"Mystical Christmas"(Italian: Natività mistica) is one of the last paintings by the Florentine artist Sandro Botticelli, created in a period marked in his work by the breakdown of Quattrocento optimism, the growth of religiosity, and an acutely tragic perception of the world.
The canvas was practically unknown until the Englishman Otley saw it at Aldobrandini's villa and acquired it. Botticelli was "rediscovered" by art critics with the beginning of the Pre-Raphaelite movement, it was then that John Ruskin gave the canvas its current name. In 1878, the London National Gallery bought the painting for £1,500. At the top of the canvas, a Greek inscription has been preserved, which reads:
It was written at the end of the year 1500, during the turmoil in Italy, by me, Alexander, in the middle of that period at the beginning of which the chapter IX of St. John and the second revelation of the Apocalypse were fulfilled, when Satan reigned on earth for three and a half years. At the end of this period, the devil will again be chained, and we will see him cast down, as in this picture.
Original text (Greek)
Εγώ, ο Αλέξανδρος, ζωγράφισα το έργο αυτό, στο τέλος του έτους 1500, ένους για την Ιταλία, στο μισό του χρόνου, κατά την εκπλήρωση της προφητείας του 11ο υ κεφαλαίου [της Αποκάλυψης] του Ιωάννη, στην εποχή της δεύτερης πληγής της Αποκά λυψης . Μετά θα αλυσοδεθεί σύμφωνα με το 12ο κεφάλαιο και θα τον δούμε να συντρίβεται, όπως σε αυτό τον πίνακα.
It is extremely difficult to give any interpretation of this text with apocalyptic allusions. It is obvious that the work belongs to Botticelli, as it is signed ( Alessandro, Sandro- a derivative of Alexander) and dated 1501 (the Florentine year ended on March 24, and the artist mentions the end of 1500). In addition, the author mentions political unrest in Italy, that is, the picture was painted during the political and military unrest that shook the artist's native Tuscany after the death of Lorenzo the Magnificent.
The “Apocalypse” of John is most likely mentioned in connection with the end of the long trials (the beginning of which the researchers of Botticelli’s work attribute to the time of the burning of Fra Girolamo Savonarola or with the cruel military campaigns of Cesare Borgia), when evil will be defeated.
In the composition of The Mystical Nativity, the artist relied both on sacred ideas and on the sermons of Savonarola. This is evidenced by the illustration of one of the collections of sermons by Fra Girolamo (1496, Florence, National Library). The iconography of the painting, as well as the intonation of the inscription, are marked by the influence of mysticism and the severity of the preacher's teaching.
About the speeches of Savonarola, in particular about his Christmas sermon, delivered under the Florentine year 1494, where he called on the inhabitants of Florence to turn the city into a new Nazareth, they are reminded of the figures who came to bow to the baby in clothes modern to the artist, pacified by a saving embrace with angels; meanwhile, the demons at the bottom of the picture rush to hide in the cracks that have opened in the ground.
On the roof of the hut are three angels dressed in white, red and green. These colors represent Grace, Truth and Justice, often featured in Savonarola's speeches. The scene is dominated by the theme of peace and tranquility, emphasized by the symbolism of the olive wreaths and branches that accompany the characters. The olive branches are also held in the hands of angels circling over the hut - a plot borrowed from the decoration of churches practiced since the time of Brunelleschi for sacred performances.
The Nativity of Christ is the greatest holiday that marks the inexpressible gift of God's love and mercy to us sinners - the appearance of the Son of God on earth, descended from heaven.
The rector of the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra, Metropolitan of Vyshgorod and Chernobyl Vladyka Pavel told Vesti about the holiday.
“All the prophecies that were said about the Mother of God, who was the greatest Gracious Vessel, prepared by God's grace, for the coming into the world of Christ the Savior, were fulfilled. So the Lord loved the world that He gave His Only Begotten Son, so that everyone who believes in Him would not perish. The glorious Annunciation, which proclaimed the joy of salvation to the whole world, today brought to the world another great joy – the Nativity of Christ, the beginning of the blessed Kingdom of God on earth,” the Metropolitan noted.
