Finest Italian art takes your breath away

The Art of Italy ***
The Queen's Gallery

PROBABLY the single most striking feature of the exhibition currently showing at the Queen's Gallery, by Holyrood Palace, is the intensity of colours in the paintings.

The effect of the sheer depth of hue catches the breath of the viewer as they climb the stairs to the main room, and rarely lets up.

Drawn from the Royal Collection, these Renaissance and Baroque period paintings provide enough visual stimulation for long scrutiny. The process is greatly enhanced using the audio commentary headphones, which feature notes and opinions by learned historians and commentators, and it's unlikely that the interested viewer will be able to resist return visits, or at least having a prowl on the internet for more details.

Bronzino's Portrait Of A Lady In Green, the image used in the exhibition's publicity, is a prime example of the difference between the vivacity of colour "in the flesh" and in reproduction. In print, the colour is impressive, but in person it becomes breathtaking.

The painting is fascinating to look at because it doesn't seem quite right, but it can be difficult to pinpoint exactly why. In fact, according to the notes, the portrait was subject to alterations in the tilt of the head by the artist.

This oddly left the chin and right cheek bones slightly out of place – easy to see when you're aware of it, and disconcerting when not.

Giulio Romano's haunting Portrait Of Margherita Paleologo is a wonderful example of the subtle variances possible with blacks and greys. The pale noblewoman in question wears a magnificent gown or overdress with a complicated celtic-style knotted pattern, but it is the expression on her face which follows the viewer.

The Concert, attributed to Vittore Belliniano, portrays four singers ready to sing, possibly counting off bars of music in preparation. In some ways, the painting falls short – individual figures and objects work fine, but the piece seems to be comprised of separate elements which don't integrate properly. Nevertheless, the painting remains in the mind long after viewing.

On the other hand, the Portrait Of Andrea Odoni by Lorenzo Lotto is a study in excellence. Beautifully realised, Odoni comes across as an intelligent and interesting character, surrounded by sculpture from his own collection.

By contrast, Pleasure Garden With A Maze by Lodovico Pozzoserrato has an interesting back-story, and the garden described in the piece is certainly loaded with eye-catching detail, but the style and quality of painting seems so out of place next to most of the rest of the exhibition.

If Parmigianino sought to create an idealist expression of beauty, then his Pallas Athene could comfortably be considered a success. The viewer can easily become entranced and lost in the luminescent quality of the paint, cracked as it is, and captivated by the vision he has made out of the goddess Athene.

There are great many drawings to accompany the paintings, probably the most noteworthy of which is A Children's Bacchanal by Michelangelo. A harrowing and disturbing (hopefully) imaginary scene of debauchery.

Nevertheless, like most of the works on display, it's an example of Italian art at its finest.