Who did not feed the heart, who was not raptured

With this book...

V. A. Zhukovsky

Bible a treasure trove of spiritual and cultural heritage- had a huge impact on the development of the entire world culture. Created in the period from the XII century. BC e. by the beginning of the II century. n. e., it still remains one of the favorite and read books.

Bible a work of many books written in different times and different authors. Therefore, the translation of its name from Greek becomes clear: "Biblia" - "books". The bulk of the Bible is dilapidated And New Covenant.

What is it about the Bible that attracts people so much? First of all - the ideals of goodness, justice, selfless service to people and faith in the value of the human person. For two millennia, mankind has associated many of its thoughts and ideals with the person of Jesus Christ. They sincerely believed in him, sacredly honored his teachings and covenants. He was listened to and praised. Prayed for him...

The immortal image of Christ sought to capture in works of art the greatest masters. It's hard to count how many creations artists most different eras is devoted to biblical stories and images. Murals in the Roman catacombs, Byzantine icons and mosaics, the art of the harsh Middle Ages and the solemn Renaissance ... Michelangelo and El Greco, Dürer and Andrei Rublev, Rembrandt and Rubens ... The list of the names of the greatest artists in the world could be continued exactly like this the same as the list of composers who created musical works on the themes of Holy Scripture: J. S. Bach, F. J. Haydn, W. A. ​​Mozart, L. van Beethoven, P. I. Tchaikovsky, S. V. Rakhmaninov...

The same can be said about world literature. Few of the artists and writers, directly or indirectly, did not refer to the plots and images of the Bible. She attracted poets with the imagery, richness and beauty of the artistic word. In this series, Dante Alighieri, J. V. Goethe and J. G. Byron, A. S. Pushkin, B. L. Pasternak and I. A. Brodsky ... material from the site

From the 20th century to the pages bible applied and world cinema.

Works of art created on biblical subjects have never been a simple illustration of the Holy Scriptures. They contain spiritual content and deep moral sense. Unfortunately, stories borrowed from biblical mythology are not known to everyone today. This is explained primarily by the fact that Christian art is deeply symbolic and strictly canonized by religion, so it is not easy to understand it. This circumstance does not always allow us to appreciate this or that work of art nowadays.

No, they are, of course, not in the sense of "unloved" that someone allegedly feels hostility towards them, but in the sense of opposing them to those dearly loved by thin people. For example, there are a lot of paintings on the theme of "Susanna and the Elders" or "Bathsheba" - perhaps because of the "strawberry" plot, or "The Original Sin of Adam and Eve" - ​​and where else would you order medieval painters naked people portray?! Artists also liked to draw Judith in the process of sawing off the head of Holofernes or immediately after it - effectively and with a hidden contradiction: a gentle lady - and suddenly such bloody inclinations! And also "The Sacrifice of Isaac", and "The Return of the Prodigal Son", and many other different stories.

Let's see which biblical stories in fine arts rarely resorted to, and we will restore justice a little by our mention of them.

"The Creation of Eve". Medieval book miniature of the 14th-15th century.

Of course, not a painting yet, but quite a detailed image. It touches me with its detailed manufacturability - that's how the Lord took Adam's rib, and at the end of it, miraculously, a woman's head first formed, and then the rest of the body. The head, most likely, immediately began to give recommendations: so, here it is more, more convex, but here you can remove a bit! In the picture, God seems to threaten her: you are it, don’t speak too much!

"God brings Eve to Adam" Byzantine mosaic 12th century.

Adam is perplexed, of course: here, it turns out, what amusing things can be done from my ribs! "Gimme two!"

"Noah will release a dove." Book miniature.

I don’t mention Cain and Abel - they were often depicted at the time of fratricide in all sorts of spectacular poses, so let’s skip a couple of generations. So Noah.

It is known that while the flood was in full swing, Noah sailed on his ark with a bunch of all living creatures. To find out if it was time to go to the ground, he released a dove three times. The first time the bird returned with nothing, the second brought an olive leaf, which made it clear that somewhere the land had already been freed from water, and the third time the dove did not return - it remained somewhere to make a nest. Noah realized that the disaster was over and it was time to look for a shore.

Another Noah with a dove. Mosaic of St. Mark's Basilica in Venice (12th-13th century)

At first, by the way, Noah released a raven, but he found a corpse in the water and immediately began to treat himself, forgetting about his patron. Then I had to resort to the help of a "non-carnivorous" dove.

"Three Angels Visit Abraham" by Aert de Gelder

The story of how the forefather Abraham received as a guest three angels who appeared before him in the usual, human form. In general, he was a very hospitable person, even though he was a noble and non-poor old man, but this time he completely broke into a cake, as if he felt that the guests were not easy: he himself ran after the best calf to cook it, and served at the table without slaves. In gratitude, the angels promised him a long-awaited heir. His wife, Sarah, even laughed to herself - after all, she was already 90 years old, but the angels reproached her for unbelief. But the old woman really suffered soon and gave birth to a son, Isaac, the ancestor of the Jews. It’s not good, however, with the concubine Hagar it turned out, the one who had long ago given birth to Abraham’s son Ismail - she was driven out with offspring into the desert. True, both survived, and the Muslim family descended from them. True, "The Expulsion of Hagar" is just a plot beloved by artists.

"Death of Sodom" by Kerstian de Keynik.
The plot is well-known, but it was rarely portrayed. On the road to the left and behind the group of fleeing people, a white figure is seen - this is Lot's overly curious wife. During the flight from Sodom, which was being destroyed by the angels, she violated the order of the angels and turned around - and immediately turned into a pillar of salt. Then the daughters of Lot had to solder their father and take turns making children (grandchildren?) with him so that the family would not be interrupted. But this is already a “strawberry” plot beloved by painters.

Another Sodom. Artist Peter Shawbrack.
If you remember, Gomorrah was destroyed in the same way. Here, in the picture, everyone has already fled, only the pillar-wife and the screams of perishing sodomites, drowning in the fire, remained.

"Jacob's Summerhouse", Mikael Lukas Wilman
A very strange mystical story - Jacob dreamed of a ladder leading to heaven, and the angels who climbed and descended it. It's like a tunnel into another dimension.

"Jacob and Rachel" by Giacomo d'Antonio de Nigretti Palma Vecchio, 16th century

Another beautiful story is connected with Jacob. He fell in love with his cousin Rachel at first sight. For the right to marry her, he worked for her father, his uncle Laban, for seven years, "and they seemed to him like a few days, for he loved her." The uncle was still a fruit, and slipped Jacob in the dark, when the time came, his eldest daughter, less beautiful, Leah. When the deception was discovered, Jacob was asked to work another seven years, since he took Laban's two daughters. That is, if he fell in love with a 17-year-old girl, he already got a 31-year-old woman. And Jacob did it! There is such a wonderful novel "Like a few days." Read it, it's amazing! I recognized the biblical legend when I read this book, although they are almost unrelated.

"Job in the Fester". Fresco of the 14th century, Serbia.
Job is a righteous man whom God decided to test and even agreed with the devil about it. Poor job Job was deprived of his fortune, children, housing, "rewarded" him with leprosy. And he sat on a heap of dung, scraping scabs from his inflamed skin with a clay shard. His wife, of course, grumbled and grumbled at God, who subjected her righteous husband to such trials, but she did not stop feeding her poor fellow. The fresco depicts the feeding technique in a very interesting way - with the help of such a spatula (mercy is mercy, and leprosy is no joke to you!). Because of such unusual detailing, I placed this image here, but in general, Job was often depicted on a pus. If you remember, he remained faithful to the Lord, for which he was restored to health and wealth, and new children were born in the same number.

"The Pharaoh's Daughters Bring the Baby Moses", 3rd century fresco in the synagogue of Dura-Europos, Syria

A very unusual archaic image. The princess and her maids are not depicted in the classical traditions familiar to us, we see them as real oriental women what they really were. One maid, as you can see, had to completely undress and enter the water in order to catch the basket with the child. And the plot was always quite popular.

