Alessandro Botticelli is one of the greatest artists Italy. Most people remember him as a representative who became famous for his bright canvases depicting young men and women of heavenly beauty. However, he also had gloomy paintings on religious themes. He was interested in the most terrible story in Christian theology - Hell. Botticelli, whose painting on this subject is in given time in the Vatican Library of Rome, finished writing it in 1480.
Its full name is "Abyss of Hell". It was created by the artist as an illustration for the "Divine Comedy" of his great compatriot.
"Hell" Botticelli - painting-illustration to Dante
Which gives us a lot of information about the biography of various artists, writes about the period in which the painter began to get involved in similar topics, the following. Alessandro became very famous for his work, and was invited by the Pope to Rome. There he earned a lot of money, but having a habit of a cheerful and carefree life, he spent almost all of it and was forced to return home. In this regard, the artist was filled with thoughtfulness and began to get involved in reading Dante. He made several drawings illustrating the latter's great work, The Divine Comedy.
At this time, he did not work for money, and thus became even more impoverished. "Hell" Botticelli illustrated along with other parts of this work - "Paradise" and "Purgatory". Approximately so it is possible to characterize the history of the creation of this picture.
Botticelli's painting "Hell" - a kind of "map of the area"
It is known that the artist is the author of several paintings based on famous work stern Florentine. However, it is this colored drawing on parchment that is known more than others, because it is a kind of “hell map”. After all, Dante in his book described not only the sins and terrible torments to which those who committed them were condemned. He created a kind of topography of Hell. According to the poet, the underworld consists of eight circles, and the underground river Acheron flows along the perimeter of the first of them. Streams flow from it, falling into the fifth circle - the swamps of Stygia, where angry people are punished. She then turns into bloody river Phlegeton, and in the ninth circle - with traitors - falls like a waterfall into the center of the earth and freezes. This icy abyss is called Cocytus. This is what Hell looks like. Botticelli, whose picture is actually a map of the underworld of Dante, is trying to follow the poet's word exactly.
The circles of Hell described by the Florentine visionary are shrinking. Therefore, his underworld is a kind of funnel, placed on the tip. It rests on the center of the earth, where Lucifer is imprisoned. As the author says, the deeper hell, the narrower the circle, the more terrible the created sin. The most terrible criminals, according to Dante, are traitors. The artist depicts in some detail and carefully all the places listed by the poet where sinners languish and suffer. Other drawings, like the iconography of earlier times, show how Virgil and
Contemporary art and the work of the artist
Interestingly, this map, created by the painter, became very popular in the twentieth century. For example, the famous novelist Dan Brown, the author of the sensational "The Da Vinci Code", wrote another bestseller - "Inferno" (Hell). Botticelli, whose picture appears in this book as a kind of cipher, is done with light hand author, prophet Like, in his "map" there is a way to "implement" a certain modified version of the underworld here and now. However, this novel, despite all its fantasticness, made many Brown admirers carefully examine the drawing of the great Botticelli.
"Map of Hell" by Botticelli (the story of one masterpiece)
To the great Florentine Dante from the great Florentine Botticelli, commissioned by a wealthy Florentine Lorenzo Medici. The "Divine Comedy" of the first inspired the second to create dozens of manuscripts with the money of the third, in the most detailed way illustrating a literary masterpiece of the XIV century. Most Interest causes a kind of infographic of Hell - a map, following which the heroes " Divine Comedy» you can consider in detail the torment to which sinners are subjected. The sight is not for the faint of heart.
Plot
Botticelli depicted Hell as a funnel. Unbaptized infants and virtuous non-Christians in limbo are given over to painless grief; voluptuaries who have fallen into the second circle for lust endure torment and torment by a hurricane; the gluttons in the third circle rot in the rain and hail; misers and spendthrifts drag weights from place to place in the fourth round; the angry and lazy always fight in the swamps of the fifth circle; heretics and false prophets lie in fiery graves on the sixth; all kinds of rapists, depending on the object of abuse, are tormented in different zones of the seventh circle - they boil in a ditch of red-hot blood, are tormented by harpies, or languish in the desert under a fiery rain; deceivers of those who do not trust languish in the crevices of the eighth circle: some are stuck in fetid feces, some boil in tar, some are chained, some are tormented by reptiles, some are gutted; and the ninth circle is prepared for those who deceived. Among the latter is Lucifer frozen into the ice, who torments in his three mouths traitors to the majesty of the earthly and heavenly (Judas, Mark Junius Brutus and Cassius - the traitors of Jesus and Caesar, respectively).