Christmas: history
Vladyka Paul reminded us that Christ was born in a wretched cave, thus showing us meekness and humility, love for man.
The Son of God could come into the world in the most comfortable, bright, luxurious and spacious dwelling. But the Savior chose something else: he was born in poverty to show us all an example of patience and contentment with little.
“In life there are always more unhappy than happy, more poor than rich. But how hard it is to endure poverty! How difficult it is for an unfortunate person to accept his position at the sight of those who live happily! And yet, take this thought into your heart: your poverty, your misfortune is shared with you by your Savior. If it's hard for you to bear all this, look at the Savior lying in the manger. You are poor - He is poorer than you, and He became poor, being rich - Possessor of everything. He is God – even in poverty. He, as a person, could have everything, but he preferred not to have anything, ”the rector of the Lavra emphasized.
Why was Christ born in such poverty? He did not come to be served, but to serve us – sinful and unworthy. He did not come to be blessed here on earth, but to suffer for us. All our lives, until our death, endure for us all kinds of hardships, reproach, sorrows to satisfy the righteous wrath of God.
He came through suffering and death to redeem and save us. “And it is with these sufferings that His life on earth begins. Only He is born - and already suffers: He suffers from poverty, from squalor, from the fact that there was nowhere to put Him. Let's remember why a person lost his bliss? Why was the first Adam expelled from Paradise? He fell for pride - he desired to be equal to God. And so the return of this bliss must be accomplished through the deepest humility, through self-abasement. Pride, a desire for more have deprived a person of God's love, but humility, patience with deprivation must return this love, return the lost paradise, ”the Metropolitan recalled.
“And on this greatest night, when all malice has fallen asleep, when the prayers of the righteous, like a burning candle, ascend to Heaven, you and I are witnesses of how the Angels announce to the shepherds about the greatest miracle. Why only pastors? Because, according to the teachings of the holy fathers, they appeared meek and humble, pure in heart. Here our Lord and Savior shows that He accepts everyone and everyone - whether this is a simple person, not tempted by the sciences, but with a clear conscience and a life aspiring to God; whether a person tempted by many knowledges, but not relying on his own wisdom, but seeking the light of the heavens, the light of God. The Lord looks at the meek and humble in heart - that person who accomplishes his daily, every minute feat, praying to God and working on this long-suffering earth. It is to these people that the Lord proclaims this greatest miracle, because they are worthy to bring this message to others,” said Vladyka Pavel.
The angels sang: “Glory to God in the highest!” - they gave praise to the One Who created them, Who created the Heavenly Forces out of the greatest love in order to give them the joy of communication.
“And peace on earth!” - that is, that long-awaited world has come, which Adam dreamed about when he was expelled from paradise.
“Here Adam is right in paradise, and weeping at his nakedness crying…” Weeping about what? Not that he lost paradise! And about the fact that he lost the sight of God. The fact that he felt good in paradise is one thing. But the worst thing is to be left without communion with the Lord.
“Good will in men!” - with the Nativity of Christ, a person returns to the abode of the Heavenly Father. What the old Adam lost through his sin is renewed today through the new Adam. That breath that the Lord once breathed into the body, into the soul of the old Adam, some small part of eternity, makes us partakers of eternity, the sons of the Kingdom of Heaven, the heirs of the Kingdom of God.
Christmas: the meaning of the holiday
With the Nativity of Christ, everything is renewed, because this greatest holiday gives a person the opportunity to rethink his life, again and again turning his soul to the Lord.
“To the stars that serve as a star, I learn to bow to You, the Sun of Truth,” – so the Magi, the wisest men of that time, even today teach us, without further ado, with deep reverence, mind and heart, to bow before the incarnated Son of God – our Savior.
What did these Eastern kings bring as a gift to the Lord? Gold, frankincense and myrrh, as the best of everything that was in the East, for which the fatherland of the Magi was famous Gold - as the king and head of the human race, incense - as the high priest and teacher, myrrh - as a man and intercessor, having His death to destroy the power of death.
