"There is no such person who would not love mysteries." With such a statement Dan Brown anticipates his brief information about Leonardo da Vinci's unfinished masterpiece, The Adoration of the Magi. In The Da Vinci Code, Brown retells the story of how a Florentine art diagnostician (you could also call him modern archaeologist from art) Maurizio Serasini discovered that a completely different pictorial plot is hidden under the top layer of paint in Leonardo's painting. The management of the Florentine Uffizi Gallery, not knowing how to react to this discovery, removed the painting to the vaults. Through the mouth of his characters, Brown reports this on the pages of the novel, referring to a certain publication in the New York Times Magazine called "Leonardo's Covert Operation."
The article tells about the discovery obtained as a result of the research of Maurizio Serasini - real face, who really lives in Florence, a person who is actually an art diagnostician.
Serasini became famous for his use of medical techniques to discover the secrets of the old master painters. He made a number of conclusions on the paintings of Botticelli, Caravaggio and Raphael, as well as other great artists of the past. The Uffizi Gallery, which houses the Adoration of the Magi, commissioned Serasini to examine the painting and thus put an end to the disputes raging in the art world: should it be sent for restoration or not, as recently happened with Leonardo's Last Supper? Many art critics are sure that the painting is in an unsuitable condition for restoration, others - mainly the director of the Uffizi - argue that the painting for a long time has been stored extremely carelessly and has suffered greatly from this and most of all needs to be improved in storage conditions, or at least in a good cleaning.
Serasini came to important and controversial conclusions about the Adoration of the Magi, conclusions that have yet to be properly appreciated and approved by representatives of the art world. As Serasini himself says: “The colors of the image that we see on the „ Adoration of the Magi“, were not applied by Leonardo, but by another artist. God alone knows who did it, but obviously not Leonardo.” Serasini believes that the clumsily applied layers of brown and orange paint are the result of the work of an artist who had a hand in the picture a little later. He also argues that many elements of the picture are completely devoid of the grace inherent in Leonardo, especially in drawing human bodies. In addition, Serasini found evidence that under the layers of paint and age-old dust, a completely different story is hidden.
So the author of The Da Vinci Code is right about what the pages of his novel say about The Adoration of the Magi. Moreover, Dan Brown seems to be hinting that the management of the Uffizi Gallery removed the painting from the hall after Cerasini's public announcement of his discovery. But that's not the point at all. The painting was put into storage at the time when Serasini was scanning it and when the management art gallery decided to carry out this survey. In the Uffizi, in room number 15, dedicated to creativity Leonardo, posted a sign informing visitors that the painting is under restoration - this is always done in such situations.
Serasini's discoveries have confused both the gallery's management and the art world, who believe that Leonardo completed the painting himself. The idea that there is some secret motive hidden behind the true meaning of the Adoration of the Magi, unknown to the general public, is likely to have far-reaching consequences.
However, it is clear that Serasini's work has revealed what was previously hidden under the outer layer of paint. What is under a layer of paint and varnish has been studied in infrared rays. The new plot is different from the old, familiar one. It seems that Leonardo wanted to depict a world restored from ruins, which is a reflection of the feelings of the great Renaissance artist. The original version of the painting depicts a building and stairs. Its other element is several horses colliding in a run and suggests Leonardo da Vinci's sketches made for his legendary painting The Battle of Anghiari.
Serasini is currently searching for the famous "Battle of Anghiari", which is believed to have been painted on the wall of the Hall of Five Hundred in Florence's Palazzo Vecchio. He is convinced that the painting could well have survived to this day and that it can be found on one of the walls of this palace.
Leonardo received an order for the Adoration of the Magi in 1481. The picture had big sizes- 96 by 97 inches and written on ten wooden boards glued together. She is considered brilliant creation great master, and up to sensational statement Serasini treated the painting with great reverence, because it miraculously combines the technique of working with paints and pencil sketch. It depicts a scene - now faded - of the meeting of the three kings with the infant Jesus and his mother Mary,
There are several curious and perhaps even symbolic elements in the painting that went unnoticed by the author of The Da Vinci Code. On the background, behind the figures of people, a carob tree is visible. As Clive Prince and Lynn Picknett point out in their book The Discovery of the Templars, the carob tree is commonly associated with John the Baptist, the main character in Leonardo da Vinci's paintings. Around him in the background in respectful poses are the figures of people. One of them pulled forefinger in a gesture typical of John the Baptist (according to K. Prince and L. Picknett). The second person, standing next to Mary and the baby Jesus, also raised a finger in the same gesture that Leonardo repeatedly depicted on his paintings. John's gesture is still the most mysterious element of Leonardo's paintings.
