The Agony in the Garden

painting by Giovanni Bellini

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June 18, 2026

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Giovanni Bellini's painting, The Agony in the Garden, depicts the biblical event where Jesus prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane before his arrest. This work, created around 1465, showcases Bellini's early style, influenced by the Paduan school and his brother-in-law, Andrea Mantegna.12

The painting is noted for its landscape setting, which plays a significant role in expressing the drama of the scene. Bellini's use of color and light, even in this early work, demonstrates his developing interest in naturalism and his skill in capturing the nuances of dawn light. The Agony in the Garden is considered an important example of Bellini's early religious narratives and his evolving approach to landscape painting.2

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Giovanni Bellini
In The Agony in the Garden (1465), the horizon moves up, and a deep, wide landscape encloses the figures, to play an equal part in expressing the drama of the scene. As with the dramatis personae, the elaborately linear structure of the landscape provides much of…
Read More
In The Agony in the Garden (1465), the horizon moves up, and a deep, wide landscape encloses the figures, to play an equal part in expressing the drama of the scene. As with the dramatis personae, the elaborately linear structure of the landscape provides much of…
Read More