Marco Basaiti was a Renaissance painter who worked mainly in Venice and was a contemporary of Giovanni Bellini and Cima da Conegliano. He has been referred to by several names including Marco Baxaiti, Marcus Basitus, and Marcus Baxiti. (Vasari believed that Marco Basarini and Marco Basaiti were two artists, but later information reveals that these two were in fact the same painter.) There is little documentation on Marco Basaiti besides his painting signatures and a guild's ledger of 1530 ithat records him as a painter of figures.
His works are mainly portraits and often focused on religious themes. There is no known painting attributed to Marco Basaiti with a mythological theme. Although trained in the quattrocento style, Basaiti's career began right at the beginning of the cinquecento style which forced him to attempt to adapt his style to stay current.
Marco Basaiti was born around 1470, in either Venice or Friuli. His family was of either of Albanian or possibly Greek origin, as Vasari reported. In either case this explains the variety of names Basaiti is known by because the Greek and Albanian communities, and other foreign communities, for the most part kept to themselves and do not often appear on Venetian records. A will dated 1526 may provide evidence of his family, but the connection between Basaiti and this will is debated. Due to this lack of documentation, not much is known about Basaiti's life, except what scholars can learn about the artist through his art.
There is evidence that Basaiti trained with Bartolomeo Vivarini as Basaiti's earlier pieces are thought to reflect Bartolomeo's style and composition. After Bartolomeo died in the late 1490s, it is thought that Basaiti began working with Alvise Vivarini, Bartolomeo's nephew. This is supported by the fact that when Alvise died in 1505, Basaiti was commissioned to finish the altar piece entitled St. Ambrose Enthroned with Saints that Alvise had left uncompleted. Typically only major assistants working in the studio would have been asked to do this type of work which suggests that Basaiti was closely connected to Alvise by this time. Additionally, Basaiti's work seems to be influenced stylistically by both Vivarinis, further implying the link between Basaiti and these two masters.
Basaiti was influenced by a variety of great artists that lived during this era. For example, he began to incorporate more extensive landscapes into his backgrounds, taking inspiration from Giovanni Bellini. In fact, some of Bellini’s older works were misattributed to Basaiti for a long period of time. Another likely influence for Basaiti’s more complex backgrounds is the work of Netherlandish painters. Specifically, it has been noted that after Albrecht Dürer’s stay in Venice, Basaiti’s style shifted somewhat towards more complex and dramatic landscapes with less of an emphasis on the figures in the painting. This style can be seen in the Lamentation over the Dead Christ and St. Jerome in the Wilderness. The latter is thought to be a copy of a painting by Cima da Conegliano which presents yet one more important artistic influence in Marco Basaiti’s life. For the most part Basaiti focused on religious themes rarely delving into mythological or historical topics. Despite this his style seems fairly contemporary with complex composition and correct proportions.
More than half of Basaiti's known works come from this first period in his painting career. This period comes right after his training and is marked by a constantly changing style as Basaiti experiments with his art to find his own personal style. This era is marked by the Portrait of a Young Man (1495) which represents his first finished piece as an independent painter.
Stylistically there are strong influences from his two proposed mentors in the composition of his paintings, with Bartolomeo specifically influencing his figure design. Notable features of the Antonellian include strong geometric forms and sharp contrast in lighting. Furthermore, in accordance with the style of his proposed masters, Basaiti’s paintings often feature brightly colored clothing and cool skin tones. Indeed, Basaiti’s early works are very like some of Alvise’s established disciples such as Jacopo da Valenza which further confirms the link between Basaiti and Alvise.
Around 1500, the influence of the Antonellian school becomes less distinct. Basaiti’s backgrounds become more developed demonstrating the influence of Giovanni Bellini and Northern artists. This development can be seen in paintings such as in Portrait of a Young Man (1505), where, in contrast to his first Portrait of a Young Man (1495), the screen behind the figure has been completely removed and the landscape given more importance. In addition to developing a more complex landscape composition, Basaiti appears to become more concerned with spatial consistency after 1500.

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