See also: Leonardo da Vinci.
The revived masterpiece of Leonardo da Vinci March 4th, 2017
News from the art world
Leonardo da Vinci. Adoration of the Magi, 1481. Oil on board. 246 × 243 cm. Uffizi, Florence
Painting "The Adoration of the Magi" by Leonardo da Vinci last years was the object close attention from both professionals and amateurs. Finally, six years of restoration work has been completed, and the painting can be seen in the Uffizi Gallery in Florence from March 17 to September 24 at the exhibition "Magic Space. Reborn Adoration of the Magi".
Commissioned by the monks in 1481 for the altarpiece of the monastery of San Donato in Scopeto, the painting was begun by Leonardo, but the artist interrupted work due to a move to Milan. Presumably, another master tried to complete the gospel story after him. Because of this, experts were afraid to start restoration, so as not to distort the original plan.
The customers of the painting, after waiting for several years and making sure that the work would not be completed, turned to Botticelli's student, Filippino Lippi, who eventually fulfilled the order of the monks from Scopeto instead of Leonardo. At the exhibition, this painting by Lippi will pair with the restored masterpiece. The picture turned out to be less significant, since it lost the new content that Leonardo was trying to put into the plot.
The end of the Magi. Fra Filippo Lippi, 1496, 200×219 cm
The painting "The Adoration of the Magi" was begun by Leonardo in Florence, when the Medici dynasty ruled there, at that time led by Lorenzo the Magnificent. Leonardo had just joined the Guild of St. Luke and received a diploma of a master, but the fame of him had already thundered.
The composition of the painting is unusual and has almost no analogues in Italian painting. The spatial solution of the first plan was reduced by Leonardo to a pyramidal form. Two figures depicted at the edges of the picture organically complete the composition of the foreground. In the background you can see the ruins of some palace (according to some versions, a pagan temple), riders on horseback, barely outlined rocks in the distance. In the center of the picture is Mary with the newborn Jesus, surrounded by those who came to bow to the Son of God. Free space in the foreground is left for the viewer. The young man on the right is believed to be the artist himself, aged 29. Each fragment of the picture carries a semantic load.
Interestingly, Leonardo also focuses on the group of fighting horsemen in the upper part of the picture, which are not related to the gospel story. The study of preparatory drawings allowed experts to assert that it was through the background that the artist wanted to reveal the inner content of the work.
On the left, among the majestic ruins of a certain ancient civilization he depicted a scene of "worship of evil". The characters of the second plan literally throw themselves under the hooves of a horse, on which a naked rider sits - a terrible embodiment of world evil. Closer to the center is another group of figures. Some point to the rider, others ask with warning gestures not to approach the monster. The world seemed to be divided: some people worship evil, others - good, the personification of which in religious painting was Mary with a baby, others doubt.
Among a group of fighting horsemen, a beautiful young man on a rearing horse defeats his enemy - scary rider in the form of a dragon depicted in the preparatory drawing. Good triumphs over evil main idea works.
Leonardo attached great importance to gesture. In the Treatise on Painting, he says: "A good painter must paint two main things: a person and the representation of his soul. The first is easy, the second is difficult, since it must be depicted by gestures and movements of the members of the body." It is this technique, worked out in preparatory drawings, he expressed the whole gamut of experiences of the characters in the picture.
Leonardo da Vinci. Perspective sketch of the "Adoration of the Magi", 1481, 16.3×29 cm. Ink, Paper. Uffizi
The Adoration of the Magi was not completed. The principles of Florentine art of the 15th century, on which Leonardo da Vinci was brought up, came into conflict with the new interpretation of the content. It will take only two years, and Leonardo will cope with this task by creating the masterpiece "Madonna in the Rocks".
Leonardo da Vinci. Madonna of the Rocks, 1483-1486. Tree, translated to canvas, oil. 199 × 122 cm Louvre, Paris
"Adoration of the Magi" da Vinci served high example for many artists. Filippino Lippi, who wrote the new "Adoration", also enclosed the central group in a pyramid, but did not dare to use other Leonardian principles. In 1487, Domenico Ghirlandaio used the pyramidal method of constructing a composition.
Domenico Ghirlandaio (1449-1494). Adoration of the Magi, 1488. Board. 285 x 243. Ospedale degli Innocenti Museum. Florence
Rafael working on Vatican frescoes, sketched the gestures of the characters from the "Adoration of the Magi".
