Original taken from winter_borealis in the Transfiguration of the Lord in art. Painting, altars and more
Original taken from winter_borealis in the Transfiguration of the Lord in art and painting
Pietro Perugino (Italian Pietro Perugino, literally "Perugian", real name Pietro di Cristoforo Vannucci - Pietro di Cristoforo Vannucci; 1446-1524) - Italian Renaissance painter, representative of the Umbrian school - Transfiguration of the Lord
I devoted a separate post to the Feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord, but here we will talk about the Transfiguration of the Lord in art.
Since the approval christian church there was a need to legitimize the story of the Transfiguration of the Lord, and therefore it was this gospel story became one of the subjects of the very first Christian frescoes and book miniatures. And after the inclusion of the Transfiguration in a number of 12 Christian holidays, the image of this plot became mandatory in cathedrals.
Unknown author. Transfiguration. Mosaic of the apse of the Church of Sant'Apollinare in Classe, Ravenna. 6th century
Dating from the middle of the 6th century, the mosaic of the apse of the Church of San Apollinare in Classe in Ravenna depicts the Hand of God stretched out from a cloud, two prophets Moses and Elijah in the sky, the Cross with the shouldered image of Christ, Jesus himself, whose image is signed “Salus Mundi” - “Savior of the World ”, but the apostles are shown in the form of lambs, and in the bottom row of twelve, but three more - according to the number of disciples who saw the Transfiguration, are depicted separately. Thus, in this case, two scenes are combined - the Transfiguration itself and Jesus leading the disciples.
Unknown author. Transfiguration. Mosaic of the Basilica of the Transfiguration. Around 565-566 Monastery of St. Catherine (Sinai Monastery), Sinai
Later, a tradition was developed to depict two Old Testament prophets on both sides of Jesus, and a little lower - three disciples prostrate or bent in prayer. Jesus himself is often depicted in a mandorla (Italian mandorla - tonsil) - this is a special form of a halo, which is a vertically elongated oval with pointed ends, symbolizing the radiance around Christ.
Unknown author. Transfiguration. Around 1200. Mosaic on stucco (artificial marble). Louvre, Paris
It was this scheme that became canonical, and its only significant development was the rule that gradually arose to depict John in the center at the feet of Jesus, and Peter and James on the sides of John.
Iconographic innovations appear only from the 13th-14th centuries, when the figures of students begin to be depicted emotionally, with outstretched arms and expressive faces, on which delight and amazement are written. Almost simultaneously, the practice of inscribing not only Jesus, but also the figures of the prophets into the halo arose. In the Russian icon, we notice the tradition inherited from Byzantium to draw, in addition to the halo, individual rays emanating from Jesus, often towards the disciples.
Circle of Theophanes the Greek. Transfiguration. Icon from Spaso-Preobrazhensky cathedral in Pereyaslavl-Zalessky. Around 1403 State Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow.
Unknown author. Transfiguration. Icon from the Spassky Monastery in Yaroslavl. Yaroslavl Historical and Architectural and Art Museum nature reserve, Yaroslavl
In the 19th century, icons appeared on which all 12 disciples were already depicted as eyewitnesses of the Transfiguration.
In painting, starting from the Renaissance, the main thing in the plot of the Transfiguration of the Lord is the human reaction to the Miracle and to the Mystery revealed to the elect. On famous painting Giovanni Bellini, written around 1487, there is no longer any hand made of clouds or other symbols of the Voice of God. Yes, and the clouds are the most common, quite natural in autumn landscape. The prophets tell Jesus about his coming exodus, Jesus' halo is small, completely conditional. The central character himself is not so much the Son of God as a man preparing himself for a deadly test. The students are surprised by what they see and hear, and even a little scared, they try to move away, to isolate themselves from what is happening. And the action takes place not on a mountain, but on a hill, of which there are many in the North of Italy, and by no means in special conditions, but against the backdrop of everyday affairs that the shepherd and other villagers are busy with in the background. The everydayness of the conditions in which the Miracle is performed is emphasized by the fence, which the ingenious Bellini placed in the foreground. It is no coincidence that in the circles of connoisseurs this picture is called "Transformation behind the fence."
At the same time, it is interesting to compare Bellini's masterpiece with his own work, created a third of a century earlier. The Transfiguration, kept in the Museo Correr in Venice and written around 1455, is quite traditional. This is exactly how many artists, contemporaries of Bellini, painted pictures on this subject.
Duccio di Buoninsegna (Italian Duccio di Buoninsegna, 1255-1260 - 1319) - italian artist, one of prominent representatives Sienese school - Transfiguration of the Lord (1308-1311)
Although earlier, some artists took steps towards depicting the emotions of the participants in the scene of the Transfiguration of the Lord. An example is the wonderful tempera of Duccio de Buoninsegna, written by this prominent representative Sienese school still in the Early Quattrocento.
