she was purchased Maria Alexandrovna, wife of the court architect .(Wikipedia. )

Leonardo da Vinci.

Madonna Litta, 1490-1491.

The painting shows a woman holding , whom she . The background of the picture is with two , the light from which falls on the viewer and makes the wall darker. The windows overlook the landscape in blue tones. The very same figure of the Madonna is as if illuminated coming from somewhere ahead. The woman looks at the child tenderly and thoughtfully. Madonna's face is depicted in profile, there is no smile on her lips, only a certain image of her lurks in the corners. The baby looks absently at the viewer, holding his mother's breast with his right hand. In the left hand the child holds .

The work was written for the rulers of Milan, then passed to the family , and has been in their private collection for several centuries. The original title of the painting is Madonna and Child. The modern name of the painting comes from the name of its owner - Count Litt, the owner of a family art gallery in. In he turned to with an offer to sell it along with several other paintings. IN together with three other paintings "Madonna Litta" was acquired by the Hermitage for 100 thousand .

Raphael. Holy Family (Madonna with beardless Joseph)

Raphael's fourth painting in the Hermitage, Madonna with the Beardless Joseph, was painted about two years later during that interim period when the artist was saying goodbye to the experiences of his youth and had not yet fully mastered the new trends that enveloped him in Florence.

« » — one of two pieces , remaining after1930s.

The painting came intoin the 18th century, together with the collection of Pierre who purchased it from at a big discount, caused by the fact that the canvas was rewritten for restoration purposes by an inept artist. Subsequentand unsuccessful attempts at restoration did not have the best effect on the state of the work. Connoisseurs of the 19th - early 20th centuries expressed doubts about its authenticity, which is why the Soviet government in the 1930s. failed to find a foreign buyer for it.

Babydepicted sitting in a complex, mobile pose on the bosom . To her right stands, leaning on a staff, an elderly man with gray hair; his eyes are fixed on the baby. Art historians traditionally see in the old man , who was usually portrayed as immersed in deep thought about the fate of his son that was revealed to him. This is a very rare image of Joseph without a beard, hence the second name of the painting - " Madonna with beardless Joseph».

Material from Wikipedia.

One of Raphael's earliest works. In a circle, exactly inscribed in a square, a young woman is depicted, covered with a blue scarf. She holds a book in her right hand, with her left she presses her little son to her, and together they - a naked boy and his mother - look into the book. Initially, it was painted on wood and formed a single whole with a frame, made, as they say, according to a drawing by Raphael. When transferring the painting from wood to canvas, it turned out that at first Raphael depicted a pomegranate apple in the hand of the Madonna (as in the drawing by Perugino), which he later replaced with a book. "Madonna Conestabile" was created for Duke Alfano di Diamante in Perugia. In the 18th century, it was inherited by the Counts of Conestabile della Staffa. From their collection, the painting was acquired in 1871 for the Winter Palace, from where it entered the Hermitage in 1881.

The painting "Madonna" refers to the late period of creativity of Simone Martini, the time of his stay in the south of France, in Avignon, in 1339-1342.

It is a fold of a diptych in which the scene of the Annunciation was depicted. The picture captures the beautiful combination of a golden background with red and blue tones of clothes, the melodious smoothness of lines, the graceful movement of Mary's thin hands. In the elongated proportions, the curved silhouette of the figure shows the influence of the Gothic style.

TITIAN (Tiziano Vecellio)

1485/90-1576

"Penitent Mary Magdalene" shakes with the power and depth of human feeling, perfectly understood and conveyed by Titian. The artist did not reproduce the religious ecstasy of a repentant and estranged sinner, but the suffering of a woman, earthly and beautiful, left alone with her grief.

The painting was created by Titian in the late period of creativity, in the 1560s. Apparently, it made a great impression on contemporaries, and many wanted to have a copy of this composition: several versions and copies from it have survived to our time.

In 1668, Ridolfi wrote that after the death of Titian, a number of paintings remained in his studio, among which he named "Mary Magdalene", bought by the Barbarigo family in 1581. It remained in this collection until it was acquired by the Hermitage in 1850.

Giorgione

Judith, c.1504

Oil on canvas (translated from the board).

"Judith" ( Giuditta) is the only painting in Russia that is unanimously attributed. Stored in .