Rafael Santi. Stanza "Virtue and Law", 1509-1511
A lot of conspiracy theories have been and continue to be built around the Adoration of the Magi. For example, the Italian researcher of Leonardo's work, Maurizio Seracini, finds in the picture a hidden scene of the revival of the Knights Templar. He's on own initiative spent four years analyzing "Adoration" in detail using infrared photographs. The columns with capitals decorated with lotuses in the upper left corner, in his opinion, depict the ruins of Egyptian temples, which are being completed by workers. Seracini sees in the temple under construction an illustration of a page in the history of the Knights Templar, who secretly restored their structure. In his opinion, the artist, whose hand the picture was written over the original sketches of Leonardo, deliberately concealed this fragment of the picture, as contrary to church doctrine. Some art historians consider Seracini's study worthy of attention.
The Uffizi Gallery also plans to open an exhibition of works of art that survived last year's earthquakes. It will present the fragments of destroyed churches and monuments from the cities of Ascoli Piceno, Fermo and Macerata, combining them with drawings Soviet director Sergei Eisenstein, inspired by the art of the Renaissance. All proceeds from ticket sales will go towards restoring the facilities. cultural heritage affected by natural disasters.
More posts about Leonardo da Vinci
Leonardo da Vinci - The beginning of the Adoration of the MagiLeonardo da Vinci
Adoration of the Magi
(1481-1482), oil on wood 243x246, Uffizi Gallery, Florence, Italy.
After the death of his second wife, Signor Piero da Vinci married for the third time. Relations with the new stepmother (who, as they say, was even younger than her stepson), the artist did not work out. She, quite rightly, believed that a twenty-six-year-old man should earn his own living, and not ask for help from his father.
Leonardo, although he was considered a gifted painter in Florence, received few orders. He did not look for them, preferring to engage in his fantastic projects, and his customers shunned him, because the fame of an eccentric was firmly entrenched in him. My father, of course, did not like this state of affairs. He asked the monastery of San Donato Scopeto, where he acted as a notary, to give his son an order for big picture"Adoration of the Magi".
So, in 1481, with the assistance of his father, the notary of the monastery, Leonardo received the largest and most important, to that time, commission for a large painting for the altar in San Donato Scopeto, the church of the monastery of Augustine. At that time, he was still working on "St. Jerome", but the new commission was very important and "St. Jerome" had to be postponed.
The contract was concluded for two and a half years, and in 1481 Leonardo set to work.
The painting fully embodied the language of "talking" painting invented by Leonardo. Such intensity of gestures, expressiveness of emotions through the centuries will be reproduced in silent films. And "The Adoration of the Magi" itself is very cinematic. The moment of offering gifts is conveyed as an explosion in human history– the whole world begins to move around the Divine Infant and His Mother. Tarkovsky used this painting in "The Sacrifice": one of the characters in the film, looking at its reproduction, says that he was always afraid of Leonardo. In the young man standing on the right, Leonardo portrayed himself.
The painting was left unfinished. In 1482 Leonardo left Florence for Milan. Lorenzo the Magnificent, a Florentine banker, sent him to the Duke of Milan, Lodovico Sforza, as a "messenger of the Muses": da Vinci was supposed to present the lyre he had invented in Milan, since he was the only one who knew how to play it. Leonardo will return to Florence only after 18 years. The monks of San Donato considered his act dishonorable and invited another artist to finish the work. But he decided that it was better to start all over again. So it can be considered a real miracle that this unfinished painting by Leonardo survived and has come down to our days.
Despite the incompleteness, the main features of the picture are clear. It shows the moment when the second king offers a gift to a child.
In the foreground is Mary with the baby, behind them is a rock with two trees. The three kings who were led to Bethlehem by a star worship the Child sitting on his mother's lap.
The first king, Kaspar (on the left, believed to be the oldest), bows low to the Mother and Child. the second king, probably Balthazar, clinging to the rock, in fear, holds out a gift. The man kneeling down with his head up is most likely Melchior (the youngest) of these three kings. (thought to represent Asia, Africa and Europe)
There are many other people around who accompanied the Magi, who surround Mary with the child in a semicircle. In the background, more freely. The ruins of King David's palace are visible. Two young trees growing on the ruins are connected in meaning with the older ones near Mary, and can be understood as symbols new era, a time of peace and mercy, which was to follow the birth of Christ. The taller of the two trees in the middle clings to the inhospitable surface of the rock with its roots. One of these roots, as it were, connects the tree and the head of the Christ child, and it can be understood that it is the root and tree of David.
The two horses in the background, with their riders in a fighting stance, may be a reference to another legend. According to this legend, the three kings were fierce enemies, but after their amazing trip to Bethlehem, they made peace. A sharp contrast, between peace and enmity on the front and background The picture shows the contrast between the time before the Appearance of God and the time that began with the birth of Christ.