Raphael's painting, written in 1519-1520, on the contrary, is full of drama. Jesus and the prophets soared over the mountain, and the tragic inspiration on the face central character quite corresponds to the bright light pouring from heaven. The light is located around the figure of Christ, and the shape of the light spot resembles a mandorla, and around this picturesque and by no means conventional, as on icons, gray clouds scatter. Modern researchers note the correspondence of the divine phenomenon depicted by Raphael with the model of a light explosion, which describes the transformation of energy released when light passes through a mass of small water droplets with a reflective surface and receives energy like solar panels. The assimilation of a large total amount of energy sets the water droplets in motion, leading to a sharp expansion of the cloud.
The wind from this "Raphael explosion" oppression ancient trees and puffs up their crowns.
John, Peter and James are not just shocked by what is happening - they are blinded bright light, which seems quite natural to the viewer, the extraordinary brightness of the light depicted by Raphael is so obvious.
The mountain is by no means high, and there are witnesses to the Transfiguration, in addition to the three disciples who climbed it with Jesus. These are not only the apostles, but also other people, and it is clear that they see the Miracle, since two point their hands at Jesus, one is directed towards Him, and two more in the background on the left reverently look at what is happening on the mountain.
The most famous of Russian paintings on the plot of the Transfiguration is the work of Andrei Ivanovich Ivanov, written by him in 1807 in the academic tradition.
Transfiguration. Mosaic of the Savior on Blood. 1890s Church of the Resurrection of Christ (Savior on Spilled Blood), St. Petersburg.
Other famous work Russian art on this subject is the mosaic of Nikolai Koshelev in the Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood in St. Petersburg. (The Transfiguration of the Lord in iconography and painting.)
Rafael Santi
We can say that the painting "The Transfiguration of the Lord" was the last creation of the great Raphael. He died suddenly at the age of 37, and this picture stood at his head on the day of the funeral.
In his painting, Raphael twice violated generally accepted traditions. First, he depicted Christ not standing on a mountain, but hovering in the air. And, secondly, the artist, as it were, combined two plots on one canvas: the Transfiguration of the Lord itself and the moment when Christ, descending from the mountain, heals a boy suffering from epilepsy.
The contrast between the two stories is striking. In the upper part, where the Savior soars, we see Divine light, peace and greatness; there is harmony. In the lower part it is dark: there is suffering, troubles, unrest, disputes.
It is known that Cardinal Giulio Medici ordered the painting to the artist. He was appointed archbishop of Narbonne, and he wanted to decorate the cathedral with a painting by Raphael French city Narbonne. True, having received a painting by Raphael, Cardinal Medici decided not to take it to France, but to leave it in Italy. He ordered to place it in the altar of the church of San Pietro in Montorio in Rome. In 1797, during the Italian campaign, Napoleon took Raphael's masterpiece to France and placed it in the Louvre. The painting returned back to Italy only after the overthrow of the emperor in 1815, and today it is in the Pinacoteca of the Vatican.
There were many rumors that Raphael did not have time to finish the painting “The Transfiguration of the Lord” before his death, and his students Giulio Romano and Gianfracesco Penny painted the entire lower part. But special studies of the painting, carried out in 1972-1976, proved that Romano and Penny only slightly completed the two figures in the lower left part of the canvas, everything else is the work of the great Raphael.
Giovanni Bellini
Giovanni Bellini - painter Italian Renaissance, who lived in Venice, about half a century earlier than Raphael.
On the theme of the Transfiguration of the Lord, the artist painted two paintings that are very different from each other. An early work of him, written in 1455-60, can be seen in the Correr Museum in Venice. For a long time it was believed that this painting was not painted by Bellini, but by his relative Andrea Mantegna. A late masterpiece from the 1480s is on display at National Gallery Capodimonte in Naples.
In the picture of 1455-1460, Christ, Moses and Elijah seem to be cut off from the earth. They are closer to the sky than to the earth - it is not for nothing that the artist depicted so much air around the main figures. The apostles, amazed or blinded by what they saw, lie below, not trying to get up and look. Bellini seemed to want to show that the gospel events took place in parallel with the lives of other people. The artist also turned Mount Tabor into a small hill, and additional everyday sketches appeared, such as a peasant with a bull. At the same time, the artist, for some reason of his own, placed special emphasis on a wooden fence, which cuts obliquely through the bottom of the picture and separates the viewer from the scene on the canvas and the rocky abyss. Perhaps by this Bellini wanted to say that the path not only to Mount Tabor, but in general to God is difficult and dangerous, and not everyone will be able to climb this road.
Titian
In Venice, a five-minute walk from Piazza San Marco stands the snow-white Church of San Salvador. In it, above the altar, you can see another "Transfiguration of the Lord" - the creation of Titian Vecellio. The name of this artist is among such great Italians as Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, Raphael. He studied with the already mentioned Giovanni Bellini, but surpassed his teacher. He was commissioned for portraits by kings and popes, dukes and princes. Titian was not yet 30 years old when he was recognized as the best painter in Venice. Beyond portraits famous people, he painted pictures on biblical themes. In the same church of San Salvador you can see another of his famous creation- "Annunciation".