"The Trial of the Infant Moses" by Giorgione

When the pharaoh's daughter brought the found baby to her father, the baby grabbed the royal crown from his head and threw him to the ground. This did not please the pharaoh and he decided to test Moses. The baby was brought a dish of coals and a dish of gold and precious stones. The angel directed the kid's hand, and he grabbed the coal and put it in his mouth. Since then, many Jews have burred a little. The pharaoh's suspicions were dispelled, the child (on his head) was left in the palace.

Moses Saving the Daughters of Jethro by Rosso Fiorentino

The daughters of the priest Jethro (seven in number) wanted to water their sheep from the spring, but they were rudely driven away by the shepherds. Young Moses stood up for the girls. Later he married one of them. Such a boring story, an ordinary everyday scene, but the picture depicts it as a grandiose massacre.

"Samson with a donkey's jaw". Solomon de Bry

In general, among the ancients, the jaws of ungulates were a popular weapon, because Cain killed Abel the same way. Samson in painting "became famous" for tearing the lion's mouth, destroying the temple of the Philistines and improvident rest on the knees of the treacherous Delilah, who cut off his hair, in which the strength of the daring man was stored. He is also known for having killed 1,000 Philistines with the jawbone of a donkey. He was rarely portrayed like this, quiet, homely, lovingly stroking his weapon.

"Saul throws a spear at David", Gverchino

Saul is such an ancient Jewish king. At first, he seemed like a normal person, and then he began to be weird. Young David, who killed the giant Goliath, was very popular among the people, and Saul envied him and barely tolerated the young man. During one of the festivities in the palace, he could not resist, and threw a spear at David, when he delighted the ears of those around him with a song. The guy barely managed to escape.

The Death of Absalom by Francesco Pesellino

David, as if to spite his offender Saul, eventually became king. He had a son, Absalom, who decided to rebel against his father and raised his army against him. His army was defeated, and he himself fled, but during the chase, his long hair caught on the boughs of an oak tree. At that moment, one of David's commanders threw three spears at him. Usually artists depict how he throws all three spears at once. Despite the betrayal of his son, David sorrowfully mourned him.

The Death of Cicera by Artemisia Genileschi

Here is this sweet girl who so calmly and busily hammers a stake into the head of a sleeping man to fasten a tent - Jael from the kind of Kenites. The procedure of nailing his head to the floor was subjected to the Canaanite commander Sisera, the persecutor of the Jews, a bad man, as they say. In general, Artemisia Genileschi loved such stories in which men got into various bad situations. She herself suffered from men and apparently took revenge in a similar way. An unfortunate story is known when she sued her art teacher for raping her. The teacher was condemned, but almost immediately acquitted and released from prison. It was rumored that he was simply Artemisia's lover and promised to marry, but did not do this, since he was already married.

"The Punishment of Jezebel" by André Celesti, 17th century

Jezebel is the vile daughter of the king of Sidon, the evil ruler and oppressor of the Jewish people, who tried to eradicate his religion. The prophet Elijah fought with her. For all her atrocities, Jezebel received in full - she was eventually thrown out of the window, her body was trampled by horses and torn to pieces by dogs. Do you see the dogs eating the old lady in the picture? This is the evil Jezebel.

"Jonah and the Whale" Jan Brueghel the Elder.

God ordered Jonah to go to pagan lands and preach, but the prophet decided to avoid a dangerous mission and wanted to sail away on a ship in a completely different direction. Then a terrible storm arose on the sea, the ship was thrown from side to side, and the sailors began to cast lots to find out who had angered God. The lot fell on Jonah. The prophet realized that he could not avoid a difficult fate, and rushed into the abyss of the sea, where he was swallowed up by a large fish (a whale, as they say in some sources). A few days later, the whale spat out Jonah unharmed, and he still had to go where he was ordered and preach. Everything ended successfully: Jonah managed to convert an entire nation to the true faith.

These were Old Testament stories, and now let's turn to rare New Testament stories.

"Holy Family" Bartolome Esteban Pérez Murillo, 17th century
Infrequently, this is how the little Christ, Saint Joseph and the Virgin Mary were depicted. And it's very cute!

"The childhood of Christ in the house of Joseph" Gerrit van Horst, 17th century.
Here, too, a rare plot - Joseph teaches Jesus the skill of a carpenter, the boy helps him, holding a candle. There is such a picture in Caravaggio.

Very rare Greek icon - The first steps of Jesus Christ(note 15-16 century). Unfortunately, it is badly damaged; To understand its iconography, I quote a later similar icon:

The first steps of Jesus Christ. Greece

Feeding five thousand people with five loaves Lambert Lombard, 16th century

The legend is well known, but rarely portrayed.

"Do not touch me!" Lavinia Fontana

There were, of course, such works, but they are few (by Giotto, for example). This is the first appearance of Christ to people after the Resurrection, Mary Magdalene saw him, but Christ forbade her to approach: “Do not touch Me, for I have not yet ascended to My Father; but go to My brothers and tell them: I ascend to My Father and your Father and to my God and your God."

"The Unmerciful Debtor" by Domenico Fetti

These are the parables of Christ. One of the parables tells how a certain slave was freed, forgiving him a whole bunch of debt money. And the first thing he did, as soon as he got his freedom, was to clutch at the throat of his debtor, who owed him some pennies.

"The Parable of the Vineyard Workers" Rembrandt
The story of the revolt of the winegrowers, who were indignant that they paid equally to those of them who came to work first and worked all day, and those who managed to work only last hour. The vineyard is an allegory of faith, the kingdom of heaven. It does not matter who and when will accept it, the reward will be the same for everyone.

Here are some rare stories. Now you will know what is shown on some incomprehensible pictures. And we may come back to this sometime.

Russian artist, musician and theater figure Vasily Polenov for a long time did not dare to turn to the Biblical theme in his work. Until a terrible thing happened: his beloved sister became seriously ill and before her death she took the word from her brother that he would begin “to paint a big picture on the long-conceived topic“ Christ and the Sinner ”.

And he kept his word. After the creation of this picture, Polenov began to create a whole cycle of paintings called "From the Life of Christ", to which he devotes several decades of tireless creative and spiritual searches. Polenov for this even makes a trip through Constantinople, Athens, Smyrna, Cairo and Port Said to Jerusalem.

Henryk Semiradsky

The outstanding portrait painter Henryk Semiradsky, although he was a Pole by birth, from his youth felt an organic connection with Russian culture. Perhaps this was facilitated by studying at the Kharkov gymnasium, where drawing was taught by a student of Karl Bryullov Dmitry Bezperchiy.

Semiradsky brought picturesqueness to his canvases on biblical subjects, which made them vivid, memorable, and alive.

Detail: Took part in the painting of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior.

Alexander Ivanov

"He left one divine Raphael as a teacher. With a high inner instinct, he sensed the true meaning of the word: history painting. And his inner feeling turned his brush to Christian subjects, the highest and last degree of the lofty,” Nikolai Gogol wrote about the famous painter.

Alexander Ivanov is the author of the painting "The Appearance of Christ to the People", which cost him 20 years of real work and creative devotion. Ivanov also made watercolor sketches for the murals of the "Temple of Humanity", but almost never showed them to anyone. Only after the death of the artist, these drawings became known. This cycle entered the history of art under the name "biblical sketches". These sketches were published over 100 years ago in Berlin and have not been republished since.

Nikolai Ge

Ge's painting "The Last Supper" shocked Russia, as once "The Last Day of Pompeii" by Karl Bryullov. The newspaper "St. Petersburg Vedomosti" reported: "The Last Supper" strikes with originality against the general background of the dry fruits of academic bearing, "and the members of the Academy of Arts, without objecting, could not make up their minds for a long time.

In The Last Supper, Ge interprets the traditional religious story as a tragic confrontation between a hero who sacrifices himself for the good of humanity and his student who forever renounces the teacher's precepts. In the image of Judas, Ge has nothing private, only general. Judas - collective image, Man Without a Face".

