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 The first and last word in Tintoretto. The master worked for
the confraternity of St Roch for 23 years, from 1564 to 1587.
Almost everything here is by Tintoretto himself rather than his
extensive studio. It is, however, not for the faint-hearted;
he is not the most digestible of painters.
The Crucifixion in
the small Sala d'Albergo upstairs is his undoubted masterpiece,
a brilliant composition centred on the figure of Christ on
the cross. Next door, the walls and ceiling of the Chapterhouse
are
covered with scenes from the Life of Christ and the Old Testament.
They show Tintoretto's characteristic love of dramatic contrasts
of light and shade and daring foreshortening. His late works
downstairs of the Life of the Virgin are more atmospheric.
The Flight into Egypt and the two smaller works of Mary Magdalen
and St Mary of Egypt contain very beautiful and poetic landscapes.
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