Titian's "Transfiguration of the Lord" is very different from the works on this subject by other artists. We do not see the calm light enveloping Christ, not the peaceful conversation of Jesus with Moses and Elijah - the “Transfiguration”, written by Titian, is thoroughly permeated with impetuous movement, unprecedented energy. The Light of Tabor is like a powerful explosion, a flash of white flame. Christ Appears in a Whirlwind white light. And with this whirlwind, the Savior not only plunges his disciples to the ground - He pushes the darkness apart and literally brings the light of the new teaching to people.
Paolo Veronese
With the church of San Salvador, where the creation of Titian is located, the work of another famous Italian painter- Paolo Veronese. For this church, he created many of his masterpieces. It is known that the artist fell in love with the church of San Salvador so much that he bequeathed to bury him in it. Grateful Venetians performed it last will, and with his death ended the era of the late Renaissance.
At birth, he was given the name Paolo Cagliari. He was the fifth child in the family of the sculptor Gabriele Cagliari, but he decided to take his name from the place where he was born, the city of Verona. True, later he will again take to himself generic name, And later works will sign Cagliari. Veronese is a master of light, very subtle, breathable colors. And this is especially noticeable in many of the artist's masterpieces on the themes of the Old and New Testaments.
In northern Italy, in the province of Padua, there is a small fortified city of Montagnana. It has a cathedral dedicated to the Virgin Mary. In the cathedral, above the altar, there is Veronese's famous work "The Transfiguration of the Lord", made in Veronese's soft, almost lyrical manner. Christ is separated from the apostles by a fluffy cloud and has a leisurely conversation with Moses and Elijah. His posture is filled with humility, He seems to be taking the first step on the way to Golgotha.
Lorenzo Lotto
Another Italian, another Venetian - Lorenzo Lotto. This famous painter was considered by his contemporaries to be too independent. They said about him that he was incapable of compromise either in creativity or in spiritual matters. That is why the artist had such a hard time in life. Venice ridiculed Lorenzo Lotto, rejected and tried to forget. He went on a journey, seeking to find customers who could appreciate and accept him for who he is; traveled to Marche, Bergamo, Treviso, Rome, Recanati.
The features of Lorenzo Lotto's painting are enchanting colors, bright light and very accurate, extremely realistic rendering of all details. As the well-known art critic Bernard Berenson noted in his time, “to understand the sixteenth century, it is as important to know Lotto as it is to know Titian.”
In the small Italian town of Recanati there is the Church of St. Mary and in it, above the altar, is Lorenzo Lotto's masterpiece "The Transfiguration of the Lord." Following his usual manner of writing, the artist clearly describes each participant in the event. Moreover, so that no one doubts, the artist signed each figure. According to Lotto, in the Transfiguration of the Lord on Mount Tabor, it is important not only that Christ showed His Divine nature to the chosen disciples, but also what kind of conversation He had with Moses and Elijah. The difficult decision that the Son of God has to make, the artist conveyed, depicting in a special way their hands, the tilts of their heads.
Carl Heinrich Bloch
This time we will focus on the Danish artist. This amazing artist Karl Heinrich Bloch (he certainly deserves a separate story!). His parents wanted him to choose the respectable profession of a naval officer ... And he became an artist. And how!
Karl studied painting in Italy, and the work of Rembrandt had a great influence on him. But Bloch's work shocked his contemporaries so much that in 1888 the artist was given a high honor - he was offered to place his self-portrait in Uffizi Gallery in Florence.
Carl Bloch most dedicated his work to works on biblical motifs. When the Danish philanthropist, owner of the Carlsberg company, Jacob Jacobsen, saw his paintings, he asked Bloch to draw 23 canvases for the chapel in the fire-damaged Frederiksborg Castle. The Danish artist gave 14 years of his life to this project. Scenes from the life of Christ were embodied in them: “The Sermon on the Mount”, “Healing of the Blind Man”, “The Temptation of Christ”, “The Resurrection of Lazarus” ... Among these amazing masterpieces there is also a stunning canvas “The Transfiguration of the Lord”. Here, the light emanating from Christ is striking, and the blueness inherent in many of Bloch's creations, which seems to bring hope to people.
Alexander Ivanov
Hearing the name of Alexander Andreevich Ivanov, everyone instantly recalls the amazing and monumental painting “The Appearance of Christ to the People”, on which the artist worked for 20 years.
After Ivanov graduated Imperial Academy arts, the Society for the Encouragement of Artists decided to send him to Italy at his own expense to further improve his skills. There he spent a lot of time writing various sketches on biblical themes. It is known that Alexander Ivanov was a very religious person, diligently studied Holy Bible especially the New Testament.
While working on the painting “The Appearance of Christ to the People”, Alexander Ivanov simultaneously worked on a series of sketches on biblical themes. In the future, according to art historians, he wanted to make wall paintings based on these sketches, recreating history in them. spiritual development humanity.
Alexander Ivanov conceived 500 plots, but managed to complete only 200. At the same time, he carefully concealed his biblical sketches both from the public and from his fellow artists. In May 1858, having arrived in St. Petersburg, the artist brought sketches with him, planning to go to Palestine that same year and continue working on biblical sketches ... But a month later, Alexander Ivanov fell ill with cholera and died. Here is one of his famous biblical sketches. This is how the great Russian artist Alexander Andreevich Ivanov saw the Transfiguration of the Lord. (Transfiguration of the Lord through the eyes of artists.)
