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
The painting "The Adoration of the Magi" by Leonardo da Vinci in recent years has been the object of 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 some 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 horseman, others ask with warning gestures not to approach the monster. The world, as it were, was divided: some people worship evil, others - good, the personification of which in religious painting was Mary with a baby, others doubt it.
Among a group of fighting horsemen, a beautiful young man on a rearing horse defeats his enemy - a terrible horseman in the form of a dragon depicted in the preparatory drawing. Good triumphs over evil - this is the main idea of the work.
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 was with this technique, worked out in the preparatory drawings, that 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
Da Vinci's "Adoration of the Magi" served as a 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
Raphael, working on the 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, on his own initiative, spent four years analyzing the "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 show the remains of ruined churches and monuments from the cities of Ascoli Piceno, Fermo and Macerata, combined with drawings by Soviet director Sergei Eisenstein, inspired by the art of the Renaissance. All proceeds from ticket sales will go towards the restoration of cultural heritage sites damaged by natural disasters.
More posts about Leonardo da Vinci
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.
"The Adoration of the Magi" - a painting that Leonardo painted in 1481, commissioned for the monastery of San Donato in Skopeto. The work was left unfinished, due to the fact that Leonardo left for Milan and took up military engineering. From 1670 to this day, the painting is in the Uffizi, in Florence. This outstanding work is a very personal treatment of a biblical subject often found in 15th-century Florentine painting. It refers to the work of a rather mature artist who was able to convey rhythm, movement and emotions.
In the foreground are the Virgin Mary with the baby and the Magi on their knees in worship. Together they form the shape of a pyramid, which is typical of da Vinci's work. Followers follow them in a semicircle. The face of the guy depicted in the lower right corner of the picture reminds many of Leonardo's self-portrait in his youth. He stands, as if turned away, but with his hand points to the event. In the background on the left is a damaged pagan building and workers. On the right - people on war horses and a sketch of a rocky landscape.
It is possible that the damaged building symbolizes the Basilica of Maxentius (the largest building ever built in the Roman Forum), which, according to medieval legend, the Romans claimed would stand until the Virgin gave birth. Allegedly, it collapsed on the night of the birth of Christ (in fact, it was completed, then, it was only in the 312th year). The ruins dominate Leonardo's preliminary perspective drawing of warrior horsemen. The palm tree in the center is located directly above the Virgin Mary and is believed by many to have a connection with her, in part because of the phrase ""You are majestic as a palm tree"" from the Song of Solomon. Another aspect may be the use of the palm tree as a symbol of victory in ancient Rome, while in Christianity it is a symbol of triumph, martyrdom and victory over death. So, in conclusion, we can say that the palm tree as a whole symbolizes triumph. The second tree in the picture is identified as carob. Its seeds were used as a unit of measurement, a measure of weight. They measured valuable stones and other valuables. This tree and its seeds were associated with the throne, suggesting Christ as the king of kings or the Virgin as the future Queen of heaven.
If you look at the picture as a whole, we can assume that there is an idea in it, like Michelangelo on the Madonna Doni tondo, that the pagan world is, as it were, being forced into the background by the Christian world.
The size of the picture is 246 cm x 243 cm. It is made on five boards fastened together, in oil, according to the sketchwork type, which is widely used in contemporary art. Her composition is concentrated and strong. The opinion that the picture is unfinished seems to many to be erroneous. Some believe that it is made in the style of "non finito" and this is the original idea of the artist. The figures and architectural elements are boldly outlined and filled with dark hues. The Adoration of the Magi is perhaps one of the strangest and at the same time fertile compositions by Leonardo da Vinci. By combining the figures of praying old men and armed horsemen, he turned a banal biblical story into a picture of the history of mankind.
, Florence
"Adoration of the Magi"(Italian: Adorazione dei Magi) - an unfinished painting by the great Italian artist Leonardo da Vinci, stored 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. A small, 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 what could be When I see her, I...
“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.