The painting came to the Hermitage in 1772 from the Paris collection of Antoine Crozat (d. 1770), Baron de Thiers. The collection was created by the baron's uncle, a banker .

Giorgione, unlike many artists who turned to plot, created a surprisingly peaceful picture. Judith, holding a sword in his right hand, leans on a low parapet. Her left leg rests on Holofernes' head. Behind Judith, a harmonious seascape unfolds.

"Lady in Blue" —picture of english , located in the State Hermitage, where she came from the collection by will in 1916. This is the only work of Gainsborough located in Russia. According to the unconfirmed opinion of some researchers, the portrait depicts the Duchess de Beaufort.

The painting dates back to the heyday of Gainsborough's talent, when he created a number of poetic portraits of women in the style . The artist managed to convey the refined beauty and aristocratic elegance of the lady, the gracefulness of the movement of the hand supporting the shawl.

“It is not so much the mood of the model that is conveyed, but what the artist himself is looking for in her. The "Lady in Blue" has a dreamy look, a soft line of shoulders. Her thin neck seems unable to bear the weight of her hair, and her head bows slightly, like an exotic flower on a thin stem. Built on an exquisite harmony of cold tones, the portrait seems to be woven from light strokes, varied in shape and density. It seems that the strands of hair are not made with a brush, but are drawn with a soft pencil.

Johann Friedrich August Tischbein (1750-1812), painter. Portraitist. representatives of classicism. He worked in many cities in Germany, France, Holland, Italy, Russia.

Christina Robertson (née Sanders, born 1796 in (English) . On the fabric, she received a miraculous "true image" of the face of Jesus. In addition to this common Christian tradition, the Orthodox Church considers Veronica to be the bleeding woman who received healing from touching the hem of Christ's garments. .

Da Vinci, Rubens, Titian, Raphael, Rembrandt, Giorgione, El Greco, Caravaggio, Velasquez, Goya, Gainsborough, Poussin - the richest collection of masterpieces of world art is collected. What works are definitely not worth passing by?

Two Madonnas by da Vinci (room 214)

The incomparable Leonardo da Vinci is represented in the Hermitage (and in Russia in general!) with only two works - Benois Madonna and Litta Madonna. The artist painted the Benois Madonna at about 26 years old, and this painting is considered one of his first works as an independent painter. "Madonna Litta" causes a lot of controversy among experts because of the image of a baby, which is solved in an atypical manner for the master. Perhaps Christ was portrayed by one of da Vinci's students.

Clock "Peacock" (hall number 204)

The Peacock watch, which is very difficult to find without an excited crowd around, was made in the workshop of the famous London jeweler James Cox. Before us is a mechanical composition in which every detail is thought out with fantastic precision. Every Wednesday at 20:00 the clock is wound up and the peacock, rooster and owl figures move. We remind you that on Wednesdays the Hermitage is open until 21:00.

"Danae", "Penitent Mary Magdalene" and "Saint Sebastian" by Titian (room number 221)

The Hermitage collection includes several paintings by one of the titans of the Renaissance, among which are Danae, The Penitent Mary Magdalene and Saint Sebastian, made in a recognizable Titian style. All three are among the main works of the artist and the pride of the museum.

The Crouching Boy by Michelangelo Buonarroti (room 230)

It takes about seven years to see all the works from the Hermitage collection and spend at least one minute near each of them.

This sculpture is the only work by Michelangelo Buonarroti in Russia. The marble statue was intended for the Medici Chapel in the Church of San Lorenzo (Florence). It is believed that the figure of the boy personifies the oppression of the Florentines in the years when the city lost its independence.

Cupid and Psyche by Antonio Canova (room 241)

The Venetian sculptor Antonio Canova repeatedly referred to the myth of Cupid and Psyche, described by Apuleius in Metamorphoses. The love story of the god Cupid and the mortal girl Psyche, frozen in marble, is one of the most famous works of the master. The Hermitage keeps the author's repetition of the composition, while the original is displayed in the Louvre.

Danae and The Return of the Prodigal Son by Rembrandt (room 254)

The work of the outstanding master of chiaroscuro and one of the key artists of the Golden Age of Dutch painting is represented in the Hermitage by 13 works, among which are The Return of the Prodigal Son and Danae. The latter was vandalized in 1985: sulfuric acid was poured onto the canvas. Fortunately, the masterpiece was restored.