On the basis of a bronze figure made by Verrocchio, whose model was his student Leonardo, it is believed that standing alone from the crowd young man(bottom right) Leonardo painted himself. At that time, painters often painted themselves among the characters in the painting.
The Gospel of Matthew (2:1-12) says:
1 Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and said:
2 Where is he who is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and have come to worship him.
3 When King Herod heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.
4 And he gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people, and asked them, Where is Christ to be born?
5 And they said to him, In Bethlehem of Judea, for thus it is written through the prophet:
6 And you, Bethlehem, the land of Judah, are nothing less than the governors of Judah, for out of you will come a Leader who will save my people Israel. Mich.5,2; John 7:42
7 Then Herod, secretly calling the magi, found out from them the time of the appearance of the star
8 And sending them to Bethlehem, he said, Go, search carefully for the Child, and when you find it, let me know so that I too can go and worship Him.
9 After hearing the king, they went. And behold, the star that they saw in the east went before them, until at last it came and stood over the place where the Child was.
10 And when they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy,
11 And when they entered the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother, and fell down and worshiped him; and having opened their treasures, they brought him gifts: gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
12 And being warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed by another way into their own country.
, Florence
"Adoration of the Magi"(Italian Adorazione dei Magi) - an unfinished painting by the great Italian artist Leonardo da Vinci in the Uffizi Gallery. Commissioned by the Augustinian monks from the monastery of San Donato in Scopeto in 1481, it remained unfinished, because a year later the artist left for Milan, and the customers, concerned that his absence was being prolonged, turned to Filippino Lippi, whose "Adoration of the Magi" also located in the Uffizi Museum.
The composition of Leonardo's "Adoration of the Magi" is unusual and, apparently, has almost no analogues in Italian painting. In the background one can see the ruins of some palace (according to some versions - a pagan temple), riders on horseback, barely outlined rocks in the distance; in the center of the picture is depicted Mary with the newborn Jesus, surrounded by pilgrims who came to bow to the Son of God. Free space in the foreground is "intended" for the viewer. The young man on the right is believed to be Leonardo himself at the age of 29.
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Literature
- AA.VV. Galleria degli Uffizi. - Roma, 2003. - (I Grandi Musei del Mondo).
- Milena Magno. Leonardo. - Milano: Mondadori Arte, 2007. - (I Geni dell'arte). - ISBN 978-88-370-6432-7.
- Bruno Santi. Leonardo // I protagonisti dell "arte italiana. - Firenze: Scala Group, 2001. - ISBN 88-8117-091-4.
- Pierluigi De Vecchi ed Elda Cerchiari. I tempi dell "arte. - Milano: Bompiani. - Vol. 2. - ISBN 88-451-7212-0.
Links
- Wikimedia Commons Logo Wikimedia Commons has media related to Adoration of the Magi
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An excerpt characterizing the Adoration of the Magi (painting by Leonardo da Vinci)
“Well, yes,” the hermit replied calmly. And her name is Veya. Only she won't come back a second time - she never shows up twice... What a pity! It was so interesting talking to her...- Oh, so you talked? - finally killed by this, I asked upset.
- If you ever see her, ask her to come back to me, little one...
I just nodded, unable to answer. I wanted to sob uncontrollably!.. What, I got it - and lost such an incredible, unique opportunity!.. And now there is nothing to be done and nothing to return ... And then it suddenly dawned on me!
– Wait, what about the crystal?.. After all, she gave her crystal! Won't she come back?
“I don’t know, girl… I can’t tell you.
- You see! .. - Stella immediately exclaimed joyfully. - And you say - you know everything! Why then be sad? I told you - there is a lot of incomprehensible! So think now!
She was happily jumping up and down, but I felt that her head was obsessively spinning the same one as mine, the only thought ...
“You really don’t know how we can find her?” Or maybe you know who knows?
Fabius shook his head negatively. Stella sank.
- Well, what - let's go? I gently pushed her, trying to show that it was time.
I was both joyful and very sad at the same time - for a short moment I saw a real stellar creature - and I couldn’t hold it ... and I couldn’t even talk. And in my chest, her amazing purple crystal gently fluttered and tingled, with which I didn’t know what to do at all ... and had no idea how to open it. Little, amazing girl with strange purple eyes, gave us a wonderful dream and, smiling, left, leaving us a piece of her world, and the belief that there, far away, beyond millions of light years, there is still life, and that maybe someday I will see it too. ..
“Where do you think she is?” Stella asked softly.
Apparently, the amazing “star” baby just as firmly sat down in her heart as in mine, settling there forever ... And I was almost sure that Stella did not lose hope of finding her someday.
