Il Garofalo

Benvenuto Tisi (1481–1559) was born in Garofalo (now called Canaro) near Ferrara and became one of that city's most successful High Renaissance-Mannerist painters, held in high esteem for his by critics from Vasari to the 18th century. Although capable of painting charmingly idyllic scenes, mostly in Ferrara where he often collaborated with Dosso Dossi, he twice visited Rome where he was heavily influenced by Raphael, and spent the rest of his career cranking out polished, classical but imaginatively numb religious scenes by the dozen before going blind.

You can often identify Garofalo's work by the squarish blue mountain that features in nearly every background of his compositions. He was a good friend of Titian, Giorgione and Arisosto. After him the Ferrara school lost its inspiration and poetry; his most successful student was Girolamo da Carpi.

His paintings are in San Salvatore and in Modena's Galleria Estense.