Perseus and Andromeda by Peter Paul Rubens (room 247)

There are many Rubens in the Hermitage - 22 paintings and 19 sketches. Among the most striking works is the painting "Perseus and Andromeda", which was based on the famous ancient myth. Every detail of the canvas sings of beauty, strength and health, proclaims the triumph of light over dark.

Ancient Roman sculpture (rooms 107, 109 and 114)

On the first floor of the New Hermitage you can get acquainted with a magnificent collection of ancient Roman sculpture. The works, which are a repetition of ancient Greek masterpieces, are shown in the halls of Dionysus, Jupiter and Hercules. One of the most famous sculptures is the majestic statue of Jupiter.

The most luxurious halls of the Hermitage

As in any museum located in the former royal residence, the Hermitage is interesting not only for the exhibits, but also for the interiors. The leading architects of the era - Auguste Montferrand, Vasily Stasov, Giacomo Quarenghi, Andrey Stackenschneider and others - worked on decorating the halls of the Winter Palace.

Petrovsky (Small Throne) Hall (No. 194)

The incredibly beautiful hall, designed by Auguste Montferrand, was intended for small receptions. The interior decoration - a lot of gold and red colors, double-headed eagles, crowns, imperial monogram. The central place is given to the throne of Peter the Great.

Armorial Hall (No. 195)

The Armorial Hall, designed by Vasily Stasov, served for ceremonial events. The decoration is dominated by the golden color, the room is illuminated by massive chandeliers, on which, if you look closely, you can see the coats of arms of Russian cities.

The total length of the halls of the Hermitage is about 25 kilometers

Georgievsky (Large Throne) Hall (No. 198)

The main hall of the Winter Palace, where large official ceremonies were held, was designed by Giacomo Quarenghi, and restored by Vasily Stasov after a fire in 1837. Above the throne is a marble bas-relief depicting George the Victorious. In the interior, the image of a double-headed eagle is found dozens of times.

Pavilion Hall (No. 204)

One of the most magnificent premises of the palace - the Pavilion Hall - is the brainchild of Andrey Stackenschneider. Refined and harmonious, it combines antique, Moorish and Renaissance motifs. Large windows, arches, white marble, and crystal chandeliers saturate it with light and air. The interior is complemented by snow-white statues, complex mosaics, fountains-shells. By the way, this is where the Peacock clock is located.

Loggias of Raphael (room number 227)

The loggias of Raphael in the Vatican captivated Catherine II, and she wanted to create their exact copy in the Winter Palace. The artists of the workshop, led by Christopher Unterperger, worked on the creation of the gallery of murals for 11 years. The result was 52 stories from the Old and New Testaments. We did not forget about the elegant wall ornaments.

Skylights of the New Hermitage (rooms No. 237, 238 and 239)

The largest halls of the New Hermitage have glass ceilings, and therefore are called gaps. There are three of them - the Small Spanish Clearance, the Large Italian Clearance and the Small Italian Clearance. The rooms are decorated with reliefs, floor lamps made of rhodonite and porphyry, as well as huge vases - masterpieces of stone-cutting art.

Alexander Hall (No. 282)

The hall was created by Alexander Bryullov in memory of Alexander I and the Patriotic War of 1812. Decided in white and blue tones, thanks to thin columns and semicircular arches, it resembles a temple. The interior is decorated with 24 medallions that tell about the key events of the war with the French.

Maria Alexandrovna's private living room (room No. 304)

Another luxurious hall is the private living room of the wife of Alexander II, Maria Alexandrovna, whose interior was designed by Alexander Bryullov. According to his idea, the decoration of the room was to resemble the royal chambers of the Moscow Kremlin. The walls shine with all shades of gold, and the low vaulted ceilings with ornaments give the feeling of being in an old mansion.

Boudoir of Maria Alexandrovna (hall number 306)

A small room designed by Harald Bosse resembles a wonderful rococo snuffbox. The golden color here is combined with pomegranate, the walls are decorated with bizarre ornaments and picturesque inserts. Many mirrors create corridors of reflections.

Malachite living room (room No. 189)

The malachite living room was created by Alexander Bryullov after a fire in 1837 in the place of Yashmova. The interior features graceful malachite columns, marble walls, and a gilded ceiling. The hall looks both strict and solemn. The living room was part of the residential half of Alexandra Feodorovna.