After the death of his second wife, Signor Piero da Vinci married for the third time. Relations with the new stepmother (who, as they say, was even younger than her stepson), the artist did not work out. She, quite rightly, believed that a twenty-six-year-old man should earn his own living, and not ask for help from his father. Leonardo, although he was considered a gifted painter in Florence, received few orders. He did not look for them, preferring to engage in his fantastic projects, and his customers shunned him, because the fame of an eccentric was firmly entrenched in him. My father, of course, did not like this state of affairs. He asked the monastery of San Donato Scopeto, where he acted as a notary, to give his son an order for a large painting, The Adoration of the Magi.
So, in 1481, with the assistance of his father, the notary of the monastery, Leonardo received the largest and most important, to that time, commission for a large painting for the altar in San Donato Scopeto, the church of the monastery of Augustine. At that time, he was still working on "St. Jerome", but the new commission was very important and "St. Jerome" had to be postponed.
The contract was concluded for two and a half years, and in 1481 Leonardo set to work.
The painting fully embodied the language of "talking" painting invented by Leonardo. Such intensity of gestures, expressiveness of emotions through the centuries will be reproduced in silent films. And the Adoration of the Magi itself is very cinematic. The moment of the offering of gifts is conveyed as an explosion in human history - the whole world begins to move around the Divine Infant and His Mother. Tarkovsky used this painting in The Sacrifice: one of the characters in the film, looking at its reproduction, says that he was always afraid of Leonardo. In the young man standing on the right, Leonardo portrayed himself.
The painting was left unfinished. In 1482 Leonardo left Florence for Milan. Lorenzo the Magnificent, a Florentine banker, sent him to the Duke of Milan, Lodovico Sforza, as a "messenger of the Muses": da Vinci was supposed to present the lyre he had invented in Milan, since he was the only one who knew how to play it. Leonardo will return to Florence only after 18 years. The monks of San Donato considered his act dishonorable and invited another artist to finish the work. But he decided that it was better to start all over again. So it can be considered a real miracle that this unfinished painting by Leonardo survived and has come down to our days.
Despite the incompleteness, the main features of the picture are clear. It shows the moment when the second king offers a gift to a child.
In the foreground is Mary with the baby, behind them is a rock with two trees. The three kings who were led to Bethlehem by a star worship the Child sitting on his mother's lap.
The first king, Kaspar (on the left, believed to be the oldest), bows low to the Mother and Child. the second king, probably Balthazar, clinging to the rock, in fear, holds out a gift. The man kneeling down with his head up is most likely Melchior (the youngest) of these three kings. (thought to represent Asia, Africa and Europe)
There are many other people around who accompanied the Magi, who surround Mary with the child in a semicircle. In the background, more freely. The ruins of King David's palace are visible. The two young trees growing on the ruins are connected in meaning with the older ones near Mary, and can be understood as symbols of the new era, the time of peace and mercy, which was to follow the birth of Christ. The taller of these two trees in the middle clings to the roots inhospitable rock surface. One of these roots, as it were, connects the tree and the head of the Christ child, and it can be understood that it is the root and tree of David.
The two horses in the background, with their riders in a fighting stance, may be a reference to another legend. According to this legend, the three kings were fierce enemies, but after their amazing trip to Bethlehem, they made peace. The sharp contrast between peace and enmity in the foreground and background of the picture shows the contrast between the time before the Appearance of God and the time that began with the birth of Christ.
On the basis of the bronze figure made by Verrocchio, the model of which was his student Leonardo, it is believed that Leonardo portrayed himself in a young man standing alone from the crowd (bottom right). At that time, painters often painted themselves among the characters in the painting.
The Gospel of Matthew (2:1-12) says:
1 Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and said:
2 Where is he who is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and have come to worship him.
3 When King Herod heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.
4 And he gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people, and asked them, Where is Christ to be born?
5 And they said to him, In Bethlehem of Judea, for thus it is written through the prophet:
6 And you, Bethlehem, the land of Judah, are nothing less than the governors of Judah, for out of you will come a Leader who will save my people Israel. Mich.5,2; John 7:42
7 Then Herod, secretly calling the magi, found out from them the time of the appearance of the star
8 And sending them to Bethlehem, he said, Go, search carefully for the Child, and when you find it, let me know so that I too can go and worship Him.
9 After hearing the king, they went. And behold, the star that they saw in the east went before them, until at last it came and stood over the place where the Child was.
10 And when they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy,
11 And when they entered the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother, and fell down and worshiped him; and having opened their treasures, they brought him gifts: gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
12 And being warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed by another way into their own country.