“What do these gifts mean to us? What will we bring as a gift to the Lord? They brought gold - the most expensive metal. But David the Psalmist says that the word of God is more precious and desirable than expensive gold. This means that if we study the word of God and accept it in our hearts as the only possible one, then we will bring a gift that is more precious to the Lord than gold – this gift is His truth. The Magi brought incense, which, rising to Heaven in incense, serves as a gift of thanksgiving, pleasing to God. If, again and again, in the prayers of our souls, we thank our Savior for everything that He sends us for our salvation, will this not be more pleasing to God than incense? The Magi brought myrrh. The word myrrh means "bitterness", "sorrow". Our contrition for our sins, our confession before Him in heartfelt grief of our sins for which He died - this is our myrrh. If we grow in ourselves wondrous gifts to our Savior, then our path to the Abode of the Kingdom of Heaven is true,” Metropolitan Pavel emphasized.
And in conclusion, he called on all believers: “Let us rejoice in this great day. Instead of a manger, let's offer our heart to the born Christ, so that the Lord can lie down in it. Let us open the doors of our souls to Him and let Him into our home. Let us always look at this star - the Church of Christ, which has announced to us great joy, and we will follow her. Because there is no greater joy than to follow Christ and serve Him alone.”
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In this picture, Botticelli depicts a vision where the image of the world appears without boundaries, where there is no organization of space by perspective, where the heavenly is mixed with the earthly. Christ was born in a wretched hut. Mary, Joseph and the pilgrims who came to the place of the miracle bowed before Him in reverence and amazement.
Angels with olive branches in their hands lead a round dance in the sky, glorify the mystical birth of the Child and, descending to earth, worship Him.
The artist interprets this sacred scene as a religious mystery, presenting it in a "common" language. In his wonderful "Christmas" Sandro Botticelli expressed the desire for renewal and universal happiness. He consciously primitivizes forms and lines, complements intense and colorful colors with an abundance of gold.
Sandro resorts to the symbolism of scale ratios, increasing the figure of Mary in comparison with other characters, and to the symbolism of details, such as branches of the world, inscriptions on ribbons, wreaths.
At the top of the painting is an inscription in Greek:
“This picture was painted by me, Alexandro, at the end of the turmoil after the time when the prediction of John in chapter 11 and the second tribulation of the Apocalypse came true, when Satan was released to earth for three and a half years. Then he will be again imprisoned in chains and we will see him defeated, as shown in this picture.
Remembering the prophecies of Savonarola, Botticelli sees in the lines of the Apocalypse a connection with the upheavals that befell his native Florence.
"Mystical Christmas"(Italian: Natività mistica) is one of the last paintings by the Florentine artist Sandro Botticelli, created in a period marked in his work by the breakdown of Quattrocento optimism, the growth of religiosity and an acutely tragic perception of the world.
The canvas was practically unknown until the Englishman Otley saw it at Aldobrandini's villa and acquired it. Botticelli was "rediscovered" by art critics with the beginning of the Pre-Raphaelite movement, it was then that John Ruskin gave the canvas its current name. In 1878, the London National Gallery bought the painting for £1,500. At the top of the canvas, a Greek inscription has been preserved, which reads:
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It is extremely difficult to give any interpretation of this text with apocalyptic allusions. It is obvious that the work belongs to Botticelli, as it is signed ( Alessandro, Sandro- a derivative of Alexander) and dated 1501 (the Florentine year ended on March 24, and the artist mentions the end of 1500). In addition, the author mentions political unrest in Italy, that is, the picture was painted during the political and military unrest that shook the artist's native Tuscany after the death of Lorenzo the Magnificent.
The “Apocalypse” of John is most likely mentioned in connection with the end of the long trials (the beginning of which the researchers of Botticelli’s work attribute to the time of the burning of Fra Girolamo Savonarola or with the cruel military campaigns of Cesare Borgia), when evil will be defeated.
In the composition of The Mystical Nativity, the artist relied both on sacred ideas and on the sermons of Savonarolla. This is evidenced by the illustration of one of the collections of sermons by Fra Girolamo (1496, Florence, National Library). The iconography of the painting, as well as the intonation of the inscription, are marked by the influence of mysticism and the severity of the preacher's teaching.