Museum itinerary

What we have talked about above is only the tip of the cultural iceberg, which is the Hermitage. But, believe me, acquaintance with the listed masterpieces and magnificent halls will give you not only aesthetic pleasure, but also the desire to deepen your knowledge, come to the museum again and again, discover new exhibits and corners and return with pleasure to the already familiar ones.

Summing up all of the above, we offer you a route through the museum, which includes the most famous works of the Hermitage and the incredible beauty of the hall.

So, you are in the museum. Grab a free map at the entrance, climb the luxurious Jordan Stairs and enter the Petrovsky Hall (No. 194). From it - to the Armorial Hall (No. 195), and after - through the Military Gallery of 1812 (Hall No. 197) to St. George's Hall (Hall No. 198). Move straight all the way, turn left and go all the way again: you will find yourself in the Pavilion Hall (No. 204). Here the Peacock clock is waiting for you. Go to the next numbered room and move to room number 214: da Vinci's Madonnas are exhibited here. Next on the course is Titian, who can be seen very close - in room number 221.

Move to the next numbered hall, go a little forward, turn right, and you will see the magnificent Loggias of Raphael (room number 227). Of these, you need to go to room number 230, where the Crouching Boy is presented. Move through the Italian and Spanish art to room number 240. The next three rooms (# 239, 238 and 237) are the same gaps. Directly from them, go to room number 241, where "Cupid and Psyche" are located. Go through room 239 again, from there move to room 251 and go to room 254, where you can see Rembrandt. Turn around and go all the way (room number 248), turn left and you will find yourself surrounded by canvases by Peter Paul Rubens (room number 247).

Now there will be a longer passage: turn around, go to the hall number 256, from there - to the hall number 272. Turn left and go forward until it stops. Now - to the right and forward to the Alexander Hall (No. 282). Go to hall number 290 and move straight ahead (so that Palace Square is on the left). When you reach room 298, turn left and then right. Again, go straight up to Maria Alexandrovna's personal living room (hall number 304). From it, proceed to the boudoir of the wife of Alexander II (room number 306). Go to hall number 307, turn left and go all the way (hall number 179). Here turn right, then left and go forward to the Malachite Lounge (room 189). This is the last point of our route, at least on the second floor.

Go to the Jordan Stairs through rooms 190-192 and go down to the first floor. If you still have strength, look into the halls of the ancient world, which are located on the left side, if you stand with your back to the stairs. If you don’t have the strength, don’t be discouraged and come next time! Dionysus, Jupiter, and thousands of other inhabitants of the Hermitage will be waiting for you.

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Museums section publications

Da Vinci's adventures in Russia: details about our Leonardos

From it is read that about 15 paintings by Leonardo da Vinci have survived (in addition to frescoes and drawings). Five of them are kept in the Louvre, one each in the Uffizi (Florence), the Alte Pinakothek (Munich), the Czartoryski Museum (Krakow), the London and Washington National Galleries, as well as other lesser-known museums. However, some scholars argue that there are actually more paintings, but disputes over the attribution of Leonardo's works are an endless occupation. In any case, Russia holds a solid second place after France. Let's take a look at the Hermitage and remember the history of our Leonardos together with Sofia Bagdasarova.

"Madonna Litta"

Angelo Bronzino. Contest between Apollo and Marsyas. 1531–1532. State Hermitage

There are so many paintings depicting the Virgin Mary that it is customary to give the most famous nicknames. Often the name of one of the previous owners sticks to them, as happened with Madonna Litta.

The painting, painted in the 1490s, remained in Italy for many centuries. Since 1813, it was owned by the Milanese Litta family, whose representatives knew very well how rich Russia was. It was from this family that the Maltese knight Count Giulio Renato Litta came, who was in great favor with Paul I and, leaving the order, married Potemkin's niece, becoming a millionaire. However, he has nothing to do with Leonardo's painting. A quarter of a century after his death, in 1864, Duke Antonio Litta turned to the Hermitage, which had recently become a public museum, with an offer to buy several paintings from the family collection.

Antonio Litta was so eager to please the Russians that he sent a list of 44 works offered for sale and asked a museum representative to come to Milan to view the gallery. The director of the Hermitage, Stepan Gedeonov, went to Italy and chose four paintings, paying 100,000 francs for them. In addition to Leonardo, the museum acquired Bronzino's "Contest of Apollo and Marsyas", Lavinia Fontana's "Venus Feeding Cupid" and Sassoferrato's "Praying Madonna".