Belonging to the brush of a Florentine artist Early Renaissance Fra Angelico, this fresco, amazing in terms of its artistic impact, is an example of a fairly careful following of the iconographic scheme of the transfiguration plot that has developed in medieval art, but it also contains a number of semantic nuances.
So, for example, the figure of Christ, surrounded by bright radiance, is depicted with outstretched arms, which serves for a sophisticated viewer as an easily recognizable indication of the Passion of the Lord awaiting Jesus.
The connection with the theme of the crucifixion in this work by Fra Angelico is strengthened by the fact that next to Christ, the Virgin Mary and Saint Dominic (the patron saint of the monastery belonging to the Dominican order) are shown reverently looking at the miracle, placed in the same place and in the same order, as usual in the paintings on the theme of the crucifixion, the Mother of God and John the Theologian are represented. (The Transfiguration of the Lord in the masterpieces of world art.)
Gallery
Icons, painting, altars
City of Rennes, Ile and Vilaine, France
Bad Urach, Baden-Württemberg, Germany
Cristofano Gherardi (1508-1556)
Interior of the Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood
Jordan Fedor. Transfiguration
Pavel Svedomsky (1849-1904). Transfiguration. Fresco. Vladimir Cathedral, Kyiv.
Mikhail Nesterov. Transfiguration of the Lord, 1898-1900
Basilique Notre-Dame de Marienthal de Haguenau, France
Andrea Previtali (Italian Andrea Previtali, 1480-1528). Transfiguration of the Lord, 1513
Gerard David (Dutch. Gerard David; c. 1460-1523) - Dutch painter, representative of the early Northern Renaissance- Transfiguration of the Lord, 1520.
Orth an der Donau, Austria
Brazil
Giovanni Girolamo Savoldo (Italian Giovanni Girolamo Savoldo c. 1480, Brescia - 1548, Venice) - Italian Renaissance artist - Transfiguration of the Lord, XVI century. Uffizi Gallery, Florence
Transfiguration. Ivan Mikhailovich, 1636
St. Peter's Basilica, Rome
Rubens. Transfiguration of the Lord, 1605
Johann Georg Trautmann (German: Johann Georg Trautmann, 1713-1769). Transfiguration of the Lord, 1760
Temple of Saint Jacques, Boistrudan, Brittany, France
James Tissot given name Jacques-Joseph Tissot, 1836-1902) - french artist, worked in England. Christ goes to the mountain to pray.
On August 19, Orthodox believers celebrate one of the twelfth holidays - the Transfiguration of the Lord. Let's open the Gospel of Luke. “After these words, eight days later, taking Peter, John and James, He went up to the mountain to pray. And when he prayed, the appearance of his face changed, and his clothes became white, shining. And behold, two men were talking with Him, which were Moses and Elijah. Appearing in glory, they spoke of His exodus, which He was to accomplish in Jerusalem. But Peter and those who were with him were weighed down with sleep, but when they awoke, they saw His glory, and two men standing with Him. And as they departed from Him, Peter said to Jesus: Master! It's good for us to be here; we will make three tabernacles, one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah,–not knowing what he was saying. And while he was saying this, a cloud appeared and overshadowed them; and they were afraid when they entered the cloud. And there was a voice from the cloud, saying: This is my beloved Son; Listen to him. When this voice came, Jesus was left alone. And they were silent and did not tell anyone in those days about what they saw.(Luke 9:28-36).
For centuries, icon painters and artists have sought to capture the image of the Transfiguration of the Lord in their works, poets dedicated their poems to this event ... Suffice it to recall, say, the poetic lines of Alexander Blok:
... On the bright day of the Transfiguration
The spirit of the madman is struck:
Out of dismay, out of confusion
He heard your voice.
Now mournful, now poor,
In the bosom of the Eternal Father,
Near you, in pale blue
Longing for a new end...
Or Boris Pasternak:
You walked in a crowd, apart and in pairs,
Suddenly someone remembered that today
sixth of august old
Transfiguration.
Ordinarily light without flame
Comes on this day from Tabor,
And autumn, clear as a sign,
It draws the eyes to itself.
But this time we will talk not about poetry, but about painting. And not about icons, although countless icons have been written dedicated to the Transfiguration of the Lord. On the eve of this happy holiday The “parishioner” decided to show and tell a little to his readers how they imagined the Transfiguration of the Lord famous artists. Of course, in one small article impossible to name everyone famous painters who devoted their talent to this topic. We invite you to look at the masterpieces of the seven great masters.
1. Raphael Santi
We can say that the painting "The Transfiguration of the Lord" was the last creation of the great Raphael. He died suddenly at the age of 37, and this picture stood at his head on the day of the funeral.
In his painting, Raphael twice violated generally accepted traditions. First, he depicted Christ not standing on a mountain, but hovering in the air. And, secondly, the artist, as it were, combined two plots on one canvas: the Transfiguration of the Lord itself and the moment when Christ, descending from the mountain, heals a boy suffering from epilepsy.
