GIORGIONE
(b. 1477, Castelfranco, d. 1510, Venezia)

The Impassioned Singer

c. 1510
Oil on canvas, 102 x 78 cm
Galleria Borghese, Rome

The famous Singers (The Impassioned Singer and its companion-piece, The Singer with Flute) in the Borghese Gallery were attributed to Giorgione. However, this attribution is strongly debated. Some scholars think it to be the work of Domenico Capriolo (1494-1528), others assume that it was executed in the period following the death of Giorgione. The singers sing with an air of Baroque pathos surrounded by strong chiaroscuro effects, which in fact have induced many experts today to date them to the beginning of the 17th century.