Son of a painter, Giovanni Bellini was not recognized for his own merit until about 1456. In the late 1460s he changed his medium, moving from tempera to oil paints, which accentuated the warmth and treatment of light and color so characteristic of his works. Among Bellini's many students were such notable Venetian painters as Titian, Giorgione, and Tintoretto. Bellini produced altarpieces, many featuring the Madonna and Child, landscapes, portraits, and large allegorical and mythological pictures. Most had religious themes.