Here you can see in detail the torment of sinners. The emotions and feelings of each of the characters are written out in detail.
The map of Hell was part of a large commission to illustrate Dante's Divine Comedy. The exact dates of the creation of the manuscripts are unknown. Researchers agree that Botticelli began work on them in the mid-1480s and, with some interruptions, was occupied with them until the death of the customer, Lorenzo the Magnificent Medici.
Not all pages have survived. Presumably, there should be about 100 of them, 92 manuscripts have come down to us, of which four are fully colored. Several pages of text or numbers are blank, suggesting that Botticelli did not complete the work. Most are sketches. At that time, paper was expensive, and the artist could not just take and throw away a sheet with a failed sketch. Therefore, Botticelli first worked with a silver needle, squeezing out a drawing. Some manuscripts show how the idea changed: from the composition as a whole to the position of individual figures. Only when the artist was satisfied with the sketch did he outline the outlines in ink.
On reverse side For each illustration, Botticelli indicated the text of Dante, which explained the drawing.
Context
The Divine Comedy is a kind of Dante's response to the events of his own life. Having failed in the political struggle in Florence and being expelled from hometown, he devoted himself to enlightenment and self-education, including the study of ancient authors. It is no coincidence that Virgil, the ancient Roman poet, is the guide in the Divine Comedy.
The dark forest in which the hero got lost is a metaphor for the poet's sins and searches. Virgil (mind) saves the hero (Dante) from terrible beasts (mortal sins) and leads him through Hell to Purgatory, after which Beatrice (divine grace) gives way on the threshold of paradise.
The fate of the artist
Botticelli was from a family of jewelers and had to deal in gold and other precious metals. However, the boy liked to make sketches and draw much more. Plunging into the world of fantasy, Sandro forgot about his surroundings. He turned life into art, and art became life for him.
"Spring" Botticelli, 1482
Among his contemporaries, Botticelli was not perceived as master of genius. Yes, good artist. But that was the period when many created, who later became famous masters. For the 15th century, Sandro Botticelli was a reliable master who could be entrusted with painting frescoes or illustrating books, but by no means a genius.
"Birth of Venus" Botticelli, 1484−1486
Botticelli was patronized by the Medici, famous connoisseurs of art. It is believed that while the painter last years spent his life almost in poverty. however, there is evidence that Botticelli was not as poor as he wanted to appear. However, he did not have his own home or family. The very idea of marriage frightened him.
After meeting the monk Girolamo Savonarola, who in his sermons convincingly called for repentance and abandoning the delights of earthly life, Botticelli completely fell into asceticism. The artist died at the age of 66 in Florence, where his ashes still rest today in the cemetery of the Church of All Saints.
Life in love
Oh no, not in the body - life, but in these lovely
Mouth, eyes and fingers dear;
In them Life reveals glory days of his,
Pushing back the darkness and captivity of the grave.
Without her, I'm the prey of those dull
Memories and reproaches of evil,
What come to life in mortal sighs - in them,
Hours last until the strength leaves.
But even then there is a curl at the chest,
Hidden - the last gift of a loved one,
What kindles the heat, hidden in the blood,
And life runs faster, and among
Flying days around the night unchanged
The curl shines with imperishable beauty.
(translated by Valery Savin)
Dante Gabriel Rossetti, Roman de la Rose 1864
Portrait of Mrs Georgin A Fernandez 1874
Dante Gabriel Rossetti Drawing of Georgiana Burne-Jones.