The contrast between the two stories is striking. In the upper part, where the Savior soars, we see Divine light, peace and greatness; there is harmony. In the lower part it is dark: there is suffering, troubles, unrest, disputes.
It is known that Cardinal Giulio Medici ordered the painting to the artist. He was appointed archbishop of Narbonne, and he wanted to decorate the cathedral of the French city of Narbonne with a painting by Raphael. True, having received a painting by Raphael, Cardinal Medici decided not to take it to France, but to leave it in Italy. He ordered to place it in the altar of the church of San Pietro in Montorio in Rome. In 1797, during the Italian campaign, Napoleon took Raphael's masterpiece to France and placed it in the Louvre. The painting returned back to Italy only after the overthrow of the emperor in 1815, and today it is in the Pinacoteca of the Vatican.
There were many rumors that Raphael did not have time to finish the painting “The Transfiguration of the Lord” before his death, and his students Giulio Romano and Gianfracesco Penny painted the entire lower part. But special studies of the painting, carried out in 1972-1976, proved that Romano and Penny only slightly completed the two figures in the lower left part of the canvas, everything else is the work of the great Raphael.
2. Giovanni Bellini
Giovanni Bellini is an Italian Renaissance artist who lived in Venice about half a century earlier than Raphael.
On the theme of the Transfiguration of the Lord, the artist painted two paintings that are very different from each other. An early work of him, written between 1455 and 60, can be seen in the Museo Correr in Venice. For a long time it was believed that this painting was not painted by Bellini, but by his relative Andrea Mantegna. A late masterpiece, created in the 1480s, is exhibited at the Capodimonte National Gallery in Naples.
In the picture of 1455-60, Christ, Moses and Elijah seem to be torn off the ground. They are closer to the sky than to the earth - it is not for nothing that the artist depicted so much air around the main figures. The apostles, amazed or blinded by what they saw, lie below, not trying to get up and look. Bellini seemed to want to show that the gospel events took place in parallel with the lives of other people. The artist also turned Mount Tabor into a small hill, and additional everyday sketches appeared, such as a peasant with a bull. At the same time, the artist, for some reason of his own, placed special emphasis on a wooden fence, which cuts obliquely through the bottom of the picture and separates the viewer from the scene on the canvas and the rocky abyss. Perhaps by this Bellini wanted to say that the path not only to Mount Tabor, but in general to God is difficult and dangerous, and not everyone will be able to climb this road.
3. Titian
In Venice, a five-minute walk from Piazza San Marco stands the snow-white Church of San Salvador. In it, above the altar, you can see another "Transfiguration of the Lord" - the creation of Titian Vecellio. The name of this artist is among such great Italians as Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, Raphael. He studied with the already mentioned Giovanni Bellini, but surpassed his teacher. He was commissioned for portraits by kings and popes, dukes and princes. Titian was not yet 30 years old when he was recognized as the best painter in Venice. In addition to portraits of famous people, he painted pictures on biblical themes. In the same church of San Salvador, you can see another of his famous creations - the Annunciation.
Titian's "Transfiguration of the Lord" is very different from the works on this subject by other artists. We see not a calm light enveloping Christ, not a peaceful conversation of Jesus with Moses and Elijah - "Transfiguration", written by Titian, is thoroughly permeated with impetuous movement, unprecedented energy. The Light of Tabor is like a powerful explosion, a flash of white flame. Christ appears in a whirlwind of white light. And with this whirlwind the Savior not only plunges his disciples to the ground – He pushes the darkness apart and literally brings the light of the new teaching to people.
4. Paolo Veronese
With the church of San Salvador, where the creation of Titian is located, the work of another famous Italian painter, Paolo Veronese, is closely connected. For this church, he created many of his masterpieces. It is known that the artist fell in love with the church of San Salvador so much that he bequeathed to bury him in it. The grateful Venetians fulfilled his last will, and with his death the era of the late Renaissance ended.
At birth, he was given the name Paolo Cagliari. He was the fifth child in the family of the sculptor Gabriele Cagliari, but he decided to take his name from the place where he was born, the city of Verona. True, later he would again take a generic name for himself, and Cagliari would sign his later works. Veronese is a master of light, very subtle, breathable colors. And this is especially noticeable in many of the artist's masterpieces on the themes of the Old and New Testaments.
In northern Italy, in the province of Padua, there is a small fortified city of Montagnana. It has a cathedral dedicated to the Virgin Mary. In the cathedral, above the altar, there is Veronese's famous work "The Transfiguration of the Lord", made in Veronese's soft, almost lyrical manner. Christ is separated from the apostles by a fluffy cloud and has a leisurely conversation with Moses and Elijah. His posture is filled with humility, He seems to be taking the first step on the way to Golgotha.
5. Lorenzo Lotto
Another Italian, another Venetian, Lorenzo Lotto. This famous painter was considered by his contemporaries to be too independent. They said about him that he was incapable of compromise either in creativity or in spiritual matters. That is why the artist had such a hard time in life. Venice ridiculed Lorenzo Lotto, rejected and tried to forget. He went on a journey, seeking to find customers who could appreciate and accept him for who he is; traveled to Marche, Bergamo, Treviso, Rome, Recanati.