The picture arrived in Russia in a very bad condition, it had to be not only cleaned, but immediately transferred from the board to the canvas. This is how the first Leonardo appeared in the Hermitage.

By the way, here is an example of disputes over attribution: did Leonardo create the "Madonna Litta" himself or with an assistant? Who was this co-author - his student Boltraffio? Or maybe Boltraffio painted it in its entirety, based on a sketch by Leonardo? This issue has not yet been finally resolved, and the "Madonna Litta" is considered a bit dubious.

Leonardo da Vinci had many students and followers - they are called "leonardesques". Sometimes they interpreted the legacy of the master in a very strange way. This is how the type of nude "Mona Lisa" appeared. The Hermitage has one of these paintings by an unknown author - "Donna Nuda" ("Nude Woman"). It appeared in Zimny ​​during the reign of Catherine the Great: in 1779 the Empress acquired it as part of the collection of Richard Walpole. In addition to her, the Hermitage also houses a large collection of other Leonardesques, including a copy of the dressed Mona Lisa.

Lavinia Fontana. Venus feeding Cupid. 1610s. State Hermitage

Leonardo da Vinci. Madonna Litta. 1490–1491 State Hermitage

Leonardo da Vinci, school. Donna sucks. State Hermitage

"Madonna Benois"

This painting, painted in 1478-1480, was also named after its owner. Moreover, it could well be called "Sapozhnikov's Madonna", but "Benois", of course, sounds more beautiful. The Hermitage acquired it from the wife of the architect Leonty Nikolaevich Benois (brother of the famous Alexander), Maria Alexandrovna Benois. She was born Sapozhnikova (and, by the way, she was a distant relative of the artist Maria Bashkirtseva, which she was proud of).

Previously, the painting was owned by her father, the Astrakhan millionaire merchant Alexander Aleksandrovich Sapozhnikov, and before him by his grandfather Alexander Petrovich (grandson of Semyon Sapozhnikov, who was hanged in the village of Malykovka for participation in the Pugachev rebellion by one young lieutenant named Gavrila Derzhavin). The family told that the Madonna was sold to the Sapozhnikovs by wandering Italian musicians, who, no one knows how, were brought to Astrakhan.

But in fact, Sapozhnikov-grandfather acquired it in 1824 for 1400 rubles at an auction after the death of the senator, president of the Berg Collegium and director of the Mining School Alexei Korsakov (who apparently brought it from Italy in the 1790s). Surprisingly, when after the death of Korsakov his collection, which included Titian, Rubens, Rembrandt and other authors, was put up for auction, the Hermitage bought several works (in particular, Millet, Mignard), but neglected this modest Madonna. The new owner took up the restoration of the painting, at his request it was immediately transferred from the board to the canvas.

The Russian public learned about this painting in 1908, when the court architect Leonty Benois exhibited a work from the collection of his father-in-law, and the chief curator of the Hermitage, Ernst Lipgart, confirmed the hand of the master. This happened at the "Exhibition of Western European Art from the Collections of Collectors and Antiquarians of St. Petersburg", which opened on December 1, 1908 in the halls of the Imperial Society for the Encouragement of Arts.

In 1912, the Benois decided to sell the painting, the painting was sent abroad, where experts examined it and confirmed its authenticity. The London antiquarian Duvin offered 500,000 francs (about 200,000 rubles), but a campaign began in Russia for the purchase of the work by the state. The director of the Hermitage, Count Dmitry Tolstoy, turned to Nicholas II. The Benois also wanted the Madonna to remain in Russia, and eventually gave it to the Hermitage in 1914 for 150,000 rubles, which were paid in installments.

It is curious: the great futurist poet Velimir Khlebnikov, an Astrakhan and compatriot of the Sapozhnikovs, in December 1918, in his article “Astrakhan Gioconda” (the Red Warrior newspaper) exclaimed: “Can this picture be considered as a public property of the city of Astrakhan? If so, then this priceless painting should be placed in its second homeland. Petrograd has enough artistic treasures, and to take the “Madonna” from Astrakhan - does not this mean taking away the last sheep from the poor? But it did not work out - the painting did not return to Astrakhan.