La Bella Mano Beautiful hands) 1875 oil on canvas Art Museum Delaware State, Wilmington
La Ghirlandata (Woman with Garland) 1873 oil on canvas
Guildhall Gallery, London
Monna Rosa 1867
Regina Cordium I860
Rosa Triplex
Sibylla Palmifera (Sibyl Palmifera) 1866-1870 oil on canvas National Museum(Lady Liver Gallery), Liverpool
The Blessed Damozel Study - Dante Gabriel Rossetti 1873
The Daydream - Dante Gabriel Rossetti. 1878
The Lady of Pity (La Donna della Finestra) 1870
Cup of Love 1867
canvas, oil
National Museum Western art, Tokyo
Astarte the Syrian 1877,
canvas, oil.
Art Gallery, Manchester
Aurelia 1863-1873
wood, oil
Tate Gallery, London
Gazebo in the Meadow 1872
canvas, oil
City Art Gallery, Manchester
Venus Verticordia (Turning Hearts) 1864-1868
canvas, oil
Russell Cowes Art Gallery, Bournemouth, East Cliff
Vision of Fiametta 1878 oil on canvas
The Beloved (The Bride) 1865-1866 oil on canvas Tate Gallery, London
Blue Gazebo 1865 Barber Institute of Art, Birmingham
Lady Lilith oil on canvas Delaware Museum of Art, Wilmington
Dante Gabriel Rossetti Pia de Tolomei, 1868
(Pia de "Tolomei) Oil on canvas.
105.4x120.6 cm Spencer Museum of Art, Lawrence
Virgin Chosen1871-1877
canvas, oil
Fogg Art Museum, Cambridge Massachusetts
Girl at the Window 1862
canvas, oil
Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge
Day dreams 1880
canvas, oil
Victoria and Albert Museum, London
Elena of Troy 1863
wood, oil
Kunsthalle, Hamburg
Woman in green dress
Woman at the Window (La Donna della Finestra) 1870
Art galleries and museums, Bradford
Woman at the Window (La Donna della Finestra) 1879
Fogg Art Museum, Harvard University, Cambridge
The Golden Chain (Portrait of Mrs. Morris) 1868 colored chalk on paper Fogg Museum of Art, Harvard University, Cambridge
John Kissing the Sword of Deliverance
Christina Rossetti with her mother 1877 pastel on paper National portrait gallery, London
Marianne 1870, oil on canvas Art Gallery, Aberdeen
reverie
Mona Vanna 1866 oil on canvas, Tate London
Enchantment of the Sea 1877 oil on canvas Fogg Museum of Art, Harvard University, Cambridge
Found 1869
canvas, oil
Pandora 1878
colored pastel
Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool
Pandora's box paper, colored chalk Farington Collection, Oxfordshire
After the Kiss (Vossa Baciata) 1859
wood, oil.
Boston Museum of Fine Arts
Fair Rosamund 1861
canvas, oil
National Museum of Wales, Cardiff
Greeting Beatrice 1880-1881
Museum of Art, Toledo
Proserpine 1874 oil on canvas
Regina Cordium—Alexa Wilding 1866
canvas, oil
Museum and Art Gallery, Glasgow
river willow
canvas on wood, oil
Delaware State Museum of Art, Wilmington
Saint Catherine 1857
canvas, oil
Tate Gallery, London
Saint George and the Princess Sabra 1862 Tate
Dante Gabriel Rossetti. Portrait by George Frederic Watts 1871 National Portrait Gallery, London
Marked not only by the life-affirming motives of "Spring". "Venus and Mars" and "The Birth of Venus", but also with gloomy, tragic moods. A good example of them is the drawing "Map of Hell" ( La mappa dell inferno).
There are several celebrated illustrated manuscripts of Dante's The Divine Comedy. Most remarkable in this respect is the splendid manuscript commissioned by Lorenzo di Pierfrancesco de' Medici, with magnificent drawings by Sandro Botticelli. A series of drawings by Botticelli remained unfinished, but even in this form it can be recognized as the pinnacle of art. book illustration Italian Quattrocento (XV century).
Botticelli's illustrations on the theme of Hell are especially striking. "Map of Hell" by Sandro Botticelli - a colored drawing on parchment depicting nine circles of the infernal abyss.
