Ezekiel

Veronese's figure of the prophet Ezekiel, painted around 1558 and now in the Gallerie dell'Accademia, belongs to a series of prophetic figures that likely decorated an ecclesiastical building in Venice or the Veneto as part of a larger ensemble of Old Testament prophecy. Ezekiel, whose visions in the Hebrew scriptures — the valley of dry bones, the wheel within a wheel, the temple of the new Jerusalem — were among the most spectacular in prophetic literature, was frequently depicted in Italian church decoration as a figure of divine inspiration. In 1558 Veronese was establishing himself in Venice after his early Veronese career, receiving his first significant Venetian commissions and developing the monumental figure style that would define his mature work. The Gallerie dell'Accademia's holding of these prophetic figures alongside Veronese's major narrative paintings allows assessment of his ability to invest the single standing figure with the same commanding presence as the complex multi-figure compositions for which he is primarily celebrated.

The prophet is rendered with Veronese's characteristic bright, silvery palette and confident brushwork, creating a figure of impressive physical presence. The rich drapery painting — Veronese's particular specialty — creates dynamic rhythms around the body, while the clear, luminous light typical of his work gives the figure an almost architectural solidity.