Orest Kiprensky. Portrait of Alexei Korsakov. 1808. State Russian Museum

Leonardo da Vinci. Madonna Benois. 1478. State Hermitage

Vasily Tropinin. Portrait of A.P. Sapozhnikov. 1826. State Hermitage

"Savior of the World"

There are no more works by Leonardo in Russian museums, only "degraded", for example - "Saint Sebastian" by the already mentioned Boltraffio (in the Pushkin Museum since 1930). In the middle of the 19th century, Count Sergei Stroganov bought it as a work of da Vinci, and only in 1896 did the researcher Fritz Hark suggest that in fact it was a painting by his student.

However, the Russian trace is clearly traced in the fate of another painting by Leonardo da Vinci - "The Savior of the World". However, that this picture is the work of a genius, it was decided only in the 21st century.

The fact is that many of da Vinci's works, although not preserved, are known from his sketches, copies of students and descriptions of contemporaries. So, we know that he wrote "Leda and the Swan", "Madonna with a Spindle" and "The Battle of Anghiari". Although their originals have been lost, the Leonardesques Boltraffio, Francesco Melzi, Giampetrino, and even Rubens left enough copies and variations for us to be sure that such works really existed, and could imagine how approximately they looked.

The same story with the "Savior of the World": it was believed that the original was lost, and versions of the students exist - about twenty. One of these copies was bought in 1900 by the British collector Frederic Cook, and in 1958 his heirs sold it to Sotheby's for only £45 as a work by Boltraffio. In 2004, this image of Christ was acquired by a consortium of New York art dealers, cleaned of late recordings (for example, added mustaches), restored and sent for examination. And many experts agreed with the hypothesis of the owners of the painting: it was not written by a follower, but by the master himself. The press was filled with loud headlines - "The lost painting of Leonardo da Vinci has been found!".

In 2011, The Savior of the World was exhibited at the prestigious London National Gallery exhibition dedicated to Leonardo, where for the first time the maximum number of masterpieces were collected, including the Louvre (except for the Mona Lisa) and the Hermitage. There was a final legitimation of the find - it remains only to sell it.

Indeed, two years later, the image of Christ was bought by Russian millionaire Dmitry Rybolovlev. And in 2017, through the mediation of Christie's, the collector sold it to the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud, for $400 million. "Savior of the World" became the most expensive work of art in the history of the world.

"Madonna Litta" by Leonardo da Vinci

"Madonna Litta" by Leonardo da Vinci is one of the most touching and lyrical images of Madonnas in the world. In Leonardo's painting, traditional Christian symbolism is inextricably linked with the manifestation of high human feelings - love, tenderness and care. The painting was purchased in 1864 from Count Litta, owner of a family art gallery in Milan, and is a true gem of the Hermitage.

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"Penitent Mary Magdalene", Titian

There are four versions of this famous painting. One of them is kept in the Hermitage, the rest - in the Museum of Capodimonte (Naples), in the collection of Colnaghi (London) and Candiani (Busto Arsizio). The Hermitage version is considered the most perfect. Contrary to church canons, the great artist depicted on it not an exalted sinner in religious ecstasy, but a suffering earthly woman, exhausted by mental anguish.

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The Apostles Peter and Paul, El Greco

Domenico Theotokopuli (El Greco) is one of the most enigmatic artists of the Late Renaissance. The painting "Apostles Peter and Paul" was written in 1592, but for many years it was forgotten and became known to art lovers only 300 years later. Not only art historians, but also theologians still argue about the meaning and symbols hidden in it. It is only known that the image of the Apostle Paul is a slightly modified self-portrait of El Greco himself. Pavel's face is painted in a special technique, so thin that the image is not fixed on the x-ray.

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"Young man with a lute", Caravaggio (Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio)

Carvaggio's painting "Young Man with a Lute" was exhibited for a long time in the Hermitage under the name "Lute Player" - experts were convinced that a girl was depicted on the canvas. But the artist's biographer Peter Robb claimed that the painting depicted the artist's friend Mario Minniti. This is one of the first paintings by Caravaggio, which uses the directional lighting that glorified the master. To achieve the desired effect, the painter placed his models in a dark basement with a single window and seated under an incident beam of light.