Detail: Nikolai Ge first turned to gospel stories under the influence of Alexander Ivanov

Ilya Repin

It is believed that none of the Russian artists, except for Karl Bryullov, enjoyed such lifetime fame as Ilya Repin. Contemporaries admired the skillfully executed multi-figure genre compositions and, as it were, "living" portraits.

Ilya Repin in his work repeatedly turned to the gospel theme. He even went as a pilgrim to the Holy Land to see for himself the places where Christ walked and preached. "I wrote almost nothing there - once, I wanted to see more ... I painted the image of the Russian church - the head of the Savior. I also wanted to put my mite in Jerusalem ..." Later he said: "everywhere the Bible is alive", "so grandiose I felt the living God "," God! How wonderfully you feel your insignificance to non-existence.

Ivan Kramskoy

Ivan Kramskoy had been thinking about his painting "The Resurrection of the Daughter of Jairus" for a whole decade. At the beginning of 1860, he makes the first sketch, and only in 1867 - the first version of the picture, which did not satisfy him. To see everything that has been done in this way, Kramskoy travels around Europe with a mandatory visit to the best museums in the world. leaves for Germany. He walks through the art galleries of Vienna, Antwerp and Paris, gets acquainted with new art, and later travels to the Crimea - to the areas of Bakhchisarai and Chufui-Kale, so similar to the Palestinian desert.

Marc Chagall

The author of the famous "Bible Message" Marc Chagall loved the Bible since childhood, considering it an extraordinary source of poetry. Since he came from Jewish family, then quite early began to comprehend the basics of education at the school at the synagogue. Many years later, already an adult, Chagall in his work tried to comprehend not only the Old, but also the New Testament, tends to understand the figure of Christ.

Department of Education of the Rechitsa District Executive Committee

State educational institution "Kholmech secondary school" Rechitsa district of the Gomel region

Competition of scientific works "Biblical plots in world art"

Nomination: "Biblical stories in world art"

Topic: "Biblical stories in works of fine art"

Daria Vitalievna, 8th grade.

Project manager: Petrienko

Anna Viktorovna, history teacher

Gomel region, Rechitsa district, Kholmech,

2012

Introduction 3

Biblical scenes in the painting of the early Middle Ages 4

Renaissance artists 7

A) Early Renaissance 7

B) High Renaissance 10

C) Late Renaissance 15

Northern European Revival 18

Biblical scenes in Russian painting 22

6) Biblical scenes in the painting of the XX century 25

7) Conclusion 28

8) Literature 29

Introduction

For two millennia, the whole world has been brought up on fairy tales and legends, songs and parables taken from the Bible.

The Bible has come down to us through the ages. She was banned, burned, but she survived. It took 18 centuries to compose the Bible. More than 30 authors worked on it. 66 books of the Bible were written in different languages ​​by people who lived at different times.

The great artists of the world displayed biblical scenes in their paintings. Both artists and those who are interested in fine arts have their own idea of ​​the Bible: after all, it served as a source of plots for an innumerable number of paintings, drawings and sculptures created over a vast, almost two thousand year, historical period. Biblical stories have been given visual form in thousands of sculptures, frescoes, icons, paintings, drawings and prints. Each such work offers its own version of the plot drawn from the Bible, the originality of which is determined by the personality and talent of the artist, who was under the influence of a great many social and social factors. cultural life his country and his era.

In the process of implementing the research, it is planned to carry out the following tasks:

generalize the study of the Bible by illustrating its individual plots with masterpieces of world art;

improve your analysis skills paintings, acquired in history lessons, the ability to correlate what is read with what is seen;

learn to see beauty in painting.

Biblical stories of the early Middle Ages

We can talk about the formation of a certain artistic style from about the 10th century. Then the peculiarity of medieval art was already clearly visible. They are just as typical for the people's perception of painting, because they sound again and again in orders for the decoration of images and panels behind the altar. The devout layman desired to know more about the suffering and death of Christ than could be read in the Gospels. This desire to "see as much as possible" (or, more precisely, the desire to consider the gospel scenes in the smallest detail) was reflected both in direct religious experiences and in the feeling of the closeness of religious experience to everyday life, characteristic of that era. Such an integration of eventful art into reality required new ways of seeing - ways that found expression in the development of various forms and new motives. Studying the main period of Gothic painting, which lasted from the middle of the 13th to the middle of the 15th century, we can easily trace this process of aesthetic and thematic reorientation in early Netherlandish art, and especially in the work of Jan van Eyck. His famous works this is the Ghent altarpiece (see next page 3) created by order of Jos Veidt for his family, V . The inscription on reports that it has been started, "greatest of all", and finished by his brother, "second in art". Consecrated. consists of 24 panels, which depict 258 human figures. The height of the altar in the central part reaches three and a half meters, the width (opened) is five meters. The paintings that make up the altar are located on the outer and inner sides of the altar. In the closed state - on the outside of the altar is depictedand his wife praying in front of statues And . The scene in the middle row. Shapes and separated by an image of a window in which one can see, which is believed to match the view from the window at the Veidts' house. Figures in the top row And prophetesses who foretold the coming. When opened, the dimensions of the altar are doubled. In the center of the top row, God the Father is depicted sitting on a throne (some sources write Christ). At the feet of God the Father lies a crown, symbolizing superiority over all kings.

To the left and to the right of the throne are images of the Mother of God and John the Baptist. This is followed by images of musical angels. Angels are without wings. One of the angels (St. Cecilia) plays the organ with metal pipes. The series is completed by nude figures and. Above Adam and Eve are scenes of the murder and sacrifice of Cain and Abel. In the middle of the lower tier there is a scene of worship of the sacrificial lamb, symbolizing Christ. In front of the altar is located - a symbol of Christianity. To the left of the fountain is a group of Old Testament righteous people, to the right - followed by both, and the laity. Processions and pilgrims are depicted on the right side panels. On the left wings - the procession of the army of Christ and the Righteous Judges.

Van Eyck's first dated work, Madonna and Child, or Madonna under the Canopy (1433). Madonna sits in an ordinary room and holds a child on her lap, leafing through a book. The background is a carpet and a canopy, shown in perspective reduction. In The Madonna of Canon Van der Pale (see fol. 4) (1434), the aged priest is depicted so close to the Mother of God and his patron, St. George, which almost touches the white clothes of her red cloak and the knightly armor of the legendary dragon slayer.

It should not be forgotten that big role early Franco-Flemish illustrations for handwritten books and the work of Robert Campin (Master of Flemal) played in painting - one of the founders of the art of the Northern Renaissance, was among those masters who laid the foundations for a new, freer approach to displaying the world and man, to the interpretation of religious images. Unfortunately, from most early work, which were significant altar compositions, only fragments have come down to us. However, they also allow us to judge the characteristic properties of the artist's work. Attention is drawn to Campin's desire to "earth" the gospel stories and emphasize the common people's solidity. actors. The composition "Christmas" (see next page 5) is one of the most bright works Campin. All the characters in this picture - from the majestic kneeling Mother of God to the ox looking through the shingles of the dilapidated barn wall - are conveyed vividly and convincingly, with remarkable perfection. At the same time, they are not related to each other, they can be considered only by

separately. The master came close to solving the problem that invariably faced the painters at that time: how to “put in their places” various figures and objects, how to bring order into the world of painting? Campin found a surprisingly simple answer to this question: he subordinated the composition of the picture not to the laws of geometry and optics (as his contemporaries did in Italy), but to the simple logic of home comfort, so familiar to any Dutchman. Campin builds the compositions of his paintings with the same familiar ease with which a caring and experienced hostess puts things in order in the house. "The Evil Thief on the Cross" (see next page 6) (1430-1432) is the only surviving fragment of a large triptych. The golden background is traditional, on which the figures of the crucified and two witnesses of his torment are depicted. At the same time, the plasticity of the naked body in Kampin's painting is devoid of conventionality; it is as if painted from nature. The faces of those present at the execution are very individual and expressive. Using a golden background, the artist, as in the Frankfurt altarpiece, leaves open the lower part of the picture, in which a distant landscape space appears. A tiny Hermitage diptych, on the wings of which depicts the Trinity and the Madonna and Child by the Fireplace, can be attributed to approximately the same time (see next page 7). The image of God the Son here is close in solution to Christ in the Frankfurt Trinity, but his dead body does not imitate sculpture, but is subordinated to the general pictorial structure of the composition. If the left wing gives a picture of the supersensible world, then in the right wing the artist turns to showing the real environment: in front of the viewer is a typical room of a burgher's house with a characteristic setting of that time. Behind the lattice window you can see the houses of the town. Maria is depicted in a cozy interior: with the naturalness of a simple woman, she is located by the fireplace, she is surrounded by ordinary household items. However, at first glance, the viewer sees in this picture something more that goes beyond the ordinary: the life of the space depicted by the artist seems to have stopped, not subject to the usual flow of time, things, for all their specificity, are perceived as belonging not to prosaic reality, but to some other, ideal the world. Each depicted object, becoming a symbol, seems to radiate imperishable beauty from itself: for example, a washbasin and a towel symbolize the purity of Mary, an open window and the light pouring from it - the presence spirituality, fireplace - evil forces from which Mary protects the baby.

