worshipping at the domestic hearth, replacing telamons with caryatides, and columns with a combined human/animal aspect, almost demonic and quite disturbing. It is thought that the presence of the Greek gods was the influence of the classic school of painting (it's important to note that the two schools were operating simultaneously). The colours of these rooms are much more flamboyant, not only a result of the restoration done after the First World War, but mainly because the artist used lime green and a dynamic yellow in his original paintings. During World War 1 the villa was occupied by the British Command. |
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