Sandro Botticelli. Map of Hell (Circles of Hell - La mappa dell inferno). Illustration for the "Divine Comedy" by Dante. 1480s
Dante described Hell as an abyss with nine circles, which, in turn, are divided into various rings. Botticelli on his "Map of Hell" presented the kingdom of sinners with such subtlety and accuracy that one can trace the individual stops that, according to the plot of the "Divine Comedy", Dante and Virgil made, descending to the center of the earth.
Below is another illustration by Sandro Botticelli for The Divine Comedy. This is a drawing for Canto 18 of Hell. The main characters, Dante and Virgil, are depicted here several times, as if traveling along the edge of an infernal abyss. They are distinguished by their quiveringly shining clothes. Following the gorges of Hell, they first see the souls of pimps and seducers tormented by demons, and then scammers and prostitutes who are doomed to suffer plunged into the mud.
Sandro Botticelli. Hell. Illustration for the "Divine Comedy" by Dante. 1480s
Here Botticelli presents Dante and his guide Virgil in the eighth circle of Hell, which consists of ten deep abysses where swindlers are punished.
Sandro Botticelli. Dante and Virgil in the eighth circle of Hell. Illustration for the "Divine Comedy" by Dante. 1480s
And here Botticelli painted the ancient giants who rebelled against the gods and were put in chains for this. They symbolize the brute force of nature, enclosed in hellish abysses.
Sandro Botticelli. Ancient giants in Hell. Illustration for the "Divine Comedy" by Dante. 1480s
He could become a real rock star if they are selected to the club on the criterion of a lifestyle that is detrimental to their health. But before the appearance of rock music, about a hundred years had to pass, so he became an artist and a poet. Today we open the door to wonderful world Pre-Raphaelites who flourished at the zenith of Victorian England. Rossetti Dante Gabriel - please come to the studio! This time we have no right to miss the story about born-studied. It is very important. A boy was born in the family of an Italian language teacher who, well, simply adored the “Divine Comedy” by Dante Alighieri. The future artist was named Gabriel Charles Dante - try not to become a great creator with such and such a name! Young Rossetti had an indefatigable temper, if he didn’t like something, then he rebelled. Even in education. First he entered the Royal College, and then in the class ancient art at the Royal Academy. In his opinion, the program in these institutions is godlessly outdated. He was infuriated to the core by hackneyed themes and muted tones. That's what they were trying to teach young talents. Pompous portraits of the aristocracy, classical poses. Nature from a series of 50 shades of brown. Even religious painting, of which there was not much then - generally accepted interpretations of plots, hackneyed compositional solutions, and no spirituality. Young and hot decided to rebel against dullness and solidity. This is how the idea of the secret brotherhood of the Pre-Raphaelites was born. These guys decided to rely on early revival, what was before Raphael. In their opinion, it was this bad person who began to idealize the plots, making them exemplary, but largely conditional. Here they are all so cute, round, and all they do is sit on the grass all day long, read and pet animals. As their idols, the Pre-Raphaelites chose artists before Raphael with their bright deep colors, sincerity, deep detail and decorativeness. The Pre-Raphaelites strive to revive religious painting, but in their works they deviate from the Christian canon, trying to tell a certain story. They are interested not so much in theological content, but in the opportunity to show the everyday dramas of biblical heroes, that nothing human is alien to them, to reveal their thoughts and doubts. Here, for example, the Mother of God pities the little Jesus, who pierced his palm with a nail in the carpentry workshop of Joseph. A nail is pulled out of the table in the background by St. Anne. Quite an interesting approach to creating a plot, because in it we see references to the further history of Jesus. The picture from top to bottom is filled with various symbols. Or here, already at Rossetti, Gabriel descends from heaven to the Virgin Mary to tell her the good news. According to the canon, the Mother of God should be joyful, or at least inspired. Immediately she was frightened, and even recoiled from him. Of course, not every day an archangel flies to you and says that you will have a son of God. The conservative society of Victorian England considered these works "outrageous, rude and ridiculous." Charles Dickens, for example, generally said that it was vile and disgusting. The youth is no longer the same! But the famous critic John Ruskin noticed the Pre-Raphaelites and was one of the first to write a laudatory article. This, by the way, was a great success, since Ruskin had the superpower to form public opinion , and the