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Danae, Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn

It is known that Rembrandt wrote Danae not for sale, but for himself, and the painting left his house only when all the artist's property was sold for debts. This work baffled art historians for many years: its style strongly did not correspond to the date of writing, the plot sinned with inexplicable oddities. Only in the middle of the twentieth century, after the invention of radiography, the riddle was resolved. It turned out that at first the canvas depicted Rembrandt's wife, Saskia, next to a laughing angel and golden rain falling from the sky. But after the death of his beloved wife, the artist rewrote the picture. The golden rain disappeared, the angel became sad, and Danae's face took on the features of Gertier Dirks, the master's new girlfriend.

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The Return of the Prodigal Son by Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn

The Return of the Prodigal Son is one of the last, most expressive paintings by Rembrandt. Its plot is quite consistent with the evangelical canons, but art historians are still trying to figure out what exactly is encrypted in the figures drowning in the darkness in the background. According to one version, the picture simultaneously depicts two time layers at once - the prodigal son before his departure from home and he after his return.

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The Lady in Blue by Thomas Gainsborough

The Lady in Blue is the only painting by the outstanding English artist Thomas Gainsborough presented in Russia. It is generally accepted that it depicts the Duchess Elisabeth de Beaufort, daughter of Admiral Boscawen. Interestingly, although the Duchess de Beaufort is considered the epitome of femininity and aristocratic grace, her mother Frances Boscowen was one of the most zealous supporters of the blue stocking movement that originated in those years in Great Britain.

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"Portrait of the Actress Jeanne Samary" by Pierre-Auguste Renoir

The portrait of the actress of the Comedy Francaise theater Jeanne Samary is filled with unique play of bright, sunny colors. Its history is dramatic - it was almost destroyed immediately after it was written. When the painting was ready, the artist decided to send it to the exhibition. The colors on the canvas were still quite fresh, and Renoir did not varnish it. But the employee who transported the painting decided that the artist had done so due to lack of funds, and put a layer of varnish on the portrait himself. As a result, the paint flowed, and Renoir had to urgently rewrite the portrait again.

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"Dance", Henri Matisse

The painting "Dance" was painted with only three colors - blue, green and orange. It was created in 1910 to order for the Moscow collector Sergei Shchukin as a decorative panel designed to decorate the front staircase of the mansion. After the October Revolution, Shchukin's collection of paintings was confiscated, and the "Dance" ended up in the Hermitage. The Hermitage canvas is the second and more famous version of the painting "Dance". The first was painted in 1909 and is currently on display at the Museum of Modern Art in New York.

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Absinthe drinker, Pablo Picasso

The painting "The Absinthe Drinker" refers to the "blue" period of Pablo Picasso's work, filled with an acute sense of homelessness and loneliness. This expressive, touching work was brought to Russia by Moscow collector Sergei Shchukin. By 1914, there were 51 works by Picasso in the Shchukin collection - the largest collection of paintings by this artist in the world, which is in private possession. Critics of those years called Shchukin “crazy”, but it was to him that the Hermitage owes the fact that his collection included the best paintings by Picasso.

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"Waterloo Bridge. Fog Effect, Claude Monet's London Cycle

Painting by Claude Monet “Waterloo Bridge. Fog effect" has an unusual optical effect. If you come close to the picture, it is impossible to distinguish anything except almost identical in tone chaotic strokes. But as the details of the picture are removed, they gradually begin to show through, and from a distance of about two meters, a clear composition appears in front of the viewer, in which objects are sharply separated from the background and even the movement of water in the river is felt. Experts call this picture "magical".

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"Black Square", K. S. Malevich

"Black Square" by Kazimir Malevich is one of the most famous works of Russian avant-garde painting. This is a vivid embodiment of the ideas of Suprematism - an art direction that uses simple geometric shapes to describe the surrounding forms, space and movement. Despite the external simplicity of the image, this is a deep philosophical concept, which in our time has become widespread in the organization of the space of residential and public buildings, design, and decorating art.

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Guide to the Picture Gallery of the Imperial Hermitage Benois Alexander Nikolaevich

Leonardo da Vinci (His Students and Imitators)

The art of only one greatest artist, belonging, as we have already indicated, to the 15th century, seems quite mature - Leonardo da Vinci. None of the mentioned events had yet come, everything was still going on in its even course, consistently and evenly, when this man of genius was born and developed, having learned new formulas of beauty that corresponded to the imminent emotional experiences.

