Bellini, Giovanni (1430?- ... The founder of the Venetian school of painting, Giovanni Bellini raised Venice to a center of Renaissance art that rivaled Florence and Rome. He brought to painting a new degree of realism, a new wealth of subject matter, and a new sensuousness in form and color. Giovanni Bellini was born in Venice, Italy, in about 1430. ... His method of using oil paint brought not only a greater maturity but an individual style. ... 1500 (30 Kb); St. Pietro di Murano, Venice . ...