About the speeches of Savonarola, in particular about his Christmas sermon, delivered under the Florentine year 1494, where he called on the inhabitants of Florence to turn the city into a new Nazareth, they are reminded of the figures who came to bow to the baby in clothes modern to the artist, pacified by a saving embrace with angels; meanwhile, the demons at the bottom of the picture rush to hide in the cracks that have opened in the ground.
On the roof of the hut are three angels dressed in white, red and green. These colors represent Grace, Truth and Justice, often featured in Savonarola's speeches. The scene is dominated by the theme of peace and tranquility, emphasized by the symbolism of the olive wreaths and branches that accompany the characters. The olive branches are also held in the hands of angels circling over the hut - a plot borrowed from the decoration of churches practiced since the time of Brunelleschi for sacred performances.
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Literature
- Botticelli, Los grandes genios del arte, n.º 29, Eileen Romano (dir.), Unidad Editorial, S.A., 2005, ISBN 84-89780-97-8
Links
- in the London National Gallery database
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An excerpt characterizing the Mystic Nativity
- You... - what?! Can you see him?! Anna nodded fearfully. Apparently I was so dumbfounded that I scared her with my appearance. “Can you get past his defenses?”Anna nodded again. I stood there, completely shocked, unable to understand - HOW could she do this??? But that didn't matter now. The only important thing was that at least one of us could "see" him. And that meant, perhaps, defeating him.
Can you see his future? Can?! Tell me, my sun, will we destroy it?!.. Tell me, Annushka!
I was shaking with excitement - I longed to hear that Caraffa would die, I dreamed of seeing him defeated !!! Oh, how I dreamed about it!.. How many days and nights I made fantastic plans, one more crazy than the other, just to clear the earth from this bloodthirsty viper!.. But nothing worked, I could not "read" his black soul. And now it happened - my baby could see Karaffa! I got hope. The two of us could destroy it by combining our "witch" powers!
But I rejoiced too soon... Easily reading my thoughts raging with joy, Anna sadly shook her head:
- We will not defeat him, mother ... It is he who will destroy us all. He will destroy so many like us. There will be no escape from him. Forgive me, mother ... - bitter, hot tears rolled down Anna's thin cheeks.
- Well, what are you, my dear, what are you ... It's not your fault if you see not what we want! Calm down, my sun. We don't give up, do we?
Anna nodded.
“Listen to me, girl...” I whispered as gently as possible, shaking my daughter by the fragile shoulders. “You must be very strong, remember! We have no other choice - we will still fight, only with other forces. You will go to this monastery. If I'm not mistaken, wonderful people live there. They are like us. Only probably even stronger. You will be fine with them. And during this time I will figure out how we can get away from this person, from the Pope ... I will definitely come up with something. You do believe me, don't you?
The little girl nodded again. Her wonderful big eyes were drowning in lakes of tears, pouring out whole streams ... But Anna was crying silently ... bitter, heavy, adult tears. She was very scared. And very lonely. And I couldn't be near her to calm her down...
The ground was slipping from under my feet. I fell to my knees, wrapping my arms around my sweet girl, looking for peace in her. She was a sip of living water, for which my soul, exhausted by loneliness and pain, cried! Now Anna was gently stroking my tired head with her small hand, whispering something softly and reassuring me. Probably, we looked like a very sad couple, trying to "make it easier" for each other, even for a moment, our warped life...
– I saw my father... I saw how he was dying... It was so painful, mother. He will destroy us all, this terrible man... What have we done to him, mommy? What does he want from us?
Anna was not childishly serious, and I immediately wanted to calm her down, to say that this is “not true” and that “everything will definitely be fine”, to say that I will save her! But that would be a lie, and we both knew it.
- I don’t know, my dear ... I think we just accidentally got in his way, and he is one of those who sweeps away any obstacles when they interfere with him ... And more ... It seems to me that we know and have what for which the Pope is ready to give a lot, including even his immortal soul, just to get it.