The features of Lorenzo Lotto's painting are enchanting colors, bright light and very accurate, extremely realistic drawing of all details. As the well-known art critic Bernard Berenson noted in his time, “to understand the sixteenth century, it is as important to know Lotto as it is to know Titian.”
In the small Italian town of Recanati there is the Church of St. Mary and in it, above the altar, is Lorenzo Lotto's masterpiece "The Transfiguration of the Lord." Following his usual manner of writing, the artist clearly describes each participant in the event. Moreover, so that no one doubts, the artist signed each figure. According to Lotto, in the Transfiguration of the Lord on Mount Tabor, it is important not only that Christ showed His Divine nature to the chosen disciples, but also what kind of conversation He had with Moses and Elijah. The difficult decision that the Son of God has to make, the artist conveyed, depicting in a special way their hands, the inclinations of their heads.
6. Carl Heinrich Bloch
Let's fast forward 300 years from Italy to Denmark. Here, in 1834, the amazing artist Karl Heinrich Bloch was born (he certainly deserves a separate story!). His parents wanted him to choose the respectable profession of a naval officer ... And he became an artist. And how!
Karl studied painting in Italy, and the work of Rembrandt had a great influence on him. But Bloch's work shocked his contemporaries so much that in 1888 the artist was given a high honor - he was offered to place his self-portrait in the Uffizi Gallery in Florence.
Karl Bloch devoted most of his work to works on biblical motifs. When the Danish philanthropist, owner of the Carlsberg company, Jacob Jacobsen, saw his paintings, he asked Bloch to draw 23 canvases for the chapel in the fire-damaged Frederiksborg Castle. The Danish artist gave 14 years of his life to this project. Scenes from the life of Christ were embodied in them: “The Sermon on the Mount”, “Healing of the Blind Man”, “The Temptation of Christ”, “The Resurrection of Lazarus” ... Among these amazing masterpieces there is also a stunning canvas “The Transfiguration of the Lord”. Here, the light emanating from Christ is striking, and the blueness inherent in many of Bloch's creations, which seems to bring hope to people.
7. Alexander Ivanov
The last in the list, but far from the last in terms of importance, I would like to name the great Russian artist Alexander Andreevich Ivanov. Hearing his name, everyone instantly remembers the amazing and monumental painting “The Appearance of Christ to the People”, on which the artist worked for 20 years.
After Ivanov graduated from the Imperial Academy of Arts, the Society for the Encouragement of Artists decided to send him to Italy at his own expense to further improve his skills. There he spent a lot of time writing various sketches on biblical themes. It is known that Alexander Ivanov was a very religious person, diligently studied the Holy Scriptures, especially the New Testament.
While working on the painting “The Appearance of Christ to the People”, Alexander Ivanov simultaneously worked on a series of sketches on biblical themes. In the future, according to art historians, he wanted to make wall paintings based on these sketches, recreating in them the history of the spiritual development of mankind.
Alexander Ivanov conceived 500 plots, but managed to complete only 200. At the same time, he carefully concealed his biblical sketches both from the public and from his fellow artists. In May 1858, having arrived in St. Petersburg, the artist brought sketches with him, planning to go to Palestine that same year and continue working on biblical sketches ... But a month later, Alexander Ivanov fell ill with cholera and died. Here is one of his famous biblical sketches. This is how the great Russian artist Alexander Andreevich Ivanov saw the Transfiguration of the Lord.
…Of course, in a short article, dedicated to the holiday Transfiguration of the Lord, it is impossible to list all the great masters. I named only seven. But there were others: Gustav Dore and Francesco Zuccarelli, Giuseppe Cesari and Giovanni Pagi, Fra Beato Angelico and Pietro Perugino, Mikhail Nesterov and Pavel Svedomsky ... Great artists who understood the significance of the grandiose and mystical event of the Transfiguration of the Lord on Mount Tabor and embodied it with their talent in world art.
Petr Selinov
The Renaissance is a time of intellectual dawn, a time when the whole culture took on a special shape. This flowering and rise of the spiritual level occurred thanks to the great personalities, the heroes of the era. One of these people was Rafael Santi.
Biography
Rafael was born in 1483 in the town of Urbino in the family of the court painter Giovanni Santi. The father did not have such talents as Rafael, but it was he who instilled in his son a love for art. Giovanni painted temples and took the boy with him, Raphael sat and calmly looked at the frescoes, and sometimes, with the permission of his father, mixed paints.
The mother died in 1491, later the father died. Raphael became an orphan at the age of 11, but thanks to his father's connections, he continued to paint with court teachers.
The beginning of creativity
At the age of seventeen, he comes to the workshop of P. Perugino. Pietro, the celebrated Italian painter, was the head of a large workshop. Rafael became his most famous student. From the very beginning creative way Raphael Santi was distinguished by his ability to combine colors, to show their full depth, to build a harmonious composition. One of these early work- "Madonna Conestabile", depicting the Virgin Mary and the baby Christ.