Renaissance artists

The Renaissance is a very difficult era. Here we see hundreds of names, dozens of treatises on art, and only a part of them is devoted directly to aesthetics.

The Renaissance culture is rich in names, especially the names of the artists Michelangelo Buonarotti (1475-1564), Raphael Santi (1483-1520), Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519), Titian Vecellio (1488-1576), El Greco (1541-1614) and others

Artists tend to generalize ideological content, synthesis, their embodiment in images. At the same time, they are distinguished by the desire to highlight the main, the main thing in the image, and not the details, particulars. In the center stands the image of a man - a hero, and not a divine dogma that has taken on a human form. The idealized person is increasingly interpreted as a citizen, a titan, a hero, that is, as a modern, cultured person.

Many artists of this time create one thing, but think something completely different. They often create really new art forms, so there is no doubt about their novelty, but these same masters at the same time in their inner and spiritual life are literally torn to pieces, do not know what to do, endlessly repent and alternately rush from one artistic position to another.

The Renaissance itself is conditionally divided into a number of stages:

· Early Renaissance (trecento and quattrocento) - the middle of the XIV - XV centuries;

High Renaissance (cinquecento) - until the second third of the 16th century;

Late Renaissance - second third of the 16th - first half of the 17th centuries.

A) Early Renaissance - the middle of the XIV - XV centuries.

In the early Renaissance, free human individuality comes to the fore and that this individuality is usually expressed here very strongly.

Giotto di Bondone (a key figure in the early Renaissance, the first to endow the figure that determines the composition with feeling and individualize space and event). His painting style was mandatory for the 14th century. With the name of Giotto di Bondone (1266/1267 -

1337) is associated with a decisive turn towards realistic art. The most famous works of Giotto that have come down to our time are murals on gospel stories in the Arena Chapel in Padua and murals on themes from the life of Francis of Assisi in the church of Santa Croce in Florence.

In these masterpieces, the master refuses the planar nature of icon-painting images on the basis of a synthesis of volume and plane. One of the most touching images created by Giotto is considered to be the image of Christ in the scene "The Kiss of Judas" (see next page 9) (frescoes of the Arena Chapel in Padua, 1304-1306). The master managed to convey the high drama of the scene through the intent and meaningful look of Christ, turned on the traitor. At the same time, Giotto managed to convey the calmness of Christ, combined with a clear awareness of the fate destined for him.

The theme of the fresco “Christ and Judas” runs like a leitmotif throughout the entire Padua cycle (“Meeting of Mary and Elizabeth” (see next line 10), “Flight into Egypt” (see next line 11), “Lamentation of Christ” (see next line 12). ) and etc.). Giotto's innovation had a tremendous impact on the fine arts of the Renaissance.

Outstanding Master early renaissance considered to be Sandro Botticelli (1445-1510). His works are built on religious and mythological subjects, they are marked by spiritualized poetry, the play of linear rhythms, and subtle coloring. The Crucifixion (see ff. 13), The Christ Carrying the Cross, and the Mystical Nativity (see ff. 14) are the embodiment of Botticelli's unshakable faith in the rebirth of the Church. These two paintings reflect the artist's rejection of the secular Florence of the Medici era.

The great painter of the early Renaissance was Masaccio (1401 - 1428) - a painter in whose paintings conciseness, vigor in the development of action, expressiveness of facial expressions and movements opposed the former leisurely verbosity, replete with inserted episodes of the story. “The Miracle with the Stater” (see sl 16-17) (1428) is a multi-figure composition: at the entrance to the city of Christ, he and his disciples were asked to pay a fee - a stater (coin). By order of Christ, Peter caught a fish in the lake and found a stater in its mouth, which was handed over to the guard. The majesty of the figures of the apostles entering the city, the masculinity of faces with individualized features of people from

people, the naturalness of gestures and movements, the introduction of genre moments in the scene of Peter's search for a coin - everything is bright, deeply truthful.

In another creation by Masaccio, the painting "Expulsion from Paradise" (see next page 18), for the first time in Renaissance painting, an image of nude figures is given, powerfully modeled by side light. Confusion, shame, remorse are depicted through movements and facial expressions. Innovative searches of Masaccio - ways of further development of realistic painting.

A completely different artistic phenomenon is the great Dutch painter Bosch. He had an encyclopedic knowledge of theology and science, literature and medicine. somehow in an incomprehensible way he managed to combine medieval fantasy, folklore, satirical and moralistic tendencies. All the artist's work is permeated by one theme: the struggle between good and evil, divine and infernal forces. "Garden of earthly joys" 9cm. sl 19-20) or The Garden of Delights (1503). Paradise is depicted on the left side of this triptych, Hell is depicted on the right side, and an image of earthly existence was placed between them. The left side of the "Garden of Delights" depicts the scene of the "Creation of Eve", and paradise itself shines and shimmers with bright, accomplished colors. Against the backdrop of a fantastic landscape of Paradise, filled with various animals and plants, the master shows the awakening Adam. Adam, who has just woken up, rises from the ground and looks in amazement at Eve, whom God shows him. The well-known art historian C. de Tolnay notes that the amazing look that Adam casts on the first woman is already a step on the path to sin. And Eve, extracted from Adam's rib, is not just a woman, but also an instrument of seduction. In the composition “The Garden of Earthly Delights”, three plans are distinguished: in the foreground “various joys” are shown, the second is occupied by a cavalcade of numerous horsemen who ride various animals, the third (farthest) is crowned with a blue sky, where people fly on winged fish and with the help of their own wings. The whole picture can appear before the viewer in a different light: the artist himself invented this nightmare, all the agony and torment are committed in his soul. However, Bosch was a deeply religious person, and he could not even think of placing himself in Hell. Most likely, the artist should be looked for among those images that Light and Goodness carry in his paintings, not without reason he belonged to the Brotherhood of the Virgin.

B) High Renaissance - until the second third of the 16th century.

The period of the High Renaissance was relatively short and is associated primarily with the names of three brilliant masters - Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519), Raphael Santi (1483-1520) and Michelangelo Buonarroti (1475-1564).

Leonardo da Vinci was the most striking personality, revealing to the world the ideal of the "universal man" of the Renaissance. Combining the development of new means of artistic language with theoretical generalizations, he created majestic canvases, among which the most famous are The Last Supper (see next page 22) and La Gioconda. The composition of The Last Supper by Leonardo da Vinci was commissioned by Duke Lodovico Moro, who ruled Milan. From his youth, revolving in the circle of cheerful bacchantes, the duke became so depraved that even a young innocent creature in the form of a quiet and bright wife was unable to destroy his pernicious inclinations. But, although the duke sometimes spent, as before, whole days in the company of friends, he felt sincere affection for his wife and simply revered Beatrice, seeing in her his guardian angel.