Pre-Raphaelites were immediately loved. I must say that Rossetti, looking at all these public hesitations, established himself in the opinion that art is like prostitution - you are always dependent on the whims of clients. You fulfill the whims of the customer - you are on a horse, but you do what you want - well, I'm sorry. Since then, he has not held exhibitions of his paintings. Rossetti was still a little deceitful here, because he himself always wrote only what he personally undeniably liked, namely beautiful women. His works are not portraits in the full sense of the word; almost always these are images of ancient goddesses or literary heroines. We do not see the character of the model here, the girls are always in the image. Why do all these women look, if not clones, then at least twins? The fact is that he portrayed only a few ladies. One of them is Elizabeth Siddal. Despite the fact that the girl was sick with tuberculosis, this did not prevent her from being a muse not only for Rossetti, but also for other Pre-Raphaelites, in particular, for Millet. For the image of the famous Ophelia, she had to, sacrificing her own health, lie in a bath filled with water for a long time. After 10 years of marriage, Rossetti nevertheless decided to marry Lizzy. After that, he experienced an incredible creative upsurge, writing many poems. Yes, yes, he was not only an artist, but also a talented poet. But Lizzie, who was already terminally ill, also gave birth to a stillborn child. It doesn't set you up in a positive way at all, you know. From irrepressible sadness, she began to throw herself with laudanum - an opium tincture, which in those years was naturally treated for all diseases until the patient was completely numb. The result is a little predictable - the girl soon died of an overdose. Our artist, of course, was very worried, reproached himself that he paid little attention to his wife, devoting himself entirely to creativity. As a romantic nature, he buried all his poems with her. After the death of his wife, he went into all serious trouble, and got himself a kangaroo, a zebu, a chameleon, a mole, a marmot, a parrot, a crow, a Japanese salamander, an armadillo, a white bull with eyes as beautiful as Lizzy's, a tree owl, a jackdaw and a wombat . animal rights activists, be jealous! By the way, when the wombat died in 1869, the artist painted a satirical self-portrait and invited friends to the funeral. Rossetti still retained a good sense of humor, and this is against the backdrop of depressive and decadent moods. But over time, romantic urges fade into the background when the opportunity to earn extra money appears. After 6 years, a certain publisher came to Rossetti, offering to publish a collection of his poems. Without thinking twice, the artist ordered to dig up the coffin with his long-dead wife in order to take away the poems from there. Terribly ugly story. Nevertheless, a collection of sonnets was published, bringing fame and honor to Rossetti. Of course, a real artist is flawed if he has only one muse. The hero of our story, of course, was no exception. Another passion was Jane Burden - the wife of a close friend of the artist William Morris. What a scoundrel, you say! But William Morris was well aware of their connection, and moreover, did not interfere with her, since only this kept Rossetti from committing suicide. In one of his most famous works, the artist depicts Jane Morris as the goddess Proserpina. According to legend, the king of the underworld, Pluto, fell in love with the young goddess, stole her and took her to his kingdom of the dead. It could not go on like this for a long time, Pluto was forced to let the girl go. Before that, he gave her some pomegranate seeds to eat. Since then, Proserpina has been forced to spend half a year in the realm of the living, and half a year in the realm of the dead. The analogy with Jane chained to her unloved husband is obvious. The harsh everyday life does not spare anyone, it did not spare the artist either. Rossetti drank a lot and often, Jane could not bear it, and returned to her husband. In general, of course, the loss of two beloved women did not go unnoticed for him. He began to mix alcohol with sleeping pills, and the already existing depression was intensified by persecution mania and hallucinations. In order to bring him to his senses, his friends took him to the sea, where he soon died. As is often the case, his death caused a huge surge of interest in his work. Memorial exhibitions began to be held, the society for the first time in 30 years saw his marvelous paintings. These beautiful pensive ladies became in his canvases a truly immortal embodiment of sensuality and feminine beauty. Well, not a bad start for the Pre-Raphaelites. We will definitely return to this topic, but for now, write in the comments, do you personally like this direction in painting? Who is your favorite Pre-Raphaelite artist and who would you like the next issues to be about? Subscribe, like. Bye!