The maturity of the artist
Transformation. 1518-1520
The painting "Transfiguration" by Rafael Santi was commissioned by Cardinal Giulio Medici for the city's cathedral, it was impossible to refuse. Around the picture there is controversy about whether it is all painted by Raphael's hand.
There are suggestions that R. Santi did not have time to finish the picture due to sudden death, so its brush belongs to only main stage: Christ and the Apostles. And the plot at the bottom of the picture was executed by Raphael's students Giulio Romano and Gianfrancesco Penny.
According to another version, the whole picture was painted by Raphael and only a few figures were completed by students.
It is only known that the dying creator showed his student Giulio Romano with a gesture to the painting "Transfiguration", urging him to finish the work.
Painting by Rafael Santi "Transfiguration" describes biblical story written in the gospels. Christ decided to show his true appearance, he took James, John and Peter. Go to high mountain where only they were, and was transformed. His face shone like the sun, his clothes became white as light. When they came to the people, a man came up to Jesus and bowed his knee and asked to heal his demon-possessed son. Christ healed the boy and the demon came out of him.
For a long time, Rafael did not know how to paint this picture. How to depict these complex plots, it's a miracle. He tried to imagine himself in the place of the apostles, who saw what was happening, but he could not bring himself closer to these unearthly sensations.
Painstakingly he began to paint a picture. Several times I changed the position of the figures, changed the composition.
Rafael Santi "Transformation": description
The figure of Christ arouses admiration, as the light is transmitted, a feeling of exaltation, flight is created. This is a real miracle, the apostles are blinded by what they saw.
The bottom of the picture contrasts with the top, here it is twilight, everyone is crowding, pushing. This is all human vanity and turmoil. This is all low compared to what we see in the face of Christ.
The painting is recognized as a world masterpiece. In 1797 Napoleon's troops confiscated the Transfiguration. The picture was placed in the Louvre, where artists studied it, it became an example - an ideal. Napoleon himself considered Raphael a genius, and the Transfiguration was his most ambitious work. Only in 1815 the painting was returned to the Vatican.
The painting was damaged due to moving. Has been restored twice.
End of life path
Many creators during their lifetime were neither famous nor recognized. But Rafael Santi was not among them, the artist was revered, even called "divine". Thanks to his talents, he had powerful patrons and lived in luxury.
But death befell the creator suddenly at the age of 37, modern researchers write that the cause was a fever. Before his death, the master left a will in which he did not forget anyone: neither relatives, nor friends, nor students ... All Rome came to say goodbye to the maestro, over the headboard they saw the last masterpiece of a genius - Rafael Santi's painting "The Transfiguration of the Lord." Raphael is buried in the Pantheon. By the way, the artist chose the tomb for himself, and his student Santi Lorenzetti erected a statue of the Virgin Mary, thus fulfilling the desire of his teacher.
The Transfiguration, now in the Vatican Pinakothek, was commissioned by Raphael in 1517 from Giulio de' Medici for the cathedral at Narbonne.
Raphael began work on the creation of the "Transfiguration" in 1518. He painted the picture himself, without resorting to the help of numerous students. A sudden fever claimed the life of the great artist and, on the same day and month in which Raphael was born 37 years earlier, Rome mourned her favorite. The work was completed by him just before his death on April 6, 1520. The body of the artist was exhibited in the Pantheon along with the just completed painting (it was said that he painted the head of Christ just before his death). The lower part of the painting was completed by students and assistants - mainly Giulio Romano, who received payment for it in 1522.
This picture is divided into two parts. The upper part shows the actual transformation - this more harmonious part of the picture was made by Raphael himself. Below, the apostles are depicted trying to heal a demon-possessed boy - there is a lot of artificial pathos here, blackness has appeared in painting. It is symptomatic that it was Rafael Santi's altar painting "The Transfiguration of Christ" that became for centuries an indisputable model for painters of the academic direction.
"Transformation". Rafael Santi.
Myths from N.V. Levashov:
"... One gets the impression that someone deliberately "moved" the first picture down to cut off the top with a "dangerous" object - a superbly depicted "flying saucer" ...
Rafael was very an unusual person, often going against holy church. As the famous Vassari called him in his writings, he was "an atheist with a rich imagination" ... The second picture was painted in Last year life of the artist (1520) and was called "Departure". Having caused a real storm of indignation on the part of the most holy church, the magnificent work was sentenced to be destroyed."
Debunking the myths:
Author: Valery
09.03.2011 15:56
In the chapter "Isidora-8. Key of the Gods "N.V. Levashov, an illustration is given in which two paintings are combined - "considered destroyed" and "Transfiguration" by Raphael ...
It also provides heroic story about how Rafael first painted a picture with a UFO, then the church forbade him to draw such an image - and he took it, painted new picture without UFO, but with additional figures at the bottom.
Thus, we see that the artist painted TWO COMPLETELY IDENTICAL paintings. Or did he have a Xerox? The coincidence, as we see, is complete. How could this be?
