Tintoretto, properly Jacopo Robusti 1518-94
Italian painter

He was born probably in Venice, the son of a silk dyer or tintore (hence his nickname of 'Little Dyer'), but little is known of his life. He is supposed to have studied under Titian, but only for a short time. He claims to have set up independently, practically untaught, by 1539, but it is likely that he had some supervision. Except for visits to Mantua (1580, 1590-93), he lived all his life in Venice. Tintoretto pioneered the way from the classical to the Baroque, evident in his early work, such as The Miracle of the Slave (1548), in which he consciously set out to combine Titian's colours with Michelangelo's sculptural draughtsmanship. After 1556 he began to develop his mature style. The Last Judgement, The Golden Calf (both c.1560) and The Marriage of Cana (1561) were followed by two masterpieces of perspective and lighting effects The Finding and The Removal of the Body of St Mark (both c.1562). Other notable late works are The Origin of the Milky Way (after 1570), the Paradiso (1588), famous for its colossal size, Entombment, and his last version of The Last Supper (1592-94). Three of his seven children also became painters, including Marietta (1560-90), known as La Tintoretta.

Bibliography: Eric Newton, Tintoretto (1952)