When she died suddenly, Lodovico Moro felt lonely and abandoned. In desperation, having broken his sword, he did not even want to look at the children and, moving away from his friends, languished in solitude for fifteen days. Then, calling for Leonardo da Vinci, no less saddened by this death, the duke threw himself into his arms. Impressed by the sad event, Leonardo conceived his work - “ last supper". Subsequently, the Milanese ruler became a pious man.

For his fresco on the wall of the refectory of the monastery of Santa Maria della, Grazie da Vinci chose the moment when Christ says to his disciples: “Truly I say to you, one of you will give me.” These words precede the culmination of feelings, the highest point of incandescence of human relations, tragedy. But the tragedy is not only the Savior, it is also the tragedy of the highest Renaissance, when faith in cloudless harmony began to crumble and life seemed not so serene.

"One of you will betray me..." - and the icy breath of inevitable fate touched each of the apostles. After these words on their faces

the most diverse feelings were expressed: some were amazed, others were indignant, others were saddened. Ready for self-sacrifice, young Philip, in tragic bewilderment, spread his arms Jacob spread his arms, Peter is about ready to rush at the representative, grabbing a knife, right hand Judas is clutching a purse with fatal pieces of silver... For the first time in painting, the most complex range of feelings has found such a deep and subtle reflection. All this in the fresco is done with amazing truth and care, even the folds on the tablecloth that covers the table look real.

In Leonardo, all the figures of the composition are located on the same line - facing the viewer. Christ is depicted without a halo, the apostles without their attributes, which were characteristic of them on old paintings. By the play of faces and movement they express their spiritual anxiety.

The most famous were also such of his paintings as "The Annunciation", "Madonna with a Flower" (see sl. 23) ( Madonna Benois), "The Adoration of the Magi" 9cm. sl. 24), Madonna in the Grotto (see next page 25). Before Leonardo da Vinci, artists usually depicted large groups people, while the faces of the first and second plan stood out. The painting "Madonna in the Grotto" depicts four characters for the first time: the Madonna, the angel, the little Christ and John the Baptist. But each figure is a generalized symbol. "Renaissance" knew two types of images. It was either a static image of a solemn anticipation, or a story, a narration on any topic. In “Madonna...” there is neither one nor the other: it is not a story, and not an anticipation, it is life itself, a part of it, and everything is natural here.

Typically, artists depicted figures against the backdrop of a landscape, in front of nature. Leonardo - they are in nature, nature surrounds the characters, they live in nature. Da Vinci moves away from lighting techniques, sculpting images with the help of light. It does not have a sharp border between light and shadow, the border is blurred, as it were. This is his famous, unique "sfumato", haze.

A younger contemporary of Leonardo, great painter Raphael went down in history as the creator of a cycle of masterpieces associated with the image of the Madonnas ( artistic images Mother of God).

The greatest creation of Raphael - " Sistine Madonna» (see sl. 27). In the painting by Raphael, the appearance of the Madonna to the deceased Pope Julius II

turned into a phenomenon to her people, which was told in ancient legends. In such legends, the aspirations of the people for justice, the desire and need for ordinary people imagine the heavenly queen and patroness in close proximity. However, Raphael did not limit himself to just retelling the medieval legend. In the history of the creation of the most famous work of Raphael, much is still shrouded in mystery, some art historians believe that his Mary almost lost the halo of holiness on her head, her crown does not flicker, brocade fabrics are not kept behind her, on the contrary, she is wearing a veil and a cloak made of smooth fabric, legs her bare feet, and in essence it simple woman it was not for nothing that it was striking to many that she was holding a baby the way peasant women usually hold them. But this barefoot woman is cherished in the wind like a queen - the mistress of heaven. Pope Sixtus took off her tiara in front of her and carefully placed it in a corner. The earthly lord, like the Magi in front of a Christmas manger, bared his forehead, and an old man almost trembling with excitement appears before the viewer. In the picture there is neither earth nor sky, there is no familiar landscape or architectural scenery in the depths. All the free space between the figures is filled with clouds, thicker and darker at the bottom, more transparent and radiant at the top. The heavy senile figure of St. Sixtus, immersed in the heavy folds of the gold-woven papal vestments, froze in solemn worship. His outstretched hand to us eloquently emphasizes the main idea of ​​the picture - the appearance of the Mother of God to people. On the other side, Saint Barbara is leaning, and both figures seem to support Mary, forming a vicious circle around her. Some call these figures auxiliary, secondary, but if you remove them (even if only mentally) or even slightly change their position in space, the harmony of the whole will immediately collapse. The meaning of the whole picture and the very image of Mary will change. Reverently and tenderly, the Madonna presses her son to her chest, sitting in her arms. Neither mother nor child can be imagined separately from each other, their existence is possible only in indissoluble unity. Mary, the human intercessor, carries her son towards the people. In her lonely procession, all that mournful and tragic sacrifice to which the Mother of God is doomed is expressed.

The last titan of the High Renaissance was Michelangelo - the great sculptor, painter, architect and poet. Despite his versatile talents, he is called Italy's first draftsman.

thanks to the most significant work of an already mature artist - the vault painting Sistine Chapel in the Vatican Palace (see page 27) (1508-1512). The total area of ​​the fresco is 600 sq. meters. It is an artistic illustration of biblical stories from the creation of the world. On the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, almost all the key moments from the Bible are depicted, from the creation of the world to “ Doomsday". On the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, Michelangelo created images in which, to this day, we see the highest manifestation of human genius and human daring. Meanwhile, the thought that some enemies were plotting against him did not leave him. “I don’t care,” he said in one of his letters, “neither about health, nor about earthly honors, I live in the greatest labors and with a thousand suspicions.” And in another letter (to his brother) he stated with full right: "I work through strength, more than any person who has ever existed."

The Greatest Representative Venetian school- Titian Vecellio (c. 1489/90-1576). Titian's works attract with their novelty of solutions, primarily coloristic and compositional problems. For the first time, the image of the crowd appears on his canvases as part of the composition. The most famous works of Titian: "Penitent Magdalene" (see ff. 28-29), "Saint Sebastian" and others. The gallery of portraits of his contemporaries made by him was the subject of deep study and imitation for subsequent generations of European painters.

The German Renaissance was the work of one generation of artists and was exhausted by late XVI century. Simultaneously with Durer worked major artist- Mathis Niethardt (1460/1470 -1528), nicknamed Grunewald. This is a master of expressive, dramatic religious images imbued with mystical visionaryism. Grunewald is more connected with the legacy of the Gothic than Dürer, but with the power of images and the grandeur of a sense of nature, he is inseparable from the Renaissance. The color richness of his painting belongs to the highest achievements of national artistic culture. Dürer was only 27 years old when he conceived the "Apocalypse" (see lines 30-31). A brave decision! Even the form of publication was unusual. Contemporaries got used to religious books with engravings-illustrations, which were bought for the sake of the text, illustrations played a modest role in them.
Dürer conceived something completely new: 15 engravings with short quotes on

turns combined into one whole - Album of illustrations. Album of images. At the time of Dürer, there was not even a name for such a publication!
"Apocalypse" is the most mysterious, darkest, most confusing part of the "New Testament". Durer erected stone cities on the sheets of his "Apocalypse" and grew mighty trees, brought crowds of people, made rivers flow, forests rustle, grasses rustle, ships rock on waves, while swans slowly glide across the water. And to the skies above beautiful world he placed visions - sometimes mysterious and formidable, sometimes remaining in the mountain heights, sometimes flying to the earth.

"Adam and Eve" by Albrecht Dürer is one of the artist's greatest creations. This is a masterpiece of world painting of all times and peoples. For centuries, the story of Adam and Eve was told as the story of the fall, for which the ancestors of mankind were expelled from paradise... Dürer forgot everything he knew and taught about it from childhood. And he remembered everything he knew about beauty and love.