But no way. First, the time of Raphael, the artists always depicted the figures in full. No cut off legs, protruding heads, etc. (look at the first "picture"). Well, one Rafael and only once changed this rule ?. Of course not.
And, secondly, in fact, this is a photo montage from a fairly well-known website about Photoshop. Posted on 01/19/2007.http://fx.worth1000.com/entries/350752/true
I note that Levashov's photograph appeared in 2010. Without indicating the source, place of storage, etc. Only high quality scan. Not a hidden camera photo, but good quality scan. Only Levashov and on the mentioned site. Nowhere else. Think about it.
Raphael Santi - Transfiguration of Christ 1519-1520. Pinacoteca Vatican, Rome.
Initially, the picture was created as an altar image of the Cathedral in Narbonne, commissioned by Cardinal Giulio Medici, Bishop of Narbonne. To the greatest extent, the contradictions of the last years of Raphael's work were reflected in the huge altar composition "The Transfiguration of Christ" - it was completed after the death of Raphael by Giulio Romano.
Having started working on the painting, the artist painted in parallel the canvas personally for the cardinal. For his painting, the artist used a well-known biblical story described in the gospels, which tells that Christ decided to show his true appearance to his disciples. As they say in the scripture, Jesus took with him the three apostles Peter, James and Iiakim, and led them to a high mountain, where he was transformed before them, appearing in a bright image, surrounded by a divine halo. After that, the voice of God was heard, which confirmed to the apostles that Jesus was his true and only son.
Having descended from the mountain, the apostles and Jesus meet a crowd of people who accompany the father and his son, who is possessed by the devil, to turn to Christ with a request for his cure.
And here begins the plot of Raphael's painting, which tells about this moment.
In the foreground are the apostles, who are reclining in various positions in anticipation of the descent of Christ. Jesus himself hovers in the circle of light above the rest of the people, he is weightless and beautiful. People stretch out their hands to him, and the old man and the boy froze in anticipation of healing. The artist also depicted a kneeling woman who, along with everyone else, is waiting for a miracle. All these people point to Christ, their faces are full of quivering excitement. He comes and heals the child, driving away the evil spirit.
This picture is divided into two parts. The upper part shows the actual transformation - this more harmonious part of the picture was made by Raphael himself. Below, the apostles are depicted trying to heal a possessed boy - there is a lot of artificial pathos here, an unpleasant blackness has appeared in the painting. It is symptomatic that it was Rafael Santi's altar painting "The Transfiguration of Christ" that became for centuries an indisputable model for painters of the academic direction.
The history of the painting.
In 1797, Napoleon moved the Transfiguration to France, and the painting returned to the Vatican only after the overthrow of the emperor in 1815. As a result of transportation, it was badly damaged, and the first restoration only worsened its condition. The next restoration, carried out already in the seventies of the XX century, brought the picture as close as possible to the one it had four centuries ago.
Traditionally, artists depicted Christ standing on a mountain (more often just on a hill) between Moses and Elijah, while the apostles reclined at His feet, covering their eyes from bright light. Raphael chooses a different compositional move for his painting.
On it, the Savior is depicted hovering in the air, as during the Ascension. The radiance enveloping his figure - that same "cloud of light" - illuminates the rest of the characters. The lower part of the picture, according to the icon-painting tradition, represents an episode that immediately followed the descent of Christ from the mountain: Raphael depicts the miracle of the healing of a boy with epilepsy.
Fear, confusion, surprise, vanity in this part of the picture contrast with the majestic calm emanating from the figure of Christ. The variety of poses and gestures expresses the different feelings of the characters and emphasizes the individuality of each of them. The expressiveness of the figures is emphasized by the light falling from the left. Perhaps this is a technique not previously found in his painting, Raphael invented while working on theatrical scenery. Later, this special way of lighting from Raphael will be borrowed by Caravaggio (1573-1610).
A VERY INTERESTING STORY ABOUT THE COMBINATION OF TWO PAINTINGS BY RAPHAEL. (Version from int.)
Painting by Raphael Care.
Here are two almost identical paintings, the author of which is the great Italian artist Rafael Sancho (Raphael Sanzio/Santi)... One gets the impression that someone deliberately "moved" the second picture down to cut off the top with a "dangerous" object - a superbly depicted "flying saucer" ... Which in reality was the absolute truth.
Raphael was a very unusual person, often going against the holy church. As the famous Vassari called him in his writings, he was "an imaginative atheist"... The first painting (on the left) was painted in the last year of the artist's life (1520) and was called "Departure".
Having caused a real storm of indignation on the part of the most holy church, the magnificent work was sentenced to destruction. Then, deciding to play a harmless joke on the Pope, the artist painted a second picture, as if moving the entire composition down, and cutting off the upper (main) part of the picture, which depicted Christ, which was not allowed in any way according to the strict canons of painting of that time. He called the second painting "Transfiguration" (Transfiguration)... Unfortunately, the artist died without finishing the second picture - it was completed by his best students and (at the request of the teacher) presented to the Vatican. The Pope was delighted with the work and called it "one of the best" paintings by Raphael...