What does he want, mommy? Anna raised her wet eyes from tears to me in surprise.
“Immortality, dear… Just immortality. But he, unfortunately, does not understand that it is not given simply because someone wants it. It is given when a person is worth it, when he KNOWS what is not given to others, and uses it for the benefit of other, worthy people... When the Earth becomes better because this person lives on it.
“Why does he need it, Mom?” After all, immortality - when a person must live a very long time? And it's very difficult, right? Even in his short life, everyone makes many mistakes, which he then tries to atone for or correct, but cannot ... Why does he think that he should be allowed to make even more of them? ..
Italian art of the 15th century. Renaissance.
Painting by artist Sandro Botticelli "Mystical Christmas". The size of the master's work is 108.5 x 75 cm, tempera on canvas. In this picture, Botticelli depicts a vision where the image of the world appears without boundaries, where there is no organization of space by perspective, where the heavenly is mixed with the earthly. Christ was born in a wretched hut. Mary, Joseph and the pilgrims who came to the place of the miracle bowed before Him in reverence and amazement. Angels with olive branches in their hands lead a round dance in the sky, glorify the mystical birth of the Child and, descending to earth, worship Him. The artist interprets this sacred scene of the appearance of the Savior into the world as a religious mystery, presenting it in a “common” language. He consciously primitivizes forms and lines, complements intense and colorful colors with an abundance of gold. Sandro resorts to the symbolism of scale ratios, increasing the figure of Mary in comparison with other characters, and to the symbolism of details, such as branches of the world, inscriptions on ribbons, wreaths. Angels in the sky are circling in an ecstatic round dance. The whirlwind of their robes is outlined with a piercingly clear line. The figures stand out clearly against the blue and gold of the sky. On the ribbons wrapping around the branches, inscriptions from prayer hymns are read: “Peace on earth, goodwill towards men” and others.
Giorgione "Sleeping Venus"
The poetic pinnacle of Giorgione's art was "Sleeping Venus" - the only one of the artist's paintings on a mythological plot that has come down to us. It also became a kind of result of all Giorgione's thoughts about man and the world around him, it embodied the idea of a free, unclouded existence of man among poetic nature. In 1525, M. Michiel wrote about her: “The painting on canvas depicting a naked Venus, who is sleeping in a landscape, and Cupid, was painted by Giorgione from Castelfranco, but the landscape and Cupid were completed by Titian”
Velasquez "Bacchus"
Triumph of Bacchus the Drunkard. The painting was painted, or, in any case, completed by Velázquez in 1629. In this picture, the bright creative independence of the artist is revealed. His idea is bold and unusual. A picture painted on a mythological plot. Velázquez depicts a feast of Spanish vagabonds in the company of the ancient god Bacchus against the backdrop of a mountain landscape. The god of wine and fun is depicted here as a friend and helper of the poor. Bacchus crowns a kneeling soldier with a wreath, who probably deserved such a reward for such an addiction to drinking. Half-naked, like his satyr companion, the god sits cross-legged on a barrel of wine. One of the participants in the feast brings a bagpipe to his lips to mark this jokingly solemn moment with music. But even hops cannot drive out of their minds the thought of hard work and worries.
But especially charming is the open and straightforward face of a peasant in a black hat with a bowl in his hands. His smile is conveyed unusually vividly and naturally. It burns in the eyes, illuminates the whole face, makes his features motionless. The nude figures of Bacchus and the satyr are painted like everyone else, from nature, from strong village boys. Velazquez captured here the representatives of the social lower classes, conveying truthfully and vividly and expressive appearance, faces hardened under the hot sun, full of ingenuous fun, but at the same time marked with the seal of harsh life experience. But this is not just a drunken revel, there is a feeling of a Bacchic element in the picture. The artist is not interested in the actual mythological side of conjecture, but in the atmosphere of the general elation of images that arises due to the introduction of mythological characters, as if familiarizing with the forces of nature. The artist finds such forms of characterization that do not separate the sublime from the base. In his depiction of Bacchus, a dense young man, with a peaceful, ingenuous face, acquired purely human qualities.