Along with portraits, Albrecht Dürer also painted altarpieces and compositions traditional for Northern Europe. The most tragic of them is "The Seven Passions of Mary" (see f. 32), where Dürer dressed the torturers of Christ in the clothes of his fellow tribesmen and contemporaries. And to those he said: Golgotha ​​is not somewhere and sometime. It is here and now. Golgotha ​​is everywhere where defenseless people are persecuted and tortured, where heavy crosses of suffering are heaped on them, where they are crucified. Golgotha ​​is everywhere where there are people who are willing to knock these crosses together, to put them on other people's shoulders, to pierce other people's hands and feet with nails, to torture and crucify those given into their power. The most festive, bright with impeccable colors- "The Feast of the Rosary" (see page 33), where, enjoying his skill, the artist wrote red brocade, purple and violet velvet, dark blue silk, a formidable brilliance of steel, dark cloth, sparkling gold and precious stones, noble carpet pattern, tenderness of pale red and white roses.

In addition to altar compositions, many images of the Mother of God have been preserved. Durer's Madonna (see ff. 34) - most often young, charming, with a soft face, with tender lips, with thoughtfully half-closed eyes. When you peer into her incarnations, it seems that they all go back to the real image.

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C) Late Renaissance - second third of the 16th - first half of the 17th century

The Late Renaissance period is marked by a number of important changes in art. Many painters, poets, sculptors, architects abandoned the ideas of humanism, inheriting only the manner and technique (the so-called mannerism) of the great masters of the Renaissance.

Among the major founders of Mannerism are Jacopo Pontormo (1494-1557) and Angelo Bronzino (1503-1572), who worked mainly in the portrait genre. Mannerism can be attributed entirely to the work of Jacopo Tintoretto (1518-1594), a representative of the Venetian school of the Late Renaissance, who tried to compete with Michelangelo in the grandeur of designs. He creates an unreal world in which the personal emotions of the artist are always present.

Pontormo Jacopo (1494-1557) - the founder of the so-called manneristic, or anti-classical direction. The term mannerism is based on the word "manner", that is, the method or nature of writing, in the narrow sense - the style of a work of art.

Greatest Place in the work of Pontormo, deeply tragic images are occupied, expressed primarily in his church paintings and paintings, in the Entombment created in 1525-1528 (see fol. 35) for the church of Santa Felicita. The action takes place against a fantastic neutral background. The figures are piled one above the other along the plane of the picture, and they seem to be devoid of gravity, as if they are floating in various poses. Color is built on pure, dissonant colors. They are placed in large spots and create mystical illumination.

One of major painters Venice was Jacopo Robusti, nicknamed Tintoretto (1518--1594), who created his own artistic style. His complex compositions with an abundance of figures and the action of large masses in rapid motion are full of dynamism and expression. He is characterized by a tragic perception of life, caused by the discord between the ideal and the real. He turned to biblical themes. The paintings of this period are imbued with a certain amount of mysticism (“The Introduction of Mary into the Temple” (see next page 36), murals in the building of the brotherhood of St. Rocco). Tintoretto worked continuously, intensely and selflessly, often for free.

Domenico Theokopuli (1541-1614) (this is the real name of El Greco) is a legendary master whose fate is mysterious and full of miracles. His painting occupies a very special place in the history of European art. El Greco - one of the outstanding painters of the late Renaissance, the author of paintings on religious and mythological subjects and genre paintings.

Thanks to the altar paintings "Trinity" (see page 37), "The Resurrection of Christ" and others, the artist became widely known.

In 1579, for the Toledo Cathedral, El Greco performed "Espolio" (see line 38) ("Taking off Christ's clothes"). The composition was an unprecedented success.

The main motive for El Greco's work has always been religious paintings performed for churches, monasteries, hospitals of Toledo, Madrid and other cities. The artist is occupied with the motifs of the martyrdom of the saints (“The Martyrdom of St. Mauritius”), the theme of the “holy family” (“Holy Family” (see fol. 40)), scenes from the life of Jesus Christ (“Carrying the Cross” (see fol. 39) , "Prayer for the Chalice"). A special place in the art of El Greco is occupied by images of saints; the artist often depicts them talking to each other (“St. John and St. Francis”, “Apostles Peter and Paul” (see f.41)). Later works El Greco ("Laocoön", "The Opening of the Fifth Seal" (see page 44)), in which the artist's imagination takes on bizarre, unreal forms, were not understood by his contemporaries.

founder realistic direction V European painting XVII century is Michelangelo da Caravaggio (1573-1610). The master's canvases are distinguished by their simplicity of composition, emotional tension, expressed through contrasts of light and shadow. Among the paintings of Caravaggio there are no festive subjects - such as "Annunciation", "Betrothal", "Introduction to the Temple", which the masters of the Renaissance loved so much. He is drawn to tragic themes. On his canvases, people suffer, experience severe torment. Caravaggio observed these hardships of life. In the painting “The Crucifixion of St. Peter” (see f. 43), we see the execution of the apostle, who was crucified upside down on the cross. "The Conversion of Saul" (see f. 44) shows the ruthless persecution of Christians, their death under the heel of a horse, and the moment of Saul's enlightenment. On the way to Damascus, he was suddenly blinded by a heavenly ray, and, falling from his horse, he heard the voice of Christ: “Saul, why are you persecuting me?” After Saul's epiphany

becomes one of the most devoted disciples of Christ - the apostle Paul. How folk drama Caravaggio shows the scene of "The Entombment" (see next page 45). The lifeless body of Christ is carefully supported by the disciples. The frozen hand of the Savior hangs down to the tombstone, over the black expanse of the grave.

IN paintings by Caravaggio on gospel stories, the everyday appearance of the characters is striking. In gospel scenes he shows life common people. Contemporaries of Caravaggio testify: he despised everything that was not copied from life. The artist called such paintings trinkets, children's and puppet things.

Europe adopted the innovative spirit of the Italian, and in Italy the Church strongly rejected the naturalism of Caravaggio. And, apparently, not by chance, because the Italian Renaissance has already ended. Italy has said almost everything it could say. It was the turn of the Northern European Renaissance.

Northern European Renaissance

The pinnacle of the Northern European Renaissance was the work of Harmens van Rijn Rembrandt (1606 - 1669). Rembrandt, perhaps more than anyone else, was able to reveal the inexhaustible wealth in a deeply moving, truthful way. inner world person.

Dutch painters for the first time saw a person as he is in life, and reflected in art various aspects of his everyday life. Some of them approached the solution of a more difficult task - to reflect the beauty and significance spiritual world ordinary person

It would seem that, turning to biblical and gospel themes, Rembrandt is moving away from the image of the society of his time. In fact, his biblical and gospel heroes in many ways resemble ordinary people of his day, who invariably attract the sympathy of the artist. In his mind, the biblical heroes serve as a vivid personification of the beautiful human qualities. The artist sees in them spiritual greatness, inner integrity, severe simplicity, great nobility. They are not at all like the petty, self-satisfied burghers - his contemporaries. Genuine human passions are increasingly reflected in the artist’s canvases, more and more often theatrical drama, a “terrible” event will be replaced by a genuine drama of life. These new features stand out clearly in the Hermitage painting The Descent from the Cross (see page 46), painted in 1634. Night. Mournful silence. A silent crowd of people surrounded the huge cross on which Christ was crucified. They came to Golgotha ​​to pay their last debt to their teacher. By the cold light of torches, they remove his dead body from the cross. One of the men, climbing up the ladder, pulls out the nails with which Christ was crucified on the crossbeam; others pick up his slumping body; women prepare a bed for the remains, spreading a large heavy cloth on the ground. Everything is done slowly, in respectful and sad silence. The experiences of those gathered are different: some faces express bitter despair, others - courageous grief, others - reverent horror, but each of the people present is deeply imbued with the significance of the event. Boundless is the sorrow of the old man who receives the dead Christ. He holds it with noticeable effort, but very carefully, gently, touchingly touching his cheek to

lifeless body. Maria is exhausted from grief. She is unable to stand, loses consciousness, falls into the hands of the people who carefully surrounded her. Her emaciated face is deathly pale, her eyelids are closed, the weakened hand of her outstretched hand drooped helplessly. The picture captures with deep penetration, vital truth. Only the exaggeration of some movements and gestures reminds of Rembrandt's baroque hobbies.

During the 40s, Rembrandt repeatedly refers to the theme of the holy family. One of the best solutions to this theme is the Hermitage painting The Holy Family (see page 47), created by the artist in 1645. The gospel scene gives the viewer many associations with everyday life. folk life, contemporary Rembrandt. Silence, peace are broken only by the familiar sounds of life at home. Burning firewood crackles, a low monotonous knock of a carpenter's ax is heard. The room is shrouded in gentle twilight; light pours in softly from different sources, quiveringly sliding over Mary's face, illuminating the cradle, giving the depicted a touch of spirituality. The child stirred slightly in his sleep, and the woman, obeying the subtle maternal instinct, breaks away from reading, lifts the canopy and looks at the baby with concern. She is the very sensitivity, the very alertness. In essence, the great humanity and penetration of the picture is created only by one of its glances. The bright elevation of the captured moment is also reflected in the fact that angels descend inaudibly to the mother and the boy.

In 1660, Rembrandt creates the famous painting "Assur, Haman and Esther" (see fol. 48) . The plot of the picture was the biblical myth, known as "The Feast at Esther." Haman, the first vizier and friend of the Persian king Assur, cruelly slandered the Jews before the king, hoping to achieve their extermination. Then Queen Esther, who came from Judea, stood up for her people. Inviting Assur and Aman to the feast, she told about the slander of the vizier, and the treacherous face of the man whom he considered his friend was revealed to the king. The artist depicts the moment of the feast when Esther finished the story and a deep, painful silence reigned. The queen's beautiful eyes are sad. Without looking at her hands, Esther automatically crumples her handkerchief. She is still entirely in the power of the experience. It was painfully difficult for her to utter the words of reproof; like the king, she believed the vizier, treated him like

friend. Shocked by what he heard, bitterly disappointed Assur. His big eyes filled with tears. At the same time, noble anger awakens in him, and he grips the scepter imperiously. In deep shadow, alone, Haman is depicted. An invisible abyss separated him from the king and queen. The consciousness of doom crushes him like an unbearable burden: he sits hunched over, head bowed, eyes closed; the hand holding the bowl lies helplessly on the table. It is not even the fear of death that oppresses him, but the heavy consciousness of moral loneliness. He understands that Assur and Esther will never forgive him, no matter how hard it is for them to condemn a friend.

There are few personalities in the history of art as mysterious and ambiguous as Bruegel. The Renaissance idea of ​​the importance of the human person did not fit into artistic concepts Brueghel. In his drawings and paintings, he often hides faces altogether, depriving the figures of any individuality. A similar trend can be traced in the depiction of biblical characters. He shifts them somewhere to the side, hides them among ordinary people. This is how we see Mary and the Lord in the village square, John the Baptist with Christ in the crowd of people, and the "Adoration of the Magi" (see f. 49) is generally hidden behind a veil of snowfall.

Brueghel's man has freedom of choice, and he bears responsibility for his misfortunes. The choice between good and evil, between faith and disbelief, a person is forced to make constantly, throughout his life - just as his ancestors were forced to make this choice and how many other people make it today. Hence - another sign of the works of Brueghel, which makes them related to icons, but very rarely found in modern art - the combination of temporal and spatial layers. In such paintings as "Procession to Golgotha" (see fol. 50), "Census in Bethlehem", "Massacre of the Innocents", "Sermon of John the Baptist" (see fol. 51), "Conversion of Paul" (see fol. 52), "Nativity", in the engraving "Assumption of Our Lady" biblical characters are present among Brueghel's contemporaries leading their daily normal lives, biblical scenes are played out against the backdrop of Flemish urban and rural landscapes. For example, the figure of the Savior bent under the weight of the cross is almost lost among the many other impressions of any of the people depicted in the picture, and these people make their moral choice, not realizing that they see God in front of them. IN later works Brueghel deepens the mood of pessimistic reflection.

In the famous "Blind" (see ff. 53) (1568), the gospel parable is used to embody the idea of ​​a blind humanity that has lost the will to fight and passively follows fate-fortune. The leader at the head of the line of crippled-blinds falls, the others stumbling and uncontrollably follow him; their helpless gestures are convulsive, in their faces, numb with horror, the seal of destructive passions and vices sharply appears, turning them into deathly masks. The intermittently uneven rhythm of the movement of the figures develops the theme of imminent death. However, the serenely harmonious nature of the background, with its idyllic peace, as if suggesting a way out of a tragic dead end, still appears as a contrasting alternative to human bustle.

Biblical scenes in Russian painting

The images of the Holy Land, the gospel events that took place in the holy places, became the object of reflection and depiction on canvas for many Russian artists. Some of them personally visited the countries of the Bible region, incl. and with the assistance of the Imperial Orthodox Palestine Society. Unforgettable experience unusual colors, oriental flavor were reflected in the work of pilgrims with easels, which made it possible to make the impact of their paintings on the viewer stronger.

The beginning of time and everything that exists on the planet, the creation of the world and man, the fall in paradise, the first murder of brother by brother, the global flood - reflection on these global philosophical topics described in the Bible has invariably provided food for artistic comprehension of the Old Testament events in Russian painting. Masters of different schools and trends turned to these key subjects for the human worldview, they all wanted to convey to the audience their own vision of the images generated by their imagination and transferred to the canvas. One of these masters was Ivan Aivazovsky. Belonging by religion to the Armenian Apostolic Church, Aivazovsky created a number of paintings on biblical subjects. Painting «Chaos. The Creation of the World” (see page 54) by Aivazovsky was honored to enter the permanent exhibition Vatican Museum. Pope Gregory XVI awarded the artist a gold medal. On this occasion, Gogol jokingly told the artist: "Your" Chaos "raised chaos in the Vatican."

All evangelists describe the miracles that Jesus Christ performed during his earthly life. These were both phenomena that change the nature of things, as well as the healing of the afflicted or even the resurrection of the dead. All miracles were performed not as tricks, but were aimed at assuring people and their salvation, not one of those healed or resurrected returned to their former sinful life. Thus, the Divine essence of the Son of God was manifested, the witnesses of miraculous deeds were able to believe themselves and spread the doctrine of the Truth to others. An example is the painting “Jesus Christ Saves the Drowning Peter” (see next page 55) by N. M. Alekseev (1813-1880). 1850

The allegorical and metaphorical nature of Christ's preaching made it easier for followers to perceive His teachings. In gospel stories

more than 30 complete stories are described in the form of parables - instructive figurative stories told by Christ to the people. The plots of the parables were simple, usually taken from everyday life, and were understandable to the listeners. Christ Himself explained to the apostles the reason for using parables as follows: “because it has been given to you to know the secrets of the Kingdom of Heaven, but it has not been given to them… therefore I speak to them in parables, that seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, and they do not understand.” Russian artists willingly used the plots of the gospel parables for their paintings. “The Conversation of Christ with the Disciples” (see page 56) Botkin Mikhail Petrovich. 1867, "The Sermon on the Mount" (see page 57) Lomtev Nikolai Petrovich (1817 - 1859). 1841, "Christ's Preaching in the Temple" A. A. Ivanov. 1850s, "Christ the Sower" (see line 58) Kuzma Sergeevich Petrov-Vodkin. 1915, The Prodigal Son (see page 59) Nikolai Dmitrievich Losev. 1882

Popular in Western fine arts and rather rare for Russian painting, the biblical story of the flight of the Holy Family to Egypt reflects the events after Christmas. The mention of the flight to Egypt is contained only in the Gospel of Matthew. After the Magi, having brought their gifts to the infant Jesus, did not return to King Herod, an angel appeared in a dream to the righteous Joseph, commanding: “Get up, take the Baby and His Mother and run to Egypt, and be there until I tell you, for Herod wants to seek the Child in order to destroy Him” (Matthew 2:13). Joseph fulfilled this order and at night with the Virgin Mary and baby Jesus went to Egypt, where he stayed until the death of Herod. This plot is displayed in the paintings “Flight to Egypt” (see page 60) by N. Koshelev (1890)

The Passion Cycle is a cycle of plots based on the final parts of the Gospels that tell about the last days of the earthly life of Jesus Christ, His sacrificial death and suffering (passion) on the cross: from the Last Supper with the disciples to the “Laying in the Tomb” (see sl.61 ) and Resurrection. In this cycle, one can single out such plots as “Prayer for the Cup” (see f. 62), “Pilate’s Judgment”, “Christ’s Mocking”, “Christ’s Scourging”, “Carrying the Cross”, “Crucifixion”, “The Entombment ".

After the Last Supper, Christ withdrew to the olive grove (Gethsemane) and prayed to the Father: “My Father! If possible, let this cup pass from me” (Matthew 26:39). This episode is called "Prayer for the Chalice". Next to Christ, they show three sleeping disciples who were with Him in the garden: Peter, James, and John.
This is followed by episodes: “Carrying the Cross”, Crucifixion, “The Entombment”. The image of the suffering Savior in the crown of thorns with arms folded on his chest or with open palms,

demonstrating wounds from nails, in ancient Russian art is called “The Man of Sorrows”.

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Biblical stories of painters of the XX century.

Marc Chagall h a human torch, illuminating with spiritual light that which is difficult to see with the eye, but which every soul aspiring to yearns for to God - such is the image of Mark Zakharovich Chagall. "The Bible Message of Marc Chagall" has 17 canvases and is thematically divided into two parts. The first part of the "Message", united by a common blue-emerald scale, is mainly connected with the five books of Holy Scripture, called the "Pentateuch of Moses". The second part, painted by the artist in bright red colors, is inspired by one of the most mysterious books of the Bible - "The Song of Solomon". The exposition of the "Bible Message" opens with a large multi-figured canvas "The Creation of Man" (see page 65). I note that the picture is programmatic for the entire first part of the "Message". I would like to start the story about her with words from “Genesis” - the first book of Holy Scripture: “And God created man in His own image” (Genesis 1:26). The Bible describes a lot and in some detail how God communicated with people. The Creator appeared to the prophets or other chosen people, but He always remained invisible. Therefore, they could not imagine the appearance of the Creator, as well as comprehend all of His infinite depth. On this basis, in ancient Jewish and early Christian traditions the image of God was missing. Hence, in this picture of Chagall, we do not see the Creator, but we contemplate His deed: the creation of the first man. And although the artist follows the tradition, nevertheless, it is in this canvas that he touches on the theme of the similarity of the Creator with His creation, that is, with man. He solves it to the point of genius simply and at the same time deeply sacred.

The image of Jesus Christ depicted by Chagall at the most difficult and decisive moment for mankind - the crucifixion - is the key figure of the circle. The traditional Jewish prayer scarf (tales), depicted by Chagall in the form of a loincloth of Jesus, emphasizes His belonging to the chosen people. It is known that the New Testament is opened by four books of the Evangelists, who describe the life of Jesus, supplementing and deepening one another, considering history as if from the four corners of the world. So, in the third chapter of the Gospel of Luke (Luke 3.23-38) the genealogical tree of Christ is recorded. Among His relatives or ancestors are the names of David, Jacob, Noah and Abraham. Here is the answer to this riddle. Chagall placed on the canvas "The Creation of Man" only those heroes of the Bible who have

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relationship with Jesus Christ. The first canvas of the second part is called "Paradise", the second - "Expulsion from Paradise". Along with Adam and Eve, a full-fledged hero of these two works is an unusually beautiful Chagall's paradise. In the Bible, Paradise - "the garden of Eden" or "paradise" - is the earthly place of the creation of man. As in The Creation of Man, Chagall placed the sun in the center of the canvas Paradise (see next page 66). Compositionally, it divides the canvas into two parts, which in turn display two events: on the left - Adam and Eve before the fall, on the right - after it. Chagall filled his fabulous paradise with fantastic plants, mythical birds, animals and hardly noticeable, as it were, otherworldly creatures. He created a special world where everyone who lives there moves in space as they please. Fish here swim in the sky along with people, and birds swim in the depths of the water, not paying attention to the people frolicking nearby. More precisely, there are no such concepts as heaven and earth, there is another dimension here. The life of creatures in Chagall's paradise is very similar to a dream in which any person can pass through a stone mountain or fly like a bird from branch to branch, or can feel like an animal, fish, or even an unknown fantastic entity. The canvas "Expulsion from Paradise" (see page 66), saturated with emerald and cornflower blue tones, is an even brighter picture than the canvas "Paradise". It is known from the Bible that a river flowed through Eden. In Holy Scripture, water, whether it be a river or a stream, is associated with life, and the absence of water is associated with death. Therefore, in biblical texts, rivers were often mentioned along with saving blessings. Thus, God directs the world like a river (Ex. 66:12), or the wisdom of the book of the covenant is compared to the watery richness of rivers (Sir. 24:27). Shagalovskaya river, reminiscent of a fluttering azure ribbon, is swift as a mountain stream, and extraordinarily beautiful, it is truly a heavenly river, personifying life. Life inside and around her just boils. Before the fall, people did not know what death was. Their life was endless, like this river. After people encroached on the forbidden paradise fruit from the "Tree of Knowledge", they were forbidden to live in Paradise. In the language of Chagall's painting, God separated the first people from the endless river of life. It is no coincidence that the Archangel with his blue, like water, rod drives Adam and Eve not from paradise in general, but from the river. The river separates their former paradise life from future life outside of paradise. Ahead of people is not only goodness and love, but also the knowledge of evil and death. The next two canvases of the "Message" are dedicated to the forefather Noah. In "Noah's Ark"

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(see f. 68) depicts Noah with downcast and tired people, sailing in an unknown direction during the flood.

Salvador Dali also turned to biblical subjects in his work. Dali turned to the classical artistic heritage and became an ardent supporter of Catholicism. In 1949 he created the paintingMadonna of Port Lligat» (See next 70)which was presented to Pope Pius XII. One of the brilliant paintings of this period -"Christ San Juan de la Crusa" (1951. Glasgow. Art Museum). The pinnacle of Dali's spiritual quest was the canvas"The Last Supper" (see next page 69)(1955. Washington. National Gallery). It, like many other works of the artist, is built as a ciphertext.

Conclusion

fine arts christian religion always took office. The auxiliary role of mediator, illustrator of the Holy Scriptures. But this service function revealed the centuries-old vitality of Christian art. The works of the early Middle Ages, the Renaissance, by Russian painters invariably demonstrate the spiritual power, artistic power and inexhaustibility of the religious canon. But since the era of the Italian Renaissance, fine arts have gradually moved away from the power of the church, a special religious mission and Christian spirituality have receded before pragmatism, mercantile interests, sensuality and fuss. material world. The rapid secularization of fine arts, the improvement of the methods of shaping led to a noticeable rebirth of biblical subjects. They began to be used speculatively. Already in the paintings of Raphael, the Madonna seemed simple, only slightly idealized. Italian girl, John the Baptist by Leonardo da Vinci - a sugary handsome man, the apostles in the image of Caravaggio - rude peasants. Angels became indistinguishable from cupids. Despite these pernicious tendencies in the art of the old masters, the harmony of image and word has been preserved, moral purity Christian idea and sublime beauty of form. In the 17th century the baroque style is still great, Rembrandt is surprisingly spiritual; the Flemish and Golan painters of the 17th-18th centuries in their small paintings developed in detail the subjects of the Old and New Testaments. In the European Academies of Arts, the tradition of obligatory “programs” has been preserved - painting a picture on a biblical story.

Biblical stories found a peculiar reflection in Russian academic art; special meaning has the work of A.A. Ivanova. A list of names of biblical subjects developed in the history of world fine arts, even the most famous ones. Huge.

Literature

V.S. Koshelev /N. I Kosheleva / S.N. Temushev / World History Grade 8 / Minsk "Publishing Center of BSU" /2010

ON THE. Ionina / One hundred great paintings / Moscow "Veche" / 2001

Thein de Vries / Rembrandt / Kyiv, Artistic / 1995

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