The most captivating moment of the Renaissance for us, living in an era of some kind of eldership, is the one when the “tree of culture” was covered with green buds, when the joyful mood of spring reigned in the history of mankind. But then the buds began to bloom, the tree was covered with a thick coat of foliage, and in this form, in this magnificent picture, it turns out to be difficult to recognize the former charming transparency, subtlety and fragility. It was in the work of Leonardo that this complete metamorphosis of the Renaissance took place. There seems to be no direct connection between him and his predecessors. It would be in vain, however, to look for the resurrection of antiquity in it. Leonardo in no way (except only architecture) did not resume ancient traditions (like the way Mantegna and Donatello did). He turned out to be completely “new”, he broke everything and erected everything again, opened up such paths that have not yet been traveled even at the present time, with the simplicity of a clairvoyant pointed out ideals in which we still do not fully believe, because “the spirit is not enough ' to believe.

Here, however, we are only interested in the formal side, or rather, the purely plastic side of his work. From it began the further development of European plastics. Leonardo, easily and simply, found such formulas that, as if by magic, brought art out of its stupor, gave it joy and fullness. What Lippo Lippi, Pollaiolo, Verrocchio and the younger ones fought over: Botticelli, Perugino and Ghirlandaio, appeared to him ready, perfect, like Pallas, fully armed from the head of Zeus. However, how to put into words this new thing? What is it - this roundness of lines, the balance of parts, this softness of expressive movements and the softness of chiaroscuro? Is it a step further on the path of the conquests of realism or a new “decorative technique”? Of course, this is something more, but completely inexpressible. Leonardo himself tried to clarify in words his discoveries in the field of plastic beauty, but his words seem naive and unconvincing next to the illustrative examples he created.

The Hermitage does not contain the works of Leonardo himself, but the spirit of Leonardo is poured over all the artistic creativity of Italy, which appeared after him. However, it is necessary to make a reservation, Leonardo was this first and most precious source of a new “artistic style”, but the ideas embodied in him were already “in the air”. It is possible that similar phenomena outside Florence and outside Milan should be considered original.

Finally, such geniuses as Leonardo's compatriot Michel Angelo or Raphael's urbinata cannot be considered some kind of followers of Vinci. It is only necessary to remember, in order to understand their position in history, that the basic formulas that they used, which they brought to the highest degree of maturity and perfection, were already found at the time of the formation of their artistic personalities. Some years of birth speak for themselves. Leonardo was born in 1452, Michelangelo in 1475, Raphael in 1483.

Direct reflections of Leonardo's art include 5 paintings in the Hermitage, which at different times bore the name of the master himself. These are not the works of independent artists, only partly infected with other people's creativity, but the works of imitators and students who dutifully followed the master and teacher in everything.

"Madonna Litta"(so named because it belonged to the Counts of Litta in Milan before it entered the Hermitage in 1865) is one of the pearls of our museum.

Leonardo da Vinci. Madonna and Child (Madonna Litta). OK. 1490 - 1491. Tempera on canvas, translated from wood. 42x33. Inv. 249. From the collection. Duke A. Litta, Milan, 1865

The “ornamental” side of the picture, the lines, the composition, the relationship of the parts are quite worthy of Leonardo; it is even possible that the painting is based on the drawing of the master himself. Leonardo, on the other hand, should give the idea of ​​​​both the faces of the Virgin and the Child, and all the purely musical, inexpressible tenderness in words, with which the feeling of motherhood and the sweet, somewhat awkward pose of the Infant are conveyed. But the "luck" of the picture is not Leonard's. Harsh light, reaching roughness in places, selection of colors (only part of them suffered from time and restoration); mistakes and incompleteness in modeling (for example, Madonna's hands or the folds of her tunic at the slit on her chest) - all this indicates that we have before us the work of a student - an excellent, however, artist and a person who has fully mastered the tasks of a teacher. Who is this student? The circle of people who stood close to Leonardo was so overwhelmed by the greatness of the master, these conscientious and serious, heavy and clumsy Lombards followed his precepts so strictly that their individual characteristics were somehow mixed up and it is easier to recognize them by the shortcomings and mistakes inherent in each of them. than by the virtues they inherited from the master ... That is why this picture was christened with a wide variety of names, ranging from such a perfect technique as Beltraffio to such an awkward artist as Bernardino de Conti. The question remains open, and therefore it is more prudent to call the Madonna Litta simply "the work of a